-- Cape Canaveral, Florida
By Robert W. Armijo
“Three, two, one…Blastoff!”
said a NASA spokesman, as an astronaut donned in the new red, white and blue
environmental spacesuit broke through a paper earth onto a stage of an exact replicate
of the 1969 American Apollo 11 landing site on the moon complete with lunar lander
and American flag planted by the first man on the orbiting celestial surface,
Neil Armstrong.
Technically known as the xEMU
prototype for the Artemis programme, the new spacesuit was designed for
American’s return to the moon, mission to Mars and beyond.
“The new spacesuit is light
years ahead the old all-white spacesuit,” said a member of NASA Artemis design team. "Because now it has two whole new colors: red and blue."
As the announcer spoke over
the public address system of the press conference, the astronaut in the xEMU
environmental spacesuit took to the catwalk.
In a teapot supermodel pose,
the astronaut walked down the runway, stopping several times along the way to
turn showing off the suit’s flexibility as well as its durability.
Several photographers rushed the
edge of the catwalk taking picture, lighting up the xEMU spacesuit with their
camera flashes.
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| LGM |
“LGM’s everywhere will be
turning their little green heads when they see our American astronauts step out
of the lunar module and onto the gray barren oxygen deprived surface of the
moon again,” barked the NASA spokesman, giving the event the a carnival like
atmosphere. “But this tine around in a new fabulous red, white and blue Evel
Kenievel inspired spacesuits.”
Two other astronauts dressed
in the same xEMU environmental spacesuit, entering from stage right and left,
joined the first on the catwalk.
Then they gathered center
stage of a highly detailed lunar surface replica of the first lunar landing to strike
a Charlie’s Angels pose at the base of American flag before entering the lunar
lander, waving good-bye to the press corps.
“Now our American astronauts
can withstand the hostile environment of outer space in style,” said the NASA
spokesman as the lights dimmed and the theme song to the movie 2001 began to
play.
Suddenly smoke began to rise
from under the lunar lander as it began its assent.
Overcome with emotion, the audience
and members of the press alike began to cheer, whistle and clap as a series of
pulleys and wires lifted the craft into the air deus ex machina style.
Then the lunar lander began
to sway side to side, knocking down promotional banners, exposing the men at the other end
of the wires, visibly struggling to regain control of the mock-up spacecraft.
Worried faces and xEMU spacesuit
gloved hands of the astronauts pressed up against the portal windows of the
lunar lander as they looked out to the audience and member of the press far
below.
“That’s all folks,” said the
NASA spokesman as the main curtain separating the audience from the chaos on
the stage slowly begin to descend. “We’ll see you…umm…We’ll see you at the
launching. Goodnight.”
Copyright © 2019 by Robert W.
Armijo. All rights reserved.
