Michael López-Alegría is chief astronaut for Axiom Space and commander of the Ax-1 mission. He joined NASA in 1992, and is a four-time astronaut holding NASA records for the most “spacewalks” and a cumulative extravehicular activity time of 67 hours 40 minutes. In this in-depth conversation, Michael reflects on the “overwhelming sensation” of his first acceleration and landing in space; discusses the Ax-1 mission this year, where he will become the first person to ever command an all-private crew to the International Space Station; and shares his predictions for the future.