Public appearances—such as posing with a Lego model of the Space Shuttle at the Brea Gallery —are an integral part of an astronaut's job. As the space program's ambassadors, astronauts speak to school children and civic groups, visit hometowns and cut ceremonial ribbons.
Another important part of being an astronaut is the public relations function—being an ambassador of science and speaking with people of all ages about scientific careers and the astronaut program.
Last year, she spoke to a group of middle school students in connection with her appearance as grand marshall in the Cherry Valley Festival parade in her hometown, Beaumont. Her visit proved that even astronauts are plagued with lost luggage. Her bags ended up on another flight, and she had to borrow her mom's clothes to make the parade appearance. But even without her NASA flight suit, the hometown girl who became an astronaut was a big hit with the locals.
When it comes to young people, Caldwell prefers talking with fifth-and sixth-graders to older students. "In high school, student are much more susceptible to listening to their peers as opposed to listening to their parents and themselves," she notes. "From what I've seen...fifth-and sixth-graders don't know yet what kind of pressure is out there.
"I always tell kids three things: Dream big, study hard and always follow your heart. And I go through and explain these things. When I say follow your heart, I mean follow your very own heart, your own instincts.
"My parents always gave me choices, and it was up to me to decide where to go. And unless parents foster that in kids, they're always going to be looking to other people to make decisions for them. It's hard in a 30-minute talk to get kids to understand that. If they've never been given that kind of freedom, that kind of guidance, a lot of them get lost. They don't even know they have those options."
For this star-gazer, dreaming big, studying hard and following her heart are the fuel that will carry her to the stars. It may be one year or several years before Caldwell makes it into space aboard the shuttle, but her horizons seem to remain as unlimited as the starry skies she gazed into as a young girl in the desert. Her options open, her training ongoing, her determination steely, Tracy Caldwell looks to the sky, knowing that someday she will wave to us on her way to the moon. 
