“Okay, shoot,” Sally said.
“How do you see our relationship? I mean we are good friends. We went to prom together. Yet, we are still only eighteen years old and have most of our lives ahead of us if things go well. We could possibly live a lot longer than a hundred, depending on cryopreservation, stem cell research, and cloning.”
“You ask tough personal questions, mister. If we were not going on this ship, we probably would be sweethearts now and planning our college choices. If we do not see other people, we would have found out if we are meant to be. Now that we are going to space together along with our families, it may be a lot different. Certainly, I hope we see each other a lot. The fact is there is not much choice. If we see each other too much, we might become sick of each other before we are halfway to our ultimate destination.”
“I very much doubt that I will ever become sick of you, Sally. My family will be on board, and I will have a lot of responsibilities, but I do not see how I am going to survive this trip without a friend like you.”
I walked over to Sally and gave her a big hug. He then kissed her on the cheek. “I hope I gave the right answer,” I said.
Sally replied, “Yeah, Sam, you gave the right answer.”
After that, we enjoyed the rest of the picnic before heading home.
Chapter 24 – Faith
Sam Burns, Glenwood Springs, CO
I was home watching old reruns of Star Trek when my dad came into the room and sat down next to me.
“I remember watching those movies as a kid and dreaming of doing something like that. I never thought it would be possible, but I believe in what I am doing, and soon we will be leaving Earth. What do you think, Sam? Am I an imbecile trying to get everyone killed? Or do you have the faith to believe in me and search for a new life?”
After training had become our routine, I was getting more used to the idea of space travel. I looked at my dad. We had some really great times growing up together.
“Dad, you know I love you and Mom very much and will follow you to the end of the universe. No matter what happens in the future, I believe in you, one thousand per cent. But I do have a lot of questions that you probably can answer about this trip.”
“Ask me anything you want to know,” my dad said.
“Well for starters, if I remember correctly it will take years to leave the solar system. Given the fact that none of our planets in this solar system appear habitable, how are we going to live long enough to find a new planet?”
“Excellent question, son. Believe me. Many people have asked the same thing. My team of experts has developed a solution to deal with the aging process, as we may need to stay alive for several hundred or even a thousand years before we reach our destination.”
I looked at him. “People are not immortal, Dad.”
“No, they are not, but we have developed and have become experts on ensuring we can live for a very long time, barring a physical accident. We will be putting people and crewmembers to sleep on and off as needed to prolong life. This will include everyone on the ship.”
“How will we do that?”
“We have perfected what is known as cryonics. Robert Ettinger is generally credited with this process of freezing someone. However, all of his subjects died when they were frozen or, at least, were not able to regain life. He published a book, The Prospect of Immortality. We have followed up on his research with our own. Despite early failures, we have made great strides in awakening people after they have been frozen. All of our crew can be taken out of cryopreservation within one hour and be placed back in stasis within fifteen minutes. Also, we can clone everyone. Of course, if the cryopreservation fails, then that person is going to be in a lot of trouble as far as their life is concerned. When we get to the ship, you will become familiar with this process as well as with just about everything that occurs there. We also have stem cell researchers on board that can grow various organs to transplant into bodies when essential as well as cure diseases. Dr. Sato is one of the leading experts in this area. You will enjoy meeting her. Are there any more questions?”
“Yes, Dad, that is interesting, but exactly what the hell am I going to be doing on a ship like that? I planned on attending college and choosing a career.”
“That is true, son. All of your training is being done for the possibility that someday you will replace me as commander of the spaceship. You will have many outstanding professionals that will instruct you about the ship. We have been working on it now for over eight years. Perhaps it is time to take a tour of the ship and begin to see what is in store for you and your future. I will make the arrangements with Bob, who you will learn a lot from.”
He stood up.
“You can bring Jose with you, as he will also be an officer. Now get some rest. Soon you will see the space center and the ship.”
Chapter 25 – Seeing the Imagine for the First Time
Sam Burns, Rocky Mountains
Imagine, my dad, the leader of our spaceship called Imagine. We flew to a location in the Rocky Mountains. Two huge doors opened up that actually looked like part of the mountain. As we got close to a specific peak, my dad radioed ahead to someone. My mouth opened wide in awe when I saw this. This really was not a cave even if it appeared that way. The space inside was almost like a huge lab that my dad could have worked in at Boeing.
Suddenly, we entered what seemed like a cave in a mountain. We actually flew into the mountain. It was like Oh My God! In our training, we learned that astronauts regularly train in caves. Mostly, we’d been training in an abandoned school to promote effective communication, team dynamics, decision-making, problem-solving and leadership. We’d also practice our mapping and navigational skills in local caves. Now, we were entering a much bigger cave where Imagine was being built. I had no idea my dad was working with such top guns! There were people doing all kinds of research as well as working on the Imagine. It made sense, since he was always dealing with top gun aviation, but what blew my mind was seeing him in action. He had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a pilot but to see him navigating was way different than anything I could ever have imagined. I had a new respect for my dad all of a sudden.
After we landed, a man dressed in a white uniform met us. My dad introduced me to Bob Jackson.
“Sam, this is Bob Jackson. Bob is my best friend and co-director of this mission. He is also someone I would trust with my life.”
Then he turned to Bob. “Bob, this is my son, Sam, and his friend Jose. Both of them will be junior officers on the spaceship. You already know Jose’s dad. Can you please introduce Jose and Sam to our project and show them around a little? I will be back in three hours. I need to meet with the space launching team to review some of their concerns and keep us on schedule.”
“No problem. I will give Sam and Jose a VIP tour,” Bob replied.
“Bob Jackson helped build and develop the ship and knows every nook and bolt of the spacecraft. He will provide you with a lot of information. Listen to everything he says. I will be back later, and you can tell me what you learned and ask questions.”
Dad then left for his meeting.
After he left, Bob explained his background. “First to clarify things, you may call me Bob. We are going to be on this mission a long time and soon you will be an officer just like me. I was raised in Boston. I attended MIT and then the Air Force Academy. I was married for ten years, but we did not have any children. My wife died of cancer. I was kind of depressed when your dad asked me to assist him. Before that, I studied aeronautical engineering and worked on several government projects including spaceships. My job was to build the fastest possible spaceship ever produced. Soon after, your dad approached me and offered me a position. At first, I thought he was totally crazy, but after some convincing—and your dad can really be convincing—I decided to join his team. I am thankful I have had the opportunity to work with someone like your dad. If there are no questions, let’s get started. Of course, you want to see the ship, but first a little history lesson for you. Why is Earth failing so rapidly?”