That response proved prescient: shortly after stepping away from her professional cycling career, the Arizona native was selected from more than 12,000 applicants to join NASA’s astronaut class ...

After the "CBS Mornings" co-host suggested the Blue Origin flight was similar to Alan Shepard's, the mockery commenced.

And so I feel honored, like I said, to be here and a part of the team." READ MORE: First Irish astronaut Norah Patten had ‘no road map’ for space dreams – but she paved the path herself READ ...