way here, Jeff had explained to her and the kids that t hey were going to depart from Spaceport America, which was built way back in the 2010’s to support private launches into space. It was open to anyone in the public, and had become a mecca for space tourism, with daily launches for sub-orbital and orbital vacations. There were even a couple of hotels and casinos in space where you could stay for a week or just visit for a day. New weightless sporting events were available to watch live, and also televised every month to the people back on Earth. For a while, there had been competition between the private launch companies and NASA to outdo each other with space firsts, until they all realized that coordination worked much better.
Jeff had told her that their two pilots were on loan from NASA. There were never enough NASA flights, and the astronauts fell all over themselves to pilot missions from any company that would hire them. Sure, some lives had been lost in the process of executing all these private flights, and this was why the media was here at the southern New Mexico spaceport, but she had read that one third of the people attempting to summit Mount Everest had never made it back alive. Space launches had a much better success rate than that. At least, that’s what she had been told.
Everyone in front of Bonnie stopped, waiting to board the shuttle bus. “Okay, everyone. Remember to sit in your correct seat assignments,” Jeff yelled out. “Platinums in the front, Golds next, and Silvers and Bronzes in the back. It’s the same order as we’ll use on the ship, so let’s get it right the first time.”
Bonnie herded Jean and Julie, along with Lucky and Lotus, through the throng and to the back of the bus. Being married to a Platinum One didn’t mean that they had prime status. Your position in the group depended on how many new rich people you could recruit and how much money you could bring in. As she got her children settled, the dog and goat prone in the aisle, and their bags on the overhead metal rack, Julie tugged her shirt. “Mommy, why are those two strangers up front dressed so funny?”
“ They’re the astronaut pilots, honey. They have to be ready to go into space if there’s an emergency.”
“But aren’t we going into space too?”
“Well, the ship is, but we’ll be nice and cozy inside it. We don’t need spacesuits,” Bonnie stated.
Sue, the eldest member of the group, leaned over from across the aisle. “Don’t worry, honey. You’ll be a real spaceman too in a little while. That’s one reason why all those people were taking your picture. You’ll even be famous as the youngest person ever to go to another planet!”
Bonnie rested both of her hands on her abdomen, and a worried look crossed her face as she looked out the window at their ship in the distance. With a final flood of lights flashing from the many media cameras, the bus lurched and started out for the runway.
CHAPTER 2
Everyone stared at the craft when they exited the bus. It looked like two giant pterosaurs mating. The top ship was a giant airplane with six jet engines, and the logo “Virgin Intergalactic” on its tail. Underneath it was a very long craft with three parts. The rear part looked like the back half of a plane with rectangular boxes under swept back wings. The middle part resembled a long tube with a checkerboard pattern painted on it, and the front part seemed as if a child had been asked to design a paper plane. It was shaped like a big grey manta ray. It had no tail, and the ends of the wings curled slightly downwards, as if the craft was beginning to flap them. The bottom half was black and the top was a bluish grey. Along its top was painted a horse with wings and the word Pegasus. Jeff, Brother Jacobs and the two astronaut pilots were standing by a ramp leading into the small graceful bluish ship.
Commander Roy Olstein addressed the group. “We have about twenty minutes before wheels
Jeff had told her that their two pilots were on loan from NASA. There were never enough NASA flights, and the astronauts fell all over themselves to pilot missions from any company that would hire them. Sure, some lives had been lost in the process of executing all these private flights, and this was why the media was here at the southern New Mexico spaceport, but she had read that one third of the people attempting to summit Mount Everest had never made it back alive. Space launches had a much better success rate than that. At least, that’s what she had been told.
Everyone in front of Bonnie stopped, waiting to board the shuttle bus. “Okay, everyone. Remember to sit in your correct seat assignments,” Jeff yelled out. “Platinums in the front, Golds next, and Silvers and Bronzes in the back. It’s the same order as we’ll use on the ship, so let’s get it right the first time.”
Bonnie herded Jean and Julie, along with Lucky and Lotus, through the throng and to the back of the bus. Being married to a Platinum One didn’t mean that they had prime status. Your position in the group depended on how many new rich people you could recruit and how much money you could bring in. As she got her children settled, the dog and goat prone in the aisle, and their bags on the overhead metal rack, Julie tugged her shirt. “Mommy, why are those two strangers up front dressed so funny?”
“ They’re the astronaut pilots, honey. They have to be ready to go into space if there’s an emergency.”
“But aren’t we going into space too?”
“Well, the ship is, but we’ll be nice and cozy inside it. We don’t need spacesuits,” Bonnie stated.
Sue, the eldest member of the group, leaned over from across the aisle. “Don’t worry, honey. You’ll be a real spaceman too in a little while. That’s one reason why all those people were taking your picture. You’ll even be famous as the youngest person ever to go to another planet!”
Bonnie rested both of her hands on her abdomen, and a worried look crossed her face as she looked out the window at their ship in the distance. With a final flood of lights flashing from the many media cameras, the bus lurched and started out for the runway.
CHAPTER 2
Everyone stared at the craft when they exited the bus. It looked like two giant pterosaurs mating. The top ship was a giant airplane with six jet engines, and the logo “Virgin Intergalactic” on its tail. Underneath it was a very long craft with three parts. The rear part looked like the back half of a plane with rectangular boxes under swept back wings. The middle part resembled a long tube with a checkerboard pattern painted on it, and the front part seemed as if a child had been asked to design a paper plane. It was shaped like a big grey manta ray. It had no tail, and the ends of the wings curled slightly downwards, as if the craft was beginning to flap them. The bottom half was black and the top was a bluish grey. Along its top was painted a horse with wings and the word Pegasus. Jeff, Brother Jacobs and the two astronaut pilots were standing by a ramp leading into the small graceful bluish ship.
Commander Roy Olstein addressed the group. “We have about twenty minutes before wheels
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