Chapter VII - A new bright star

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-"Barlow lens doubler and a H12mm?"
-"For starters." - Armando replied Nuno, while calibrating the telescope's position.
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After two reinvigorating hours reading the newspaper, always in his refuge room, came the relaxing two hour nap, never in the refuge but in his bedroom. Armando had already forgotten the watering plants' episode and had prepared everything to spend some time in the evening showing to young Nuno his sky watching proficiency.
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Dinner - served quite early as usual - had been awkward as Ms. Piedade was a in a bitter mood after seeing how upset her husband had returned from the basement that afternoon - the poor man only had two hands to carry the pair of watering cans, so obviously the newspaper couldn't have been delivered simultaneously!
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-"Do you think we'll be able to see it?" - an enthusiastic apprentice asked.
-"If the information I got is correct, I think we will do just fine." - assured the old man, not mentioning the successful rehearsal he had conducted the day before.
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The perfect cloudless sky had its match in the light free surroundings of the small village, while the stars and the planets wandered high above; Armando and Nuno millimetrically adjusted direction and focus, as the telescope had to follow their objects of interest.
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-"What are you trying to find right now?"
-"The International Space Station, or ISS as it was known" - said Armando, his voice in a lower tone than usual, as his senses got more tied to the task in hands.
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The ISS had great responsibility in what was about to happen on Mars the next few months, but not for the motives its creators could have imagined or desired. In fact, the old space station had a few more lines granted in history books and all of this well after its glory days.
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-"There it is!" - finger pointing to a bright dot in the dark sky - "Got to fine calibrate this" - almost diving to the long precision screw that enabled the small fractions of positioning in order to keep track of the moving object.
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Nuno anxiously waited for his turn to look upwards through the powerful set of lenses, and soon Armando was giving way to his pupil, cautioning him:
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-"Beware not to lose it, it moves very fast."
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The youngster already knew that what appeared to be slow by naked eye had a strangely energetic motion when viewed by a telescope.
Not moving his eye away from the ocular for a single second, keeping his fingers slowly rotating the precision screw, Nuno was curious about this sudden interest for a piece of space junk and questioned his mentor about it.
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-"I have two different reasons to be interested in that 'piece of space junk' as you put it" - started Armando, happy to offer the boy yet another demonstration of knowledge.
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-"The first one would be for historical reasons. I was never a great fan of the ISS, myself, as the only thing I saw in it was an enormous drain of money, money that should have been invested in missions way above low Earth orbit and even beyond the Moon's grip. Everything we have learn through its missions could have learn as well while travelling away from our earthly magnetic sheltering."
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And here he paused just to switch lenses, to a bigger magnifying one. Nuno was delighted with what he could now see.
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-"But one day, due to a terrible financial and political crisis the world had to put through, the Americans - that were struggling with an ever unreliable space program - decided to abandon their share in the ISS, even without having a decent substitute to their famous Space Shuttle. Russia stood as the only ISS member capable of putting people there." - he said, pointing to the moving bright spot way above them.
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An astonished Nuno was no longer watching the sky.
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-"You mean Russia was once a partner to the rest of the world? I thought it had always been a dictatorship!"
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A smile changed the rather stiff face of the telescope's owner:
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-"No, my young man, neither Russia was a dictatorship nor was it a partner with all of the world. I believe it was something in between... and that would be the critical element of this story. Europe, more precisely ESA, was having second thoughts after the American withdrawal from the space station project..."
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His speech overcome by Nuno's voice:
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-"What's ESA?"
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Armando looked coldly to the boy, not amused by the interruption.
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-"ESA stands for European Space Agency. As I was saying, Europe was having second thoughts, but had one ready-to-fly ATV and another one near completion, so it was stuck with two multimillion Euro headaches..."
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-"What's an ATV?" - asked again Nuno, already regretting his impulsive questioning.
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A throbbing vein in his forehead, the elderly amateur astronomer refrained himself and - as calmly as he could - explained that ATV stood for Automated Transfer Vehicle, an European spaceship targeted at resupplying the ISS and its permanent crew.
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And resuming the explanation, he then told how those were the days when things got worst, with Russia becoming a de facto dictatorship. As India was already preparing its first manned mission to the ISS, in a space program based in the Soyuz know-how, and taking advantage from the fact that the United States were both unwilling and incapable of reaching that space facility, the Kremlin immediately declared budget constraints that presumably limited security levels on the International Space Station, denying access to other spaceships besides their own Soyuz and Progress models.
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So Russia stood, in practical terms, the sole owner of the sole space station for almost ten years - until the Americans came back with their Apollo-like spirit and a new, strange, alliance was forged.
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But instead of becoming a total loss and setback to the international space community, these events were the seed of one of the most inspiring moments in the history of space exploration. In view of the situation, the Google company decided to take advantage of all the seemingly negative facts and created one bold competition.
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And so, the Google Mars Prize was born.
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-"You were just a little baby, back then." - the man stressed these words, knowing how impressed Nuno would be.
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The extraordinary vision of assembling a brilliant jigsaw puzzle from scattered pieces, this competition would be different right from the start as it didn't involve a money prize. The prize in itself was a technological and logistical push to those who would embrace the challenge.
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Offering Europe an exit to the two ATVs "all dressed up with nowhere to go", Google bought both spaceships along with their launch and management in space until the end of the competition; everything negotiated at specially low prices and payments in a long duration rental scheme. The final twist in the overall game: the ATVs, full with water, food, oxygen and several other items, would be separately parked in high orbits around Mars.
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And that would be the prize to the winners.
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By the time the explanation got this far, Nuno wasn't bold enough to ask what Soyuz was about...
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Nevertheless, seeing that Armando had stopped for a while, after such a long and eloquent dissertation, the youngster risked to speak:
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-"And what was the second reason for the interest about the ISS?"
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Contrary to what he expected, Armando wasn't mad at him, and while he smiled he pointed to the sky:
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-"As long as something stays in orbit, it clears its path of menacing space debris; the ISS is no exception, therefore if you can choose an orbit to park your own big spaceship..." - Armando didn't have to conclude, as Nuno was already looking upwards again, furiously seeking their evening's major goal.
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And there it was. A new bright star, majestically following the path of the ISS with a gap of 45 minutes, still under construction in orbit, another two weeks until receiving its crew, yet three weeks to leave Mars bound.
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The Namaste in its full glory.
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Chapter VI - Space Brothers

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The two American astronauts waited, sitting in silence, while tension - like dense cigar smoke - hoovered around them.
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The rain from previous days didn't stop when it was supposed to, and an even greater storm threatened to wash away any hope of making things on time, as Mission Control had decided yet another delay. Planets wouldn't alter their voyages around the Sun, thus the never ending cosmic ballet created too short a window for launch, aggravated by the fact that the Namaste mission was right on schedule, having left Earth orbit 28 days ago.
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William Steiner was mentally reviewing procedures for the launching sequence, while Rick Shepperd kept looking at the only door in the room.
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-"We still have almost 48 hours before it becomes too late" - Rick said, not facing his commander but expecting to hear a confirmation from him.
-"Yes. Nothing is lost, we're still good to complete our mission." - William noted, although he knew that each minute passing by was increasing pressure on them.
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Both men were well prepared, physically and mentally, as any other military should have been when chosen by the US Air Force to become members of the first manned mission to Mars. From the initial twelve candidates, these two were the chosen ones; they were the recreation of primordial space heroes, of military background, ready to sacrifice themselves for the mission and in the name of their country.
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Suddenly the door was open and the American Mission Manager entered the room, immediately followed by their Chief Mission Controller.
The astronauts stood up but the General dismissed any protocol by going straight to the point:
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-"Last delay was cancelled, you're going up in 10 hours time, Major."
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William looked at Rick and saw in him the same determined expression.
At last! The moment they had been waiting for.
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-"Captain Shepperd and I are ready and willing, Sir!"
-"I know you are, Major. You two are the best among the best, and will make our nation very proud."
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Things had come a long way.
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Since the Google Mars Prize was announced, thirteen years ago, a political turmoil had changed the space community in dramatic ways. NASA was one of its earliest victims when competition and efficiency were taken to the highest levels in decades, but entire nations were affected by a new notion: competition no longer was limited to countries but also included private companies, partnerships between countries and companies... and even odd alliances with former enemies.
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The later being the case for the United States of America.
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Four hours left for take off, and both astronauts were dressing their suits with the help of several technicians. Everything was checked and double checked.
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The last six years were a mixture of success and disappointment. After NASA was completely ruled out from the race to Mars, it was the Air Force that took the next step by creating from scratch an entire system of launcher, crew vehicle and an astronaut corps. With a spirit and tenacity that soon were compared to the Apollo days, eight men and four women were selected and sent to orbit in seven test flights that held a wide showcase of space walks, structures assembly in space, reentries, safe landings and docking with the deactivated International Space Station; but not everything needed to perform a complete mission to Mars was available yet.
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Two and a half hours left for take off, and both astronauts started their walk towards the vehicle that would lead them to the launchpad, where the gigantic Solaris launcher awaited.
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As the world didn't stop to watch, and the Hindi-Brazilian alliance was way ahead in preparations and results, the inevitable decision was hard to take... but nevertheless taken: the United States of America would not go alone to Mars.
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Two hours and ten minutes to take off, and both astronauts arrived by elevator to terminal deck, the highest level within the launching tower.
At this point, amongst a few technicians, three other men in spacesuits awaited. As the American astronauts saluted them, cheerful retribution came from the Russian cosmonauts. They all considered themselves "space brothers", but the commander of the American crew couldn't help but to feel envy of the man now in front of him.
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-"At last, Bill, we're going to make history!" - said Sergei Moravitch, the Russian Colonel commander of the mission. He was right. Specially him, the designated soon-to-be First Man on Mars.
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The United States of America, once indisputable leaders in space, could not go alone to Mars.
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-"Final check on intercom" - a metallic voice cracked inside the ears of William and Rick, with the Russian version being sent to the cosmonauts. After clearing this check, technicians made some last minute verifications and wished good luck to the five men.
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The three cosmonauts and two astronauts entered the Super Soyuz capsule. The hatch was closed and locked. In two hours time they would blast off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and soon after... the docking in orbit with the most well-kept secret of the last few years.
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Chapter V - Lucius Augustus

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Lunchtime went by rather swiftly, mainly because Armando mentally prepared the evening with Nuno and the telescope, and that helped forget the morning's visit to the doctor, or at least postponed his worries for a more suitable time; if there was a suitable time at all to be confronted by his blindness and the other problems he sensed coming his way.
Coming his way were also the steps he heard from the corridor that led to the dining room where he had just finished his meal.
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-"Are you done with dessert, Mr. Armando?" - the housekeeper asked, while entering the room.
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The man smiled briefly due to the rhetoric question, as she was already prompting his coffee in a delicate porcelain cup. His habits of a lifetime together with her lifetime of service had created an undetermined quantity of automated responses and initiatives.
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-"Yes, I am ready for my coffee, Mrs Piedade, and after that my resting time and a nap" - Armando confirmed the obvious. But then, a sudden discomfort changed his expression.
-"Did Mr. Manuel..." - but he didn't have to finish his question, as the housekeeper knew what was troubling the landlord.
-"Yes, Mr. Armando, my husband bought you the newspaper as you were committed with the doctor's appointment."
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He felt relieved. Without the daily ritual of reading his newspaper he could turn himself into a very unpleasant person. Slowly sipping is coffee, he remembered he had to water his plants.
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-"Mrs Piedade, could you please tell Mr. Manuel to prepare everything to water my plants?"
-"Of course. I'll tell him right away, and will bring your newspaper, too."
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While the housekeeper went to inform her husband of Armando's instructions, the porcelain cup was emptied and the elderly man left the dining room. When he finally reached the stairs leading down to the basement, the farm-keeper arrived with two big watering cans, so full they were he could not avoid spill the floor.
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-"Keep on going, my good man, don't let my arthritis stand in your way" - Armando tried to joke.
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Manuel went downstairs, the heavy watering cans bumping against his legs although - being not a young man anymore - he handled them quite well. At the bottom of the stairs a wide storage room, where typical farm hardware denounced some sort of agriculture activity was still having its way on Armando's property. A big wooden gate left some sunlight pour inside the storage room giving the scenario a ghostly appearance.
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The farm-keeper turned left in the opposite direction of the wooden gate and stopped to leave both watering cans waiting right in front of an oak door. A few steps behind, Armando waited for the man to leave, and when he thanked him, Manuel acknowledged with an almost imperceptible vow, disappearing upstairs.
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Now alone, with the perfect notion of how heavy was the awaiting task, Armando opened the oak door. A motion sensor switched on a solitary lamp illuminating the first steps of what looked like a very dark corridor, but its light was so feeble that it seemed a black velvet curtain hanged ahead. He took a deep breath and picked those full cans up, feeling pain in every muscle, every bone of his; slowly, hesitating and balancing, he proceeded until no light was available to help each small step, in a complete darkness.
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But Armando knew that he only had to wait until the passage became very cold, which meant another 10 steps or so, and from there the motion sensor on the other end of the corridor would turn its light on; by then he would feel so glad in anticipation of his resting hours with a newspaper to read...
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The newspaper! He had forgotten the newspaper!
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His obsession with rituals made him mad any time something didn't go the exact way he planned. The sensor turned on the light at the end of the passage, allowing Armando to speed up his march to a point of almost running; in a hurry, he stopped to put down one of the watering cans so he could open the door that separated him from his resting room, his refuge.
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When he passed the door into the room, carrying both cans, he could not close the door nor turn the lights on, but the natural luminescence entering by the window was still enough for him to see. Armando was furious for having to go back, specially because he had asked for the newspaper and the housekeeper forgot it! While rumbling and spilling water until he left the watering cans near the plants, the light from the corridor bathed the room entrance, signalling that someone had been detected by the sensor.
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Manuel, newspaper in his hand, knocked on the opened door while looking strangely unease. Armando didn't know what to say, as he hesitated between exploding due to the newspaper lapse or bursting because of the farm-keeper's unauthorised visit to his sanctuary.
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In a split second his face turned almost nice
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-"Thank you Mr. Manuel, you avoided me one extra trip." - and following his monologue - "As you are here, could you please water the plants for me?"
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With a nervous look on his face, his eyes staring at the room's side where the various plants grew in big vases under a smaller window, the man made an attempt to act normally but even his walking seemed strange. Armando was torturing him so he would pay for both faults, the missing newspaper and the unauthorised visit. By the time both men were close to the vases, the farm-keeper was shaking while trying to water the plants.
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-"So, won't you say hello to Lucius?" - with a theatrical gesture Armando asked the nervous man beside him.
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Although against his will, as if a superior force turned his eyes to follow Armando's pointing hand, Manuel had to fight back an irrational fear before he could face what laid outside the glass.
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Less then three meters across the slope standing outside a lateral window, a mummified roman soldier still wearing his dusty yet well-preserved clothes and armour, his position indicating a horrible death.
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Knowing that Manuel couldn't speak, Armando continued his torturing charade:
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-"Ave Lucius Augustus. Morituri te salutam!"
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Chapter IV - Namaste

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The low yet slightly irritating buzz was effective: Roberto woke up.
As in the last three shifts, he would feel amazingly alive right after that buzz, fully awake, his senses sharp. He then vigorously flew off his sleeping bag, safely strapped onto the wall, and went for the closest window.
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This had become Roberto's routine since the first time he woke up on board the Namaste, and the reasons were obvious. The amazing sight of the Earth hanging in the void of space was one of those reasons; the other reason was that soon he wouldn't have this view anymore.
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From the corner of the eye Roberto noticed someone else leaving the sleeping cubicle next to his.
The other man floated quietly towards the same window, his swollen eyes denouncing the recent deep sleep, yet smiling as he saluted.
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-"Good morning!"
-"Good evening, Sameer! The sun sets in a couple of minutes." - replied the Brazilian, joking with the situation.
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Indeed, they had a sunset and a sunrise every hour and a half as their spaceship orbited Earth.
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-"Yes, it is weird, but we won't stay enough time to get used to it." - said the man bearing India's national flag sewn above his chest pocket.
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-"Thank God!" - Roberto was still looking outside the window - "Sixteen sunsets a day could be quite romantic... if you were on a beach!"
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Sameer smiled at the idea of experiencing several sunsets while enjoying the sea breeze in the company of Dhatri, his adorable wife.
As in a telepathic call, Dhatri Sharma appeared floating from Module 3, the spaceship section also known as Meeting Point. Right behind her came Gabriela Sacchetti, the Brazilian biologist meant to be Roberto's companion in this venture; better put: adventure.
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-"So..." - started the Indian medical doctor - "The boys are enjoying the view while the rest of us work hard?"
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The men laughed, knowing that Dhatri was joking, as both women were initiating their own pre-sleep leisure period.
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-"There isn't much geology to be done right now" - excused himself Roberto -"I'm kind of out of work."
-"So am I!" - cheered Gabriela while embracing her Brazilian mate; they both kissed.
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In a much more subtle way, with only a gentle touch with their hands, the Indian couple expressed their fondness while floating near one another. The Indian biochemist looked outside the window one last time before inviting his wife:
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-"Let's see how many mails we got this time?"
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Dhatri smiled and started the way back to Meeting Point, promptly followed by her husband, while the Brazilian couple stayed behind in the sleeping area.
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-"What about a little romancing above the earthlight, you and I?" - proposed Roberto.
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Gabriela smiled at the "under the moonlight / above the earthlight" word play, while yet another sunset created a wonderful colour display.
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-"As long as we keep it by the rules..." - she smiled back, longing for a more passionate kiss.
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Yes, the rules. The rules that prohibited conception and pregnancy aboard the Namaste; the rules limiting each couple's free time together and working together. In fact, the shift system ran in a complex carousel that allowed a couple to spend one hour of leisure on every twelve hour period. Each astronaut had one hour of free time prior and after a four hour sleep period, followed by six hours for mission tasks; this completed twelve hours, or a cycle.
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Two cycles made a 24 hour "day" full of "sleep periods", "leisure periods" and "task periods".
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Planning a schedule obeying certain rules, as that in any situation could not:
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- more than half the crew be in "sleep period";
- the Mission Commander and the 1st Officer (2nd in command) have coincidental "sleep periods", even partially;
- all crew be either in "sleep" or "leisure periods" (at least one crew member had to be engaged in mission tasks);
- a couple have coincidental "sleep periods", even partially;
- a couple have fully coincidental "task periods",
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It wasn't easy even when only considering the two couples.
But the Namaste had a six member crew.
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The special clock hanging in a Meeting Point's wall was something of a masterpiece, with seven concentric displays - one for each astronaut with every period depicted and an inner display with the hours depicted - all of these displays rotating around a centre that held a static hour hand.
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All six astronauts had spent the last two months on Earth living under these schedules in order to adapt themselves to what would be their reality for the next seven months.
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When Sameer and Dhatri arrived Module 3 they saluted Anshul Singh in the Hindu fashion, but no talk was started as the Indian commander was visibly tired and the clock display indicated where he was going.
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-"In less than an hour I'll be going in that direction too." - said Dhatri - "So let's hurry with the e-mails to leave some quality time for us."
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Sameer kissed her, feeling comfortable with the notion that no one else was there to see this demonstration of love.
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-"Time flies away when I'm with you" - he whispered next to her.
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She smiled back to her husband.
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-"We are flying away, together, my dear."
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