Stellarium (Origins): A Space-Time Adventure to the Ends of our Universe Read Free Page B

to spend the next 12 months in
training,” she explained.
    “Plus,” she continued, “ever
since I moved to Houston ten years ago, traveling to work at the
Johnson Space Center

every day,
I’ve always considered the possibility of going to space some day,” she
explained with a twinkle in her eye.
    “I’m so happy for you, Allison! I
know that this is extremely risky, but I can tell from the look on your face
that you are happy. I can’t remember having seen you this way since Ed passed
away...”
    At that moment, Allison’s head
fell a bit, her eyes shifted toward the table, and her happiness seemed to lose
a bit of its shine. Allison didn’t have children, but she had once had a
husband. She had gotten married shortly after having moved to Houston. However,
a car accident had separated them. Allison tried not to talk about it. She had
devoted herself solely to her work during that time, but Edward was always in
her thoughts.
    “I’m leaving tomorrow,” said
Allison. “I’m going to spend Christmas with my mom. I’ll be back to the States
in January. But, before that—before Christmas, actually—NASA will announce the
new program. I hope to see you again before the launch.”
    “Of course, Allison. We’ll be in
touch. I’m sure I’ll be in Houston before you leave. It’s getting a little late
for me, as well. Let’s go. I’ll walk you back to your hotel.”
    For Allison, it was great to have
seen Dr. Hardt again. He was a good friend of hers, despite the fact that they
didn’t speak very often. By that time, Allison had put down roots in the United
States; she had plenty of friends, and she had long been a U.S. citizen, but,
regardless, she missed her home country. She usually traveled to Brazil every
two or three years to visit her mom, but this was the first time that she would
make the trip with the feeling that it might be the last.
    A few weeks later, Allison
celebrated Christmas. Childhood friends came to visit her, and she helped her
mom put up the Christmas tree. She was able to once again enjoy the little
things in life; the small town where she had grown up seemed just the same as
before. Very little had changed. The same ice cream shop, the same bakery on
the corner, everything was pretty much the same.
    Allison had been in Brazil for
two weeks when NASA announced its plans. The Brazilian media sought her out
immediately. She started doing interviews, explaining how the mission would
work. Her country was proud that an astronaut born there would be part of the
first mission to another galaxy, despite the fact that Allison, who had long
ago become a naturalized citizen, would be representing the United States.

Chapter 3
    Before heading back to the United
States, the high school where Allison had studied invited her to speak to the
students. The idea was for her to tell them a bit about her background, explain
the most recent advances in astrophysics, including the mechanism that made the
creation of wormholes possible, and inform them on a few of the trip details.
She accepted without thinking twice about it.
    It was a classroom full of
teenagers who were preparing to take their college entrance exam. She would be
happy to give back to the place that had taught her so much, all while setting
an example for these youth.
    So, the morning before her flight
back to Houston, Allison spent almost four hours in a classroom with about 30
students. Many of them had studied the subject and came prepared with
questions.
    Allison described much of what
she had already explained to Dr. Hardt, but the students were most interested
in how the technology worked:
    “So, before we can talk about how
NASA is going to send astronauts to another galaxy, we need to talk about
gravity. Who can tell me what gravity is?” asked Allison, looking around the
room.
    Several students raised their
hands, a few of them responding at the same time, without waiting to be called
on. The answer that most of them gave,