Tuck had little remorse when the news conference was over. He had spoken to the press often, granted countless interviews, and been seen on television scores of times, but he had never grown accustomed to the attention. Every time some reporter held out a microphone or digital recorder, Tuck felt like an amoeba beneath a microscope lens.
As promised, the four passengers were ushered in and given a short time to speak to the press. The reporters were unleashed to do their work. Roos did a masterful job of keeping the questions on target and not letting things get out of hand. Twenty minutes later, Roos invited the media to leave, encouraging them to take their places in the media viewing area.
“Well now, wasn’t that fun?” Roos seemed almost giddy. “All in all, I think the press conference went well. These things can turn into a circus.”
“I’m pretty sure I saw a couple of clowns.” The press conference had not removed any of Jim Tolson’s wit.
“Watch it.” James Donnelly used the same tone as Jim. “Remember, I represent the fourth estate.”
Tuck turned to the man and saw an individual of polished good looks, dark hair, and a strong chin. His eyes looked slightly red, and Tuck guessed the man had slept no more than he had. “Jim is just having fun with you. I know for a fact that he used to want to be a reporter himself.”
Jim coughed.
There was light laughter and Tuck used the time to look at the other passengers who’d gathered into a small clique. Each had been dressed in the same jumpsuit-style flight garb that he, Lance, and Jim wore. Although they stood close, it was easy to see that they were not a unit; each had erected invisible walls.
Roos directed them to another corner of the hangar where hung a tall white curtain. During the press conference, he had seen people moving in and out of the area and had a good guess as to what lay beyond the drape. Pulling back the separation, Roos led the group to tables covered with finger foods and delicacies.
“How sweet, a bon voyage party.” Other than the three-minute spiel given at the press conference, these were the first words spoken by Ginny Lin.
“Nothing but the best for the first passengers of SpaceVentures.” Roos moved behind the table that held the champagne and pulled a bottle from a chilled holder. “Help yourself to anything you see. These next few moments we have to ourselves. I figured we needed time to get to know one another.”
“Oh, I get it,” Jim said, “this is a launch-lunch.”
Several people groaned.
“Will I have to hear bad jokes like that throughout the whole trip?” Burke took a chocolate-covered strawberry and popped it into his mouth. Judging by his expression, it met with his famously high standards.
“Nah, he’s just the elevator,” Lance laughed.
“Careful, now. You may just hurt my feelings and then where would you be?”
Donnelly circled a table scrutinizing the spread of food. He tried one of the sandwiches. “Not bad. Crab salad.”
Lance said, “I don’t want to be a killjoy, but remember, you’re going to be flying in space very soon, so you might want to go light on the food. I imagine it’ll all be here when we get back.”
“I have something better planned for when you all get back,” Roos said. He threw a small white towel over the neck of a champagne bottle and began to twist the stopper. A second later, a loud pop echoed through the hangar and champagne foam flowed from the opening. He poured generous amounts of the fluid into five glasses, then handed one to each of the passengers. Before taking his own glass, he opened a bottle of sparkling cider and filled three flutes, which he gave to Tuck, Lance, and Jim.
“What, no bubbly for the pilots?” Jim tried to look dejected, but failed to pull it off. He knew the pilots wouldn’t take any even if Roos had offered.
“There are plenty of bubbles in this,” Roos said. “No alcohol for you until you get back.”
After everyone received a glass, Roos held his in the air and with obvious pride said, “To the pioneers of yesterday which made today possible; to the scientists and engineers, who gave of their time and skill; to the pilots who take us aloft; and to the passengers who make all this worthwhile.”
A chorus of “hear-hear” followed.
Tuck turned his attention to the secretary of state. “I’m curious, Mr. Secretary, what did you have to do to make the president agree to this?”
“You make it sound more difficult than it was. I feel safer on this trip than most I’ve made over the last year.”
“So you just explained it to him and he went along, is that it?”
Burke laughed. “I’d be lying if I said it was that simple. None of that matters now. I’m here and ready to rock ’n’ roll.”
“Rock ’n’ roll?” Ginny Lin looked surprised. “I didn’t think you government types talked like that.”
“I grew up listening to Jimi Hendrix, Ms. Lin. I know how to rock with the best of them.” He paused for effect. “I just move a lot slower when I do it now.”
The comment made her smile.
Donnelly turned to her. “Ms. Lin, I know why Secretary of State Burke is here. I know why I am here, and I even know why Mr. Abe is here, but for the life of me I can’t figure out why a young woman like you, who is at the pinnacle of her career, would want to be one of the first ones to fly in a commercial space vehicle.”
“I’ve always wanted to fly in space,” Ginny said simply. “Even as a child, I felt the world’s greatest adventure would be to fly higher than anyone else.”
Daki Abe joined the conversation. “I imagine we all have more than one reason for being here, but I also imagine we all share one motive: to do what few others have done. I for one am here for the thrill, the experience, and to see where some of my hard-earned dollars went.”
“Happy so far?” Roos asked.
“I have nothing to complain about except my impatience. The closer we get to launch time, the slower the clock seems to move.”
“Welcome to our world,” Tuck said, and took a sip of sparkling cider.
The small launch party continued, and Tuck did his best to get to know the passengers that would be riding aloft with him. The time was enjoyable, what little food Tuck ate was good, but his mind stayed chained to the event that would begin shortly.
Less than half an hour after the toast the three crew members, four passengers, and Roos stood next to the Condor-Legacy joint craft. Lance Campbell walked around each passenger, inspecting the flight suits they wore. Unlike the jumpsuit-style uniforms worn for the press conference, each passenger now wore a formfitting space suit. Tuck and Lance wore the same kind of garb. It was Lance’s job to make sure the passengers had donned the suits correctly and to provide last-minute instruction before they entered Legacy.
Lance gave a brief lecture. “Each of you has been through the training. Each of you has read and signed an agreement stating that you have read the materials about this flight. But I tend to be a little paranoid, so let’s go over this one more time.” He put his hands behind his back and continued. “The suits you now wear are referred to as LESs — launch and entry suits. They are similar to those worn by astronauts on the Space Shuttle. The purpose of the suit is to make you more comfortable during acceleration. Once we are on board, we will connect you to an air supply that will pressurize the suits. In the event of an emergency, you can use that same air system for breathing. The pressure in the suit helps counterbalance the stresses you’ll feel when the rocket engine engages. We will be pulling close to three Gs when we begin our acceleration to space. That means you will feel as though you weigh three times as much as you do now. The suits will help you deal with that.
“Once on board, you will find a flight helmet in your assigned seat. As you know, these do not look like regular space helmets worn by astronauts during EVAs. The purpose of these helmets is to aid in communication and to prevent injury during weightlessness. Each of the helmets has your name stenciled on the front. We do this to avoid any confusion in communication. The first thing you will do once on board is find your seat and stow any gear that you brought with you. The only things allowed are digital cameras and recorders. Those of you facing a seat back may store your gear in the pouch provided in front of you. The two of you sitting in the front row will find a similar pouch next to your seat.
“Once you have stowed your belongings you will then strap yourself in. Pull the harness as tight as is comfortable and make sure the latch is secure. I will be checking everyone’s harness to make sure that no one goes floating off prematurely.”
The passengers smiled at the joke. Lance walked behind the four.
“Before you stand Condor and Legacy, two of the most beautiful craft I have ever seen — and I’ve seen many of them. As you learned in training, Condor is our launch platform. The two large GE jet engines you see at the rear produce more horsepower than any other engines their size. Jim Tolson will be our pilot for that portion of our journey. Once we’re on board, and once the crew has done its final check, the ground crew will tow us to the runway. Once there, you will hear Jim rev the engines, shut them down, and then restart them again. This is all part of our pre-takeoff checklist. Shortly after that, you will feel the craft move. You will feel something else. Condor flexes under strain. Rigid things break, flexible things last. As Jim starts down the runway, our speed will increase and you will feel Legacy begin to bounce. Don’t be alarmed. It’s supposed to do that.
“Our speed will increase quickly until you feel yourself pressed in your seat, much like what you feel when you fly a commercial aircraft, but slightly more. Once we reach takeoff speed, Jim will rotate . . . by that I mean, he will pull back on the yoke and the two craft will take flight. At this point we’re having real fun.”
Lance walked in front of the four again and turned to face them. “It’s much like riding in any other aircraft except you have less elbow room, and you’ll fly higher than any commercial aircraft you’ve ever been in.”
Donnelly chuckled. “Is it possible to have less elbow room than a commercial flight?”
“Point taken, Mr. Donnelly. We will fly to an altitude of fifty thousand feet, then Jim will pitch the nose up slightly. You will hear my voice in your helmet telling you to prepare for ignition. That’s your cue to press your head back to the seat and put your hands on the armrests. You will hear a thud when Jim cuts us loose and Legacy begins its freefall. At that moment, you will feel weightless, but we haven’t reached zero-G yet — it’s just the effect of falling.”
“Like the Vomit Comet,” Daki said.
Lance gave a brief nod. “That’s right, Mr. Abe, I believe you said you paid for the privilege of riding a Vomit Comet.”
Ginny grimaced. “I hate feeling like a dummy, but what is the Vomit Comet and why would anyone pay to ride it? I mean . . . eww.”
Daki fielded the question. “It is what NASA uses to train astronauts about microgravity. It is a McDonnell Douglas C – 9 that flies in a parabolic arc. When it reaches the desired altitude, it begins a fast and steep descent simulating zero gravity. There’s a private company that gives paying adventurers the same experience. I believe they use a Boeing 727.”
“And they call it the Vomit Comet, why?”
“Because more than one person has tossed their cookies during the experience.” Donnelly seemed to take some measure of satisfaction answering that question.
“I repeat . . . eww.” She looked at the others then asked, “This isn’t going to be that bad, is it? I mean, if we’re all wearing helmets and one of us . . . you know.”
“I advise against doing that,” Lance said. “You shouldn’t have a problem, but if you do, we have bags for your convenience.”
“They might be helpful,” she said, “but upchucking in zero-G can never be called convenient.”
Lance changed the subject back to the mini review and Tuck was glad for it. “As I was saying, you will feel a few moments of weightlessness once Jim cuts us loose, then a few seconds later the rockets will fire. When that happens, you will be in for the ride of your life. In a few moments, we will be traveling at twenty-five hundred miles per hour — nearly three times the speed of sound. Some movement will be difficult, but the suits you’re wearing will help. There’ll also be a great deal of noise, but don’t let that bother you. It’s just the craft doing its work.
“A short time later, the rocket will have expended its fuel and will cut off. By that time, we will be in sub-orbital space. Wait until you hear from one of us before you remove your cameras or before you undo your harness. We will let you know when it is safe to do so.”
“Then comes reentry,” Roos said.
“Unlike the Space Shuttle, we will be entering the atmosphere at a much slower speed, so the friction will be much less. Our angle of attack — that is, the way we fly through the atmosphere — is also different. The Space Shuttle comes in like a self-guided brick, very fast, very hard. Legacy uses a feathered wings system when it comes into the atmosphere. We come down like a leaf. We don’t flutter down, but we do sail through the air much more slowly, and therefore do not experience the high temperatures earlier spacecraft have. The temperature in the cabin will remain unchanged.”
Lance glanced at the clock on the hangar wall. “Well, lady and gentlemen, it appears it’s time to mount up.”
It took another ten minutes before any of the crew or passengers were able to make their way up the aluminum stairs into the Legacy. Photographers and videographers hired by Roos used the time to record the moment for posterity for the company and for the passengers.
Tuck was the last one on board.