Approaching the Unknown Page #3

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I don't intend to forget,

but when you're down there

everything just gets ruined.

Ah, you callous f***,

you think you know everything.

- You think that...

- Endurance,

we've got a live feed of captain

Maddox's launch for you.

Roger Capcom,

I'm eager to see it.

Cdoct.

T-minus 10...

nine, eight...

- Reconfigure heaters.

- Seven...

six, five, four...

three,

- two, one. And ignition.

- Okay, ODCCDR

- you are reaching frequency.

- And liftoff.

ODC copy.

Five thousand meters at mach 1.

Pressure 60%.

L.V.L.H. Go.

Start roll program.

Pitch is programing.

Roll complete.

Twenty thousand and mach 2.

Max pressure.

Reduce thrust.

This is captain Emily Maddox

aboard the Boreas.

On my way to Mars.

Hearing there from

captain Emily Maddox

aboard the Boreas as she

leaves earth's atmosphere,

just three weeks' behind captain William

Stanaforth traveling on the Zephyr.

These two astronauts

have spent the last five years

training for this

nine-month journey

to become the first and

second human beings on Mars

and the founding citizens of...

You don't know, Stanaforth.

Don't go out there

thinking you do.

Space station

departure complete.

Hi, captain Stanaforth.

What is it like

to look back at earth

when you're further away than

any human being has ever been?

It's amazing.

When you have

this level of distance,

there's a strange intimacy.

When I watched earth disappear,

I did remember this one night.

My wife Casey,

now ex-wife,

she was receiving

the Melville prize

from some literary society.

This black-tie thing,

and she's...

Talking to these other writers,

brilliant people and uh...

And they were pouring their hearts out.

It was...

Overwhelming.

So I snuck out.

I didn't even take my coat.

I get out on the street,

I have no idea where I am,

and it's freezing cold,

but the streets are jammed

with people, it's like

I'm taking on a current.

I just started walking.

But I don't feel cold at all.

And uh...

I turn a corner,

and just then down

at the end of the street,

above the river,

the moon comes up.

And it's huge.

Lighting up the street.

It feels like I...

I just wanna

walk right onto it.

But I freeze.

No one else seems to notice.

And in that moment,

I felt...

Completely alone.

I walked back to the dinner,

and I stood outside

and I could see all these...

People celebrating.

I saw Casey, she was glowing.

And I knew I should

be in there with her.

But I stood outside

and now I'm shivering.

And I just, couldn't go in.

It was like this, this...

Loneliness...

This feeling of being...

Completely alone

was inside of me.

And if I brought that in...

Um...

I just shouldn't bring it in.

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