The Orthogonal Galaxy Read Online Free PDF Page B

Control, this is
Captain O’Ryan, prepared for takeoff in the Mars Shuttle Iowa”
Garrison announced formally to NASA engineers at the Johnson Space
Center in Houston, Texas.
    “ Iowa,” responded a
mission control specialist, “this is Mission Control. We’re going
over the last set of data from the vehicle to make sure we are a go
for launch in T minus 32 minutes. We’ll confirm system check in
twenty minutes, Captain.”
    “ All systems checked from
visual inspection of the vehicle, Mission Control”, Garrison
confirmed confidently.
    “ How ya’ feeling,
Garrison?” asked another specialist more casually.
    “ Certainly not as
comfortable as you, Halton.” Garrison recognized the voice of his
astronaut mentor, Halton Cooke. Cooke had recently retired from the
astronaut program, but still served as a mission advisor to NASA on
retainer.
    “ D’ya sleep well?” Halton
knew that the chit chat would help keep Garrison’s mind occupied
during the pre-launch routine.
    “ What do you think?”
Garrison answered the question with one of his own.
    “ Yeah, I copy you on that,
O’Ryan.” Halton couldn’t help but smile as he leaned back with his
hands behind his head, making sure not to pull off his headset.
“After your third or fourth trip, you’ll be sleeping like a baby in
that bed on the moon.”
    “ Sleeping like a baby?”
quipped Garrison. “You don’t know the O’Ryan baby apparently. That
little tike didn’t sleep until he was two years old it
seemed.”
    “ Then, you’ll get to know
how he felt,” volleyed Halton quickly. “By the time you get to
Mars, you’re going to feel like you’ve gone two years without any
sleep.”
    “ And that’s supposed to
make me feel better?” asked Garrison.
    “ No,” admitted Halton.
“It’s supposed to make you feel prepared. This is going to be a
long trip, Garrison. I hope you’re ready for it.”
    “ Of course, I’m ready,”
lied Garrison. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
    “ My prediction is that you
will certainly miss the world before you come home a couple of
years from now.” The brutal honesty of Halton did not escape his
friend. He was used to it, and it was that ability to say things
exactly as he saw them for which O’Ryan had always admired his
mentor. However, while Garrison had known that he’d be gone for
nearly two years, the realization of this was just starting to
settle in. He thought even more profoundly than previously how
Timmer would be six years old by then. He wondered if he would even
be able to remember his father after that much time.
    All astronauts served a
twenty-two month rotation on Camp Mars. A pair of astronauts was
stationed there at all times. Garrison was hitting the early part
of the window where Earth and Mars are sufficiently close to make
the trip. He would relieve an astronaut, who would return in the
Mars Shuttle back to Camp Moon shortly after he landed. Then in a
month, another exchange would occur, relieving Garrison’s companion
of his duties in a similar manner. After that, the Earth and Moon
would continue to diverge, as Earth raced around its orbit at twice
the rate of Mars. After one year, the Earth would be back in the
same position it was today, but Mars would’ve only traveled one
half of its orbit, placing it on the other side of the Sun from
Earth. Both planets would need to travel another nine months around
their orbit in order for their positions to be close enough for
Garrison to be relieved of his duties on the red planet.
    “ Iowa,” interrupted the
mission control specialist from Garrison’s nostalgia. “All systems
check. You’re good for launch in T minus six minutes.”
    Halton announced to
Garrison that it was time to resume business as the last several
steps of launch preparation would need to be completed. Upon
hearing the commotion from mission specialists on Earth, images and
thoughts rushed through his head like they did back in Florida just
a couple of