Geena and her buddies were already talking to the schoolkids from Iowa or Ohio or wherever the hell it was.

› My name is Amy Im asking for my brother whose in a diferrent class but hes like whats it like in space › This is Brett. It’s hard to answer that question, Amy. You look down at the Earth, and you think, good Lord, how small it looks. You feel strangely the whole time, because there’s no gravity, and you’re confined in your ship or your space station or your space suit. You feel very close to the people with you, your team, even if they aren’t Americans. You miss your family. Amy, you’d even miss your brother, ;-). › This is Geena. You pass from light, brilliant unfiltered sunlight, into darkness, spangled with stars, and back again, every forty-five minutes. It’s magical. When you come down, that’s what you remember, I think. It’s like going to a magical place, a secret place, that you want to share, that only a few people know about…

And so on.

Henry broke in. It was easy enough; NASA only used a few passwords on such occasions.

› My name’s Henry. I have a question for Mrs Meacher.

There was a blank period in the chat room. He, her ex-husband, was the only person on the planet who had ever called Geena that, and then only to needle her.

› Geena, I’m all right. I’m sure you’d want to know that. › Who is this? This is Mrs Bates. You aren’t in my class. › This is Geena. Yes. Yes, I’m glad to know it. Call me. › I tried. You won’t believe how these Brits are keeping me dangling. I need your help. How would you put together a mission to get back to the Moon? › Who *is* this? › This is the Administrator. This session is closing. › This is Mrs Bates. See what you’ve done, you ass-wipe cracker? › What time period? A couple of years? This is Geena.

How long?

He tried to think it through.

The propagation of ash and dust in the stratosphere was well modelled, and they had a good handle now on the surface propagation of the stuff. But he didn’t know how the Moonseed would spread in the mantle.

If they were going to the Moon, they would have to go while they still could, before the launch gantries at Canaveral sank into the sand or tipped into the Atlantic…

› Try a few weeks. › Impossible. I think. I %$33$% › This session is c! %$£$#

…and he was out of it; the chat room emptied.

Maybe that was enough. Geena would find a few bright back room guys, see what kind of straw men they could come up with, let the naysayers throw their rocks.