Read Online Pilgrimage (The New World) by Kurt Winans - Free Book Online
Authors: Kurt Winans
Tags: Science-Fiction, Sci-Fi, Area 51, Aliens, Alien Contact, space travel, other worlds, close encounters of the third kind, historical science fiction, roswell, travel to other worlds
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excitement, as he revealed that they would only need to move about fifteen miles from their present location. He had been accepted into the astronaut program at NASA, and the bulk of his education and training would take place in Houston, Texas. It was the most wonderful news for both of them, as Ross could pursue his dream of going into space someday, while Patty could keep her present job and the friends she had met since relocating to Houston.
The housing subdivision that they moved into near the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center was occupied by several other astronauts and their families, so they felt an instant connection with many of their new neighbors. As they began to unload their possessions from the moving van, Patty asked Ross which room he intended to use for his new office. He walked through each room of the house, and then placed his fishing pole with the red bow still attached and Grandpa Hank’s flag in the corner to signify he had reached a decision.
On his first day at NASA Ross realized he was definitely one of the youngest pilots in the astronaut program, but he had apparently received a few letters of recommendation to help pave the way. He would soon begin what would become many years of rigorous training for something that only a very elite group of people in America were chosen to do. The work would be challenging, but the reward would be something that Ross had wanted to do since his youthful days of talking about space with Grandpa Hank.
ROSS SAT AT one end of the long table that had all six members of the mission crew facing the media. It had been six and a half years since the day he became an astronaut in September of 1975, and he would finally be going on a flight into space as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle. Ross would be thirty-two years old in a few months, and had worked hard to get where he was. Another promotion during that time had made him a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, and he was still young enough that he might be able to make multiple flights into space.
The past several years had been filled with great news for Ross and his family. He and Patty now had a four year-old daughter named Aurora who had arrived on November 16, 1977, and Patty was due to deliver a second child in a few months. Jessica had finished her degree at Rice University in the spring of 1976, and had continued on to law school. She was now working at a firm in Houston, so Ross and Patty had a chance to get together with her often.
They were both very proud of Jessica, but Ross thought there were two drawbacks to his younger sister’s prowess. For one, he would probably never win another argument with her as she fine-tuned her trial techniques whenever she could, and two was that she now had a new reason to keep the leg brace on. Ross tried to explain to Jessica that she would get more respect as a good lawyer without pulling on the jury’s heart strings, but law school had taught her to take full advantage of any opportunity that may present itself. Ross thought her leg was fine and she had become a beautiful young woman of twenty-seven who was destined for success, yet she continued to rely on the leg brace.
Most of the questions from the media in attendance were directed at the mission commander or the pilot, but Ross and the three other members of the crew were there for the sake of team unity and photographs. This would be the last of such gatherings for the benefit of the media, as the crew of the shuttle was scheduled for launch in less than a week. When this briefing was over, the crew would soon be on their way to Cape Canaveral for final preparations.
Ross was actually surprised when one of the reporters directed a question at him about the payload of the mission, but he showed his poise by answering completely without rambling on. As the crew rose to exit the room, a few senior members of NASA were in the adjacent corridor discussing Ross. He was unaware of it at the
The housing subdivision that they moved into near the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center was occupied by several other astronauts and their families, so they felt an instant connection with many of their new neighbors. As they began to unload their possessions from the moving van, Patty asked Ross which room he intended to use for his new office. He walked through each room of the house, and then placed his fishing pole with the red bow still attached and Grandpa Hank’s flag in the corner to signify he had reached a decision.
On his first day at NASA Ross realized he was definitely one of the youngest pilots in the astronaut program, but he had apparently received a few letters of recommendation to help pave the way. He would soon begin what would become many years of rigorous training for something that only a very elite group of people in America were chosen to do. The work would be challenging, but the reward would be something that Ross had wanted to do since his youthful days of talking about space with Grandpa Hank.
ROSS SAT AT one end of the long table that had all six members of the mission crew facing the media. It had been six and a half years since the day he became an astronaut in September of 1975, and he would finally be going on a flight into space as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle. Ross would be thirty-two years old in a few months, and had worked hard to get where he was. Another promotion during that time had made him a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, and he was still young enough that he might be able to make multiple flights into space.
The past several years had been filled with great news for Ross and his family. He and Patty now had a four year-old daughter named Aurora who had arrived on November 16, 1977, and Patty was due to deliver a second child in a few months. Jessica had finished her degree at Rice University in the spring of 1976, and had continued on to law school. She was now working at a firm in Houston, so Ross and Patty had a chance to get together with her often.
They were both very proud of Jessica, but Ross thought there were two drawbacks to his younger sister’s prowess. For one, he would probably never win another argument with her as she fine-tuned her trial techniques whenever she could, and two was that she now had a new reason to keep the leg brace on. Ross tried to explain to Jessica that she would get more respect as a good lawyer without pulling on the jury’s heart strings, but law school had taught her to take full advantage of any opportunity that may present itself. Ross thought her leg was fine and she had become a beautiful young woman of twenty-seven who was destined for success, yet she continued to rely on the leg brace.
Most of the questions from the media in attendance were directed at the mission commander or the pilot, but Ross and the three other members of the crew were there for the sake of team unity and photographs. This would be the last of such gatherings for the benefit of the media, as the crew of the shuttle was scheduled for launch in less than a week. When this briefing was over, the crew would soon be on their way to Cape Canaveral for final preparations.
Ross was actually surprised when one of the reporters directed a question at him about the payload of the mission, but he showed his poise by answering completely without rambling on. As the crew rose to exit the room, a few senior members of NASA were in the adjacent corridor discussing Ross. He was unaware of it at the
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