Loose To Choose

10

Spaceman ready

9

8

7

Checking engines

6

Daddy! Shouted my 5-year-old kid, standing on the lawn. I just kept the frying pan on the floor and went to see her. I saw her starring at the stars.

Any problem lady!!

Can we touch the stars, daddy?

A kind of!

Who answers a kid “a kind of”, my wife questioned me with mad eyes, having the frying pan.

Not now, but we will touch it one day, I said.

Yesterday mam told me that stars are too far that we cannot reach it, can you get me a star while returning daddy so that I can show it to my friends.

Fine lady, make sure you have space in your room for it. 

5

Main engine start

4

3

boosters check

2

1

Launch

Flutter, something is just lifting you at a speed of 28,000km/hr towards the dark. I had a feeling of death, good memories of my past life are getting to my head, mama feeding me the chocos dipped in milk, father pushing the cycle from the back, my spouse kicking my ass from the back, my kid pulling my curls, I try to concentrate on the tons of buttons in front of me to keep others alive, but these kinds of memories keep on taking the muddled state, I had this mix up once I was a teen traveling in a roller coaster. Somewhat managed to keep the mates alive. At one point the boosters cut off to the beach, It feels like the wings are cut off, that tons of gallons last just for minutes. We finally crossed the layers of the exosphere. The MET(mission elapsed time) showed 8 minutes 48 sec when we reached the top layer.

Now the shuttle is settled, I and the 4 mates saw the earth away from the earth. The feel is different when you see the earth from the earth and away from earth.

Yeah, the one which the other astronauts told is true, the earth just like a ball with the shade of blue and green.

Hey mates that is the Ganga river, the famous one in INDIA, I just showed off

Is Ganga a famous river, my mate asked.

Sorry, it's my mistake, you are an American right, then that is ganges for you.

The other side was the moon, the granny seems to be bigger. Suddenly a sound strike that it's not granny it's a woman from china called Chang-o, that was my skipper. I have heard the same line from my wife down on earth. That proved that the skipper reads a lot of stories, as my wife.

The one fact is that everything is automated, we will be just communicating and doing the other works in the shuttle. The moment we reached the ISS(international space station) the MET showed 20 hours 15 minutes 37 sec. I went as a mechanical engineer, as I have to install some components, I have to get out of ISS. The two mates are for biological works and one female for IT work.

It's not that you can work freely and sleep freely. Every 12 hours there will be a meeting conducted with the officials down on earth throw video conference. The female working as an IT professional is our skipper.

This is my first trip to space, but that's not the case for the others. I took care to handle every instrument, they were like throwing the instruments as if they are working in the kitchen.

Day 13

After 2 weeks in space, I got my job to be done in the outer layer of ISS. I got out of the hatch, the skipper was guiding me for the location.

Skipper: Move to 11 o clock. Hold the handle and remove the screw

Me: Aye skipper

I removed about 8 screws.

Skipper: Remove the old chip and insert the new one.

Me: Aye skipper

The one fact is that you don’t have to hold onto your screws, just place it on a space, it will be just floating there.

Skipper: Connected mate, put on the screws, and return to the hatch.

Me: Aye skipper. 

Came to the hatch and asked the skipper to open the hatch, she said it's not opening.

Me: WHAT!!, what about hatch 2.

Skipper: Has some problem with the signal between the hatches and the system.

Me: Do something.

Skipper: don’t get panic, what is your oxygen level

Me: 90%, so, do something and get me in. Cant, you try the emergency button?

Skipper: that is only for emergency

Me: This seems to be an emergency for me.

Skipper: The emergency is when you have a 2% oxygen level.

Me: What!!

I stayed there for half an hour, finally, they got me inside.

Day 45

The day came, the officials down on earth passed us the videos of the family members. My wife sat on a chair and started talking.

“How is it up there, we are good. Your lady fought with her friend in school and got a scar in her right knee, a small one. Often she runs out at night with her binocular to see you. She cries at times, asks at times.

Hi daddy, you know I see you from here with my binocular, when will you come back, I am going to dance in the annual day next month, can you come before that. Mama scolds me, I did nothing ”

She is wearing a red frock dancing by shaking her hips. A teardrop popped out of my eyes. Suddenly, I heard someone sneezing from my back, the skipper is crying by watching the video.

What must I do, should I console her, or ??

Day 55

The system in which I inserted the chip automatically ejected the chip due to some malfunction. I need to go out to get it, I got out and tried inserting the chip again. The struggle went for about 2 hours. And finally, the system got the chip and started the process. Because of that malfunction I had to check the function once for every hour, that means I need to go out of the ISS for every hour

Day 84

At last, the day came, we despatched from the ISS and returned to earth after 84 days 23 hours 12 seconds. It feels like you want to go home, but you don’t want to miss the adventure.

I saw about 200 people around me clapping hands and welcoming us. 4 men lifting me and a doc checking our pulse and blood pressure. The volume in our body decreases as we spent a lot of time in space.

I spent two days in, as my body took some time to react to the earth's condition. Then I was given the training to walk. At that time my family came there.

Day 1 my kid was analyzing, how the doc taught me to walk.

The next day she got the power and taught me how to walk by explaining the science in my foot.

After two weeks of welcome celebration is organized in an auditorium. After 3 weeks I was left free, and my kid had her annual day. We went there, she danced like a pro and I admired her a lot. In the meantime, i had her room ceiling decorated with stars and bought a light that glows like a star. I surprised her with the star when we returned home. I have never seen her happy like that.

Daddy, my lady shouted, lying on the lawn.

What happened lady?

You cheated me with the star right!!

She is grown to 10 now. It's obvious to find out.

I too lied by her side and watched the stars for the next hour.