QUESTION:
Dear Ms. Shirley,
Why did you become interested in the Mars program.  Why have you 
remained involved in it for so long?

ANSWER from Donna Shirley on April 16, 1997:
Hi - I got interested in Mars when I read a science fiction book by Arthur
C. Clarke called "The Sands of Mars" when I was about 12 years old (about
your age).  I was always interested in airplanes and flying and from
reading science fiction I got interested in space travel.

I've stayed with it for a long time because it's interesting and fun.

Donna Shirley