-“Hey, Vince, are you there?”- she asked.
-“I’m so excited about the mission, Vince! Wait until I tell my friends that my husband is in a scientific mission on outer space!”-she said
-“Hahahaha, you’re such a sweetie, Vince! ”-she laughed
-“Does Earth look beautiful from space, Vince?”-she smiled
-“It is more than beautiful”- I murmured, while I observed the aurora borealis.
-ooooo-
It is just the third day of my mission at the Biology Satellite. I have no idea how long I’ll stay here, but what is for sure is that it’ll be a long time. I don’t expect to return to Earth before a year.
It is poetic…somewhere in that huge planet, dear Alice is having dinner.
The food in this station is nothing out of ordinary, but I predict it’ll get very tiring to eat the same pulp four times a day. At least there is fresh coffee; it should help to make this more bearable.
-ooooo-
I’m completely set. It is time to start my mission.
I apparently have to investigate the effects of different types of gases produced by plants, on a handful of organs of different species. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It isn’t simple. I have to plant the seeds for the plants, to cultivate them until they sprout a lot of leaves, and take these leaves to pass them through a chemical procedure so they produce the gases.
I’m not sure what the goal of this mission is, but my superiors made very clear that this could mean a huge, and I mean huge, scientific breakthrough. I’ll do my best!
-ooooo-
Alice called! We talked through the videophone. She is as beautiful as the day I left…I really, really miss my wife.
Things seem to be normal down there. Same boring job, same boring family, same boring life. I comforted her. She is very interested on what I’ll do up here, I tried to explain the best I could, but words aren’t my strong point. I don’t think she fully understood the purpose of the mission.
We ended the call, promising we would talk every day around this time.
-ooooo-
I never realized how hard exercise is. To avoid the health problems that may come from the inactivity and other factors, I was ordered to take an hour of my time for varied exercise routines. It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have to use a goddamn oxygen mask every time I had to do it.
-oooo-
-“Vince, do you think you could send some of those plants? The house is starting to look very dull without you. Kisses!”-
-ooooo-
The plants are ready. Most of them have sprouted. It is time to gather a good amount of these leaves. Have I mentioned where they are stored? They’re in some type of glasshouse, with direct access to the light of the sun. Ha! More like the radiation of the sun, if I remember my science training.
At least, in order to save time, I’m able to use several robotic hands that will recollect leaves on one side, while I take care of the other.
-ooooo-
I have a few bags, full of leaves. They’re marked with the name of the species. Now it is time for the next step. Meanwhile, I think I should check if the animal organs are in optimal conditions. They’re stored in a big freezer, also marked by species.
