Gwynne Shotwell

For whatever reason, college was just not a huge focus for me. I wasn't planning ahead. I just didn't think about it too much. ”

You can't be on the cusp of innovation and at the forefront of technology if you're wearing blinders. If you don't have an exploration program where you're exploring your world here on Earth, underwater, and in space, then you're wearing blinders and handicapping yourself. ”

From my perspective, it's really risk management to ensure that humans have the ability to go somewhere else in case there were to be some huge disaster on Earth. ”

I never felt any issues whatsoever about being a woman in Tech. ”

I don't like to camp. Early on, Mars is going to be camping. I think there are people far better suited to do that than me. But when the first Holiday Inn Express shows up, maybe I'll go. ”

I'd love to go to space. I would love to peek out a giant window and look back at the blue marble. There's no question; I'd love to do that. ”

The key is to join an industry that you have a passion for. If you love cars, then automotive is where you should end up. ”

I do want to make something clear: SpaceX does have a lot of government business, but we execute in a commercial fashion. ”

After I finished my master's degree, I moved to a company called Aerospace Corporation, a big think tank for the U.S. Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office. ”

There was a lot of risk taken in the Mercury and Apollo eras, and we don't take those risks anymore. We've designed the systems to eliminate risk, which makes it take forever and cost too much money. ”