Ex-NASA astronaut to Vietnam students: Dream and keep chasing your dream Ex-NASA astronaut James Reilly listens to the question of a participant after sharing his space flight stories and experiences on May 29, 2014 at the U.S. Consulate General's American Center on the 8th floor of Diamond Plaza at 34 Le Duan Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Binh Minh A former NASA astronaut earlier this week excited interest in dozens of Ho Chi Minh City students by talking about the pursuit of his space flight career and expressing his passion for the universe. Ex-NASA astronaut James Reilly on May 29 delivered his impressive speech on space flights to Vietnamese students at the U.S. Consulate General's American Center on the 8th floor of Diamond Plaza at 34 Le Duan Street, District 1. Speaking of the space flights, James stated that having a chance to travel in the universe is one of his wonderful know-how and unforgettable memories while asserting it was the result of his relentless pursuit of dreams. James worked in the petroleum sector as a manager and exploration geologist in Texas for 17 years before applying for a job at NASA. After being rejected many times, the ex-astronaut said he was called for an interview at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1994 at the age of 40, after spending 32 years following his dream since he initially realized it at the age of 8. “Don’t ever give up. Just keep dreaming and chasing your dream,” James told a student who asked him about the qualifications to become an astronaut, saying it would be great having a job that makes him happy thinking of it even he has to do it every day. "You can fly like a super hero in space. There are so many wonderful things about being in space," he explained the reason why the job kept exciting him despite a lot of difficulties he faced. The 60 year-old former astronaut also talked about his unique experiences after flying on three space shuttle missions including STS-89 in 1998; STS-104 in 2001; and STS-117 in 2007, concluding that besides the weightlessness, seeing the glamorous Earth under his feet was also a miraculous and stunning feeling. James Reilly joined NASA in 1994 where he was qualified as a mission specialist who has logged over 853 hours in space, including five spacewalks totaling over 30 hours. Binh Minh, Tuoitrenews