Coleman, who lives in Shelburne Falls when not in orbit, described her experiences in space and discussed the ending of the nation's shuttle program. Watch video
There's a 70 percent chance the final launch of NASA's shuttle program won't happen Friday, as four astronauts boarded the shuttle Atlantis despite the likelihood of bad weather.
"We do have a shot at this today," launch director Mike Leinbach told his team, according to The Associated Press.
Back on Earth, astronaut Cady Coleman, who has roots here in Western Mass., spoke about her experiences aboard space shuttles with NPR.
Coleman, who is in Russia after returning from a stint at the International Space Station, told "All Things Considered" host Melissa Block that one of her favorite memories from space was spotting New England from space. She said:
To me, seeing one of my favorite places, which is New England where my husband and son were at that time, you know seeing New England approach so it's in the distance and it's getting closer and closer. Then you're right over it and you see where you live and you see Cape Cod and it's just beautiful, and you want it to stay right there. But it doesn't. It recedes into the distance so quickly. It makes me wistful and at the same time, I know that in an hour and a half I'll be back. Listen to the interview »
Coleman is married to Shelburne Falls artist Josh Simpson, a glass blower whose work is inspired by the celestial bodies for which his wife has had a front-row seat. She returned to Earth in May after five months in orbit.
Coleman told NPR that the retiring of the nation's shuttle program, which began in 1981 with the launch of Columbia, is a "hard change" that was ultimately necessary .
"In order to explore, we need a new vehicle," Coleman said. "And we can't fly this one and operate this one. It's too expensive and it drains too many of the people that we need."
Coleman recently delivered the commencement address to the graduates of the University of Massachusetts — from space — and spoke to local students via a satellite feed at Springfield Technical Community College.