"Some people say we should stop flying the shuttle because we've had an accident - frankly two accidents, " she said.

BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | Shuttle crew reflect on crucial flight

"I did see, you know, some parallels between what I had to deal with in flying airplanes and flying the space shuttle and what I had to deal with in handling this situation, " Kelly told Morgan in 2011.

CNN: Gabby and Mark: The new 'Bradys' of gun control

The two monkeys were part of the joint Russian-American Bion 11 mission in 1997, flying aboard the space shuttle.

BBC: 'Hidden health risks' of space travel