was any kind of reflection you couldn’t see behind the faceplate, but he was taking no chances. Plus, he had to admit, resuming his old work habits had a calming effect on him, even up here on the moon. With six weeks to retirement, he wasn’t about to start breaking old routines now.
Blake turned to face away from the others. “Garner to Pace. Come in, Pace.”
A moment later, Dallas’ voice was in James’ ear. “Pace here. Go ahead, sir.”
“Switch frequencies, Pace.”
“Switching frequencies.”
Their voices cut out of the common loop.
James watched as Blake’s finger pointed in the direction of a nearby crater. According to what he’d read, there were more than 300,000 craters wider than one kilometer on the moon’s near side alone. The great majority of these craters —now named for explorers, scientists, scholars, and artists — were said to be formed by asteroids and comets colliding with the lunar surface.
James stared up at the Earth, which he found after a few seconds to have a dizzying effect on him. Everything he’d ever known was way over there on that little blue marble... He forced himself to look away and then checked his oxygen levels again. They appeared fine, yet his head felt fuzzy, as though he’d just woken from a twisting-and-turning sleep. Perhaps it was from peering up into black space rather than a true blue sky. He lowered his head in an attempt to recover. He stepped back over to Asami and she squeezed his hand again. She bent forward to make eye contact through the helmets. She mouthed the words, “You okay?” He was grateful for her silent communication, not wanting the entire group to think he couldn’t hack it already. He nodded in return and released his grip from hers, pressed his gloved hands against his thighs when the wooziness failed to abate. James’ eyes fixated on the lunar surface, on the ubiquitous gray dust that seemed so unfitting for such a magnificent world.
Like a fiddler crab stirring just below the sand, the gray dust at his feet shifted ever so slightly.
Then abruptly stopped.
Had it even moved at all?
Of course not. There was no breeze on the moon. No atmosphere at all. That fact had caused more than a few feeble-minded conspiracy theorists to claim that no man had ever actually walked on the moon, that the entire Apollo 11 mission was a fake conjured to humiliate the Russians by winning the so-called Space Race. There is a famous photograph of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planting the American flag on the lunar surface. In the picture, the flag appears to be waving in the wind. Of course, there’s a simple explanation for this. The 3’ x 5’ nylon flag had been altered by sewing a hem along the top and inserting a crossbar hinged to the flagpole. Had these measures not been taken, the flag would have appeared limp and lifeless, not at all befitting the momentous event.
As his heart rate slowed, James stared at the surface for several more minutes, but nothing moved. He’d been seeing things. Now that the dizziness had faded, his eyes were finally adjusting and the dust appeared still once again.
He promised himself he’d speak to Dallas about his symptoms as soon as he could.
11 | Extravehicular Activity
Caitlin Swain was all too glad to leave the LEM’s control alcove, where Dallas Pace was breaking the news to their boss that they had landed significantly off course. As she stepped into the airlock, she could hear Dallas explaining patiently to Blake Garner, “Absolutely not, sir, we cannot move the lander except for when we take off to meet Paul up in orbit. There is not enough fuel to do so.”
Caitlin shook her head as she pressurized the airlock, which was the size of a walk-in closet with two sealed doors, one leading into the LEM and one to the outside. Move the lander just because the area’s a little different and he won’t be able to give the exact tour he rehearsed for days on end, sure!
Blake turned to face away from the others. “Garner to Pace. Come in, Pace.”
A moment later, Dallas’ voice was in James’ ear. “Pace here. Go ahead, sir.”
“Switch frequencies, Pace.”
“Switching frequencies.”
Their voices cut out of the common loop.
James watched as Blake’s finger pointed in the direction of a nearby crater. According to what he’d read, there were more than 300,000 craters wider than one kilometer on the moon’s near side alone. The great majority of these craters —now named for explorers, scientists, scholars, and artists — were said to be formed by asteroids and comets colliding with the lunar surface.
James stared up at the Earth, which he found after a few seconds to have a dizzying effect on him. Everything he’d ever known was way over there on that little blue marble... He forced himself to look away and then checked his oxygen levels again. They appeared fine, yet his head felt fuzzy, as though he’d just woken from a twisting-and-turning sleep. Perhaps it was from peering up into black space rather than a true blue sky. He lowered his head in an attempt to recover. He stepped back over to Asami and she squeezed his hand again. She bent forward to make eye contact through the helmets. She mouthed the words, “You okay?” He was grateful for her silent communication, not wanting the entire group to think he couldn’t hack it already. He nodded in return and released his grip from hers, pressed his gloved hands against his thighs when the wooziness failed to abate. James’ eyes fixated on the lunar surface, on the ubiquitous gray dust that seemed so unfitting for such a magnificent world.
Like a fiddler crab stirring just below the sand, the gray dust at his feet shifted ever so slightly.
Then abruptly stopped.
Had it even moved at all?
Of course not. There was no breeze on the moon. No atmosphere at all. That fact had caused more than a few feeble-minded conspiracy theorists to claim that no man had ever actually walked on the moon, that the entire Apollo 11 mission was a fake conjured to humiliate the Russians by winning the so-called Space Race. There is a famous photograph of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planting the American flag on the lunar surface. In the picture, the flag appears to be waving in the wind. Of course, there’s a simple explanation for this. The 3’ x 5’ nylon flag had been altered by sewing a hem along the top and inserting a crossbar hinged to the flagpole. Had these measures not been taken, the flag would have appeared limp and lifeless, not at all befitting the momentous event.
As his heart rate slowed, James stared at the surface for several more minutes, but nothing moved. He’d been seeing things. Now that the dizziness had faded, his eyes were finally adjusting and the dust appeared still once again.
He promised himself he’d speak to Dallas about his symptoms as soon as he could.
11 | Extravehicular Activity
Caitlin Swain was all too glad to leave the LEM’s control alcove, where Dallas Pace was breaking the news to their boss that they had landed significantly off course. As she stepped into the airlock, she could hear Dallas explaining patiently to Blake Garner, “Absolutely not, sir, we cannot move the lander except for when we take off to meet Paul up in orbit. There is not enough fuel to do so.”
Caitlin shook her head as she pressurized the airlock, which was the size of a walk-in closet with two sealed doors, one leading into the LEM and one to the outside. Move the lander just because the area’s a little different and he won’t be able to give the exact tour he rehearsed for days on end, sure!
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