Read Online Space in His Heart by Roxanne St. Claire - Free Book Online

turned into a vast, open area where the
massive white space shuttle hung from a wide metal band, elevated
about ten feet from the ground amidst a sea of silver scaffolding.
Jessica stopped mid-step and stared at it, awestruck.
    “Oh my God. It’s huge.” As they got closer,
she could see hundreds of tiny white panels that made up the
outside skin of the orbiter, the NASA logo and U.S. flag painted in
deep shades across the side.
    “One hundred and twenty-two feet long and
seventy-eight feet from wing tip to wing tip,” he told her as they
walked toward the three enormous engines in the back. “It can carry
a railroad car.”
    They continued around the body of the
shuttle. Before she could ask one question, Deke spewed technical
facts at lightning speed, no doubt to confuse her. She tried to
follow, but the size and scope of the vehicle left her
speechless.
    He explained the role of the crew and
described what happens to a shuttle as it makes its eight-minute
ride into space. He took each step around the orbiter with
confidence and familiarity and that uniquely masculine pride men
get over machinery. He seemed to forget he didn’t want to be there
as he explained how the panels heated upon reentry. Every time he
gestured with his strong hands, Jessica’s attention was pulled away
from the shuttle and riveted on him.
    “Can I go in it?” she ventured.
    He started to shake his head, then shrugged.
“Okay, just don’t touch anything.” He pointed to a metal ladder
near the front of the vehicle. “Go through that hatch. I’ll be
right behind you.”
    She navigated the five stairs and pulled
herself through the hole in the side of the shuttle. He popped in
right after her.
    “Living quarters,” he explained as she looked
around the cramped area. “All the space is in the cargo bay.”
    She turned to study a sea of displays and
gauges, buttons and levers.
    “That’s the glass cockpit.” He put his hands
on the back of one of the sleek captain’s chairs and raised an
amused eyebrow toward the screens. “One and a half billion of your
tax dollars to replace the technology of the seventies.”
    “We better keep that tidbit out of the press
release.”
    “Why?” he countered. “This is what makes it
safe. This is the reason we only have one blow up in a thousand
launches instead of one in four hundred and thirty-eight.”
    She stepped back and stared at him. “Are you
happy with those odds?”
    “Those are the odds I live with.”
    “Why?” The question popped out before she
thought about it.
    He assessed her with a long glance. “You
probably wouldn’t understand.”
    “Try me.”
    “If someone didn’t take the risk, where would
we be?”
    Her gaze traveled back to the wall of
technology and then returned to Deke, a quote and headline forming
in her mind. “We should play that up. You became an astronaut to
discover new horizons and make your mark on history.”
    He put a hand on her shoulder, the warmth of
it seeping through her thin cotton blouse. “Spare me and the
American public that misconception. It has nothing to do with
making history.”
    “Then why?”
    His sudden grin blinded her. “Because the son
of a bitch flies seventeen thousand miles an hour, that’s why.”
    The shrill tone of a cell phone eliminated
the need to respond. She reached into her bag and flipped open the
phone, her attention still on him.
    Bill Dugan didn’t even give her a chance to
say hello. “Man, am I glad I found you. We have a huge problem with Newsweek . They’re going with a deadly story about NASA cost
cutting. They have an insider who says money is tight and the
result is dangerous. They claim to have an internal memo, but it’s
not authenticated and their source won’t go on the record.”
    “Who’s the reporter?”
    “It’s Paul Zimmerman. He covers technology
and space but also does features.”
    “Zimmerman? That’s good. I worked with him on
a cover story recently and gave him some scoop