And you know what, I'd do it again the next day. The show is that good. Undoubtedly this was my favorite day launch. To see a launch in person is indescribable. It's kind of ironic, that while on orbit, the shuttle would have made our trip in about 90 seconds.
Many people contribute to a successful mission.
From the engineers, to mission control, to the people who brainstorm ideas, all must do their part to pull off a successful mission. It's like that on the shuttle too. All astronauts must do their own job in order for the mission to work. Pilot astronauts serve both as Space Shuttle commanders and also pilots. During the flight, the commander has onboard responsibility for the vehicle.