We both followed her pointing finger. Sheldon had landed in the Mariner Valley at Patrick’s request. We were close enough to one wall of the valley to see it rising to the sky in the distance. In the thin atmosphere of Mars, it was amazingly clear, so it appeared quite close. At the same time, it obviously rose from beyond the horizon, so it had to be far away. But on the third hand, Mars’s small diameter—I shook my head, breaking the loop. I was on Mars. This wasn’t the time to go down a mental rabbit hole.

“That’s incredible,” Nat said. “I wish we could take pictures … ”

“Sure, I’ll just whip out my phone,” Patrick said.

Nat gave him a glare that should have stopped his heart. I spoke quickly to defuse the tension. “Do we want to go for a walk? Or have you guys had enough?”

Patrick looked around. “If we had a flag to plant or a base station to set up, or even some golf balls and a club, I’d stay all day. But other than the view, it’s really just a lot of dirt. We can come back, though, right?”

I nodded, but felt a momentary disquiet. First the Apollo 11 site, now this. Was space travel going to be just a series of letdowns? Then I turned back to the view. No, definitely not. We just needed enough time to appreciate it.

Chapter Seven: Park It

Chapter Seven: Park It

I stood in front of the command chair, ramrod straight with my hands behind my back, my gaze focused on infinity. Behind me, the Earth hung in the firmament, a visible curve on the horizon.

“Okay, got it,” Nat said, examining her phone. “That’s a dozen pictures. My turn now. Here.” She handed me the device as I made way for her.

“Ready, Nat? Let’s see that Admiral Nelson pose. Come on, girl, work it, work it. Show me that sass.”

Natalie was having trouble keeping a straight face, but she turned and struck poses with enthusiasm, while I snapped pics as quickly as I could manage.

“You humans are insufferable,” Sheldon commented. “You reduce everything to a tourist moment.”

“Or, alternatively, we know how to thoroughly enjoy the moment without getting stuffy about it,” Patrick said.

“Potato, potahto,” Sheldon muttered, but didn’t comment further.

“You sure about putting the Sheldon in the barn?” Natalie asked.

“I’m not the Sheldon, unless you are the Natalie. This ship is called the Halo Mahste which means Quest for Knowledge.”

“Cool,” Natalie replied. “Halo it is.”

“It’s not—” Sheldon paused. “Fine. I concede that the full name is too many words in a row for you. Have it your way.”