Europa

June 1, 2048

Today I met with the rest of the group that will be accompanying me and Richard on the mission to Europa. Sitting in the room with these men and women makes me feel like an imposter, which is insane considering that this mission is centered on me and Richard's research.

The commander of the group is a man named James Hunt. I don't think there's a man on the planet who's more qualified for the role. Not only was he the captain of a previous mission to discover life on Mars but this would also be his fourth mission to space. By the time this mission was over he would have spent as much time on space as he has on Earth. For the entire mission briefing his facial expression did not waver once.

The only other member of the team who has any experience in space so happens to be the other woman on the crew. Her name is Jessica Miller, and she is one of the two pilots. She was also a pilot on the same mission to discover life on Mars with Commander Hunt that was unsuccessful. She was not just a pilot either. She also had extensive medical training, which was essential considering medical emergencies are bound to happen on an eleven-and-a-half-year long mission. Her confidence and experience certainly made me feel more comfortable that this mission would be a success. It was also good to have another woman on the team, as an all-male crew aside from me would certainly be a bit uncomfortable.

The second pilot was Second Lieutenant Adam Taylor of the United States Air Force. While he didn't have any hands-on experience with a spaceship, he had flown countless missions for the US military. Out of all the members of the crew he seemed the most intimidating, with a muscular frame and a scar across his forehead. He looked like the stereotypical tough guy. The only thing that could have made him look any more intimidating would be if he held a toothpick between his mouth.

Ming Lee was one of the engineers. He would be specializing in the software of the spaceship and ensuring all of the drones and rovers we had at our disposal remained operational. He would also ensure that the communications were running properly. He looked like he wasn't a day over 18 and he had wild blue hair. I won't lie, his appearance made me feel a bit nervous until he started correcting the team about technical terms about the rocket that flew directly over my head. He clearly knows what he is talking about.

Oliver Horvat was the final member of the crew. He was an engineer that specialized specifically on the drills we would be using to dig into the icy surface of Europa. Out of all the members of the team he looks the most out of shape, not to body shame. Before I started my physical training, I could barely make it up the steps to my desk in Washington D.C. Out of the whole team he looks like he is the oldest, except for maybe Richard, but it could just be the balding head and the spectacles he wore. Still, he was apparently one of the original designers of the drill our team would be using, so he certainly knew his stuff.

So much was going on during the day that I didn't really have the time to think about Dad and Diego until I was shown to my room. Once I sat down on my bed however, they were the only thing I could think about. I would have called but they were supposed to be on their flight home.

I hoped Diego was handling it well. He cried again in the car over and for as long as our hug goodbye was, it didn't feel long enough.

Now that I had time to reflect alone on my room, I felt empty without my son. It was as if something was missing, and it had only been a few hours. How would I feel after one year, or three?

I can't worry about this right now. I need to get some sleep. We are starting tomorrow at five in the morning, and I need to be ready.