Bridget and Nova were usually not allowed to be awake late enough to see the television sign off, but sometimes Mama let them stay up and they all watched Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show together. When it was almost time for TV to be done for the night, a waving American flag would show on the screen and the national anthem would play. Mama always made them stand and put their hands over their hearts, and Bridget would sing. Mama said that would make their daddy proud, since he was in the army.

After the national anthem was over, the screen would show a jet. The jet would fly around in the sky in black-and-white and a man’s voice would read a poem, the same poem, every single night. Nova loved hearing the poem. She especially loved the beginning and the end.

The beginning went—

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds—and done a hundred things…

And the end was—

I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew—

And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untresspassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

Next sounded a high-pitched shriek that Bridget said meant it was “time to turn off the tube and go to bed,” but that was when Mama was happiest, because static was coming next, and static brought secret news, news that made her smile.

The first time Bridget and Nova made it all the way to the moon, Mama was not smiling. She was crying. Bridget and Nova closed themselves in the closet, where their rocket ship was.

“It’s okay,” said Bridget. She hugged Nova, then slipped NASA Bear into her arms. “We’re not here anymore, Nova. We’re headed far away. Close your eyes. It’s countdown time. Ten…nine…eight…”

“Mrs. Vezina, I need you to calm down, please,” said the stranger.

“Seven…six…five…,” said Bridget.

“Why are you doing this!” asked Mama, but her voice was fading farther away with every counted-down number.

“Four…three…two…”

“Let’s take a moment,” said the stranger.

“One…”

“A moment for what?” asked Mama.

“Lift-off,” Bridget whispered.

Nova felt her body become weightless as they entered a field of zero gravity. She was glad they had their space helmets to protect them, since there was no air in space. She was not scared, not anymore, because Bridget knew how to fly the spacecraft, and they were heading to the moon.

“We are leaving earth behind, Nova…,” said Bridget in a hushed voice. She lit a flashlight and propped it up behind her globe. “Look! There it is, a blue-and-green ball in the distance! You can open your eyes now. Isn’t it far out?”