I'm actually really glad I did the career day thing, and that's not just because of the smile it put on Diego's face when I stood up to present about becoming an astronaut. I really think I helped inspire some of those students in his class, especially some of the girls. I remember how inspiring it was when I was a little girl to see a woman doing something in the forefront of science. It makes it seem like less of a dream and more of a reality.
To be honest I did not have as much preparation as some of the parents, but that's a pretty easy problem to work around when you work at NASA and you're preparing to be an Astronaut on the mission everyone in the country is talking about.
I spent the majority of my time taking questions from kids about space, aliens, and even one question about Superman. The fact that so many of his friends found what I did to be cool made the smile on Diego's face even wider.
The one part about the day that I did not really enjoy were the looks I got from some of the other parents and the teacher of the class. I could tell they were judging me when I mentioned how long my mission would keep me from Earth. That stung, although how could I blame them. These were people whose lives were centered around raising their children as best as possible, and here I was talking about abandoning my son for eleven years in the name of science.
I know my choice isn't exactly in the best interest of my son, but it is my life's work. If he was put in the same situation, I'd want him to make the same choice. You are only live once. The opportunity to discover life on Europa is my dream, and I won't let it pass me by.
People can judge me for my choice, but I wish they would take the time to understand why I'd made it.
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Europa
Fiksi IlmiahIn order to embark on a mission to discover alien life on the icy moon of Jupiter Maria must leave her life on Earth behind, including her father and her seven-year-old son Diego. She thought the hardest part of the mission would be saying goodbye...
