1970s: Growing up has its ups and downs
At Edwards, focus has shifted. With a new boss, Tom E. Scott, and a new direction, the NASA High Speed Research Station changes names to the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Center, or Dryden for short. But it's not the new name or the new boss that makes the entire work place feel different - it's the collaboration with the Soviets.
After decades of rivalry, the Soviets and Americans are now working together on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. It's no longer a matter of racing to space, but of staying there for longer periods of time. Of building space-stations and facilitate research by working together.
This mission, the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project is made to test international docking, but mostly to demonstrate that the two Cold War rivals could work together in space. And that is the important part.
"This have to succeed!" Scott tells them. "The world is watching, and Kennedy Space Center needs all of us to do our jobs if they are to succeed. Once this is done, we move on. Next step, making that space shuttle fly."
As a researcher and scientist, Arthur doesn't really have anything to do in the control room on the actual day, so instead he, like a large part of America is watching the events unfold on the TV together with Claudia and the girls.
"Did you make that happen, daddy?" Cindy, sitting on the floor next to her father, asks.
"Well I helped a little bit, I suppose," Arthur modestly answered.
"Come on dad, what did you do? Tell us!" Beth demands.
"Well, if you really want to know," Arthur says, his chest swelling a bit with pride. "I worked on simulations, and mechanical systems in simulated flight conditions in order to analyze flight characteristics and validate aerodynamic stability for reentry phases as well as ensuring that the spacecraft could maneuver safely in Earth’s atmosphere during launch abort scenarios or initial orbit insert-"
"So have you met the astronauts?" Cathy cuts him off.
"Not personally, no."
"So you just do the boring stuff, then."
"Cathy!!!" her mother chides.
"What? I'm just stating facts. All that sounded like a real drag."
"It's still cool, dad," Beth says. "Like, really." Arthur is not sure if she means it or not, but he appreciate the effort.
The next day all the girls are thinking of is the fact that it's prom-night. Cathy spends her day talking about her new dress with her friends on the phone
"You've been talking for half an hour, Cathy! Someone else might want to use the phone!" Claudia yells in between doing laundry, cleaning and vacuuming.
Complaining about her lame mother, she takes the time to work on her cheerleading routine while blasting disco-music from her record player before starting to get ready for the big night.
With everything going on Arthur has locked himself in his study and spends the day reading up on new research.
Before they leave, Claudia inspects her teens. "Isn't that a bit too lowcut? she asks Cathy. "And are you sure you don't want me to do something different with your hair Beth? Help you with the make-up?" But neither girl is willing to listen to their mother, and soon they are off.
The prom is perfect! Or so Cathy thinks for about two minutes before she sees another girl in exactly the same dress as her. How can this be? She know she told everyone what she was wearing so this precise thing wouldn't happen, and still!
"You did it on purpose!" She cries out.
"What, you're worried that it looks better on me?"
When she comes home, none of the good things are remembered. Not the dancing, the punch (which Beth spiked so she couldn't drink it anyway), the boys looking at her... none of it but the fact that she didn't make prom-queen and she wasn't the only one in her dress.
"It's not fair!" she complains to her parents when they get home.
As her mother comforts her, Arthur looks back at Beth. "Did you have a good time."
"Yeah, sure, it was fun. The food was good."
Back at Foxbury, Susan's last - and Ken's second to last - term is about to begin. This time, Susan is determined to get a head start, and to focus on her studies. One more term... all she has to do is keep her eye on the ball.
Her room by now is a mess of posters, drawings and clothes she leaves everywhere. It does not improve matters when she leaves her board up 24/7, but who can be bothered with removing it between sessions?
Ken prefers the busy hallway, where he can be distracted by others and see what is going on. If that means moving it after each time he's used it so be it. He couldn't stand staying in his room for so long.
The night before classes start is Easter Sunday. As no one can go home to their families, they share a meal together at the dorm.
It's a quiet affair, Susan insisted, and she goes early to bed and is up early the next morning. This semester she is not going to fall asleep on any lessons.
And at first it is just like Susan imagined, quiet, with TV-nights watching another rerun of "The Night of the Living Dead" instead of partying.
After decades of rivalry, the Soviets and Americans are now working together on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. It's no longer a matter of racing to space, but of staying there for longer periods of time. Of building space-stations and facilitate research by working together.
This mission, the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project is made to test international docking, but mostly to demonstrate that the two Cold War rivals could work together in space. And that is the important part.
"This have to succeed!" Scott tells them. "The world is watching, and Kennedy Space Center needs all of us to do our jobs if they are to succeed. Once this is done, we move on. Next step, making that space shuttle fly."
As a researcher and scientist, Arthur doesn't really have anything to do in the control room on the actual day, so instead he, like a large part of America is watching the events unfold on the TV together with Claudia and the girls.
"Did you make that happen, daddy?" Cindy, sitting on the floor next to her father, asks.
"Well I helped a little bit, I suppose," Arthur modestly answered.
"Come on dad, what did you do? Tell us!" Beth demands.
"Well, if you really want to know," Arthur says, his chest swelling a bit with pride. "I worked on simulations, and mechanical systems in simulated flight conditions in order to analyze flight characteristics and validate aerodynamic stability for reentry phases as well as ensuring that the spacecraft could maneuver safely in Earth’s atmosphere during launch abort scenarios or initial orbit insert-"
"So have you met the astronauts?" Cathy cuts him off.
"Not personally, no."
"So you just do the boring stuff, then."
"Cathy!!!" her mother chides.
"What? I'm just stating facts. All that sounded like a real drag."
"It's still cool, dad," Beth says. "Like, really." Arthur is not sure if she means it or not, but he appreciate the effort.
The next day all the girls are thinking of is the fact that it's prom-night. Cathy spends her day talking about her new dress with her friends on the phone
"You've been talking for half an hour, Cathy! Someone else might want to use the phone!" Claudia yells in between doing laundry, cleaning and vacuuming.
Complaining about her lame mother, she takes the time to work on her cheerleading routine while blasting disco-music from her record player before starting to get ready for the big night.
With everything going on Arthur has locked himself in his study and spends the day reading up on new research.
Before they leave, Claudia inspects her teens. "Isn't that a bit too lowcut? she asks Cathy. "And are you sure you don't want me to do something different with your hair Beth? Help you with the make-up?" But neither girl is willing to listen to their mother, and soon they are off.
The prom is perfect! Or so Cathy thinks for about two minutes before she sees another girl in exactly the same dress as her. How can this be? She know she told everyone what she was wearing so this precise thing wouldn't happen, and still!
"You did it on purpose!" She cries out.
"What, you're worried that it looks better on me?"
When she comes home, none of the good things are remembered. Not the dancing, the punch (which Beth spiked so she couldn't drink it anyway), the boys looking at her... none of it but the fact that she didn't make prom-queen and she wasn't the only one in her dress.
"It's not fair!" she complains to her parents when they get home.
As her mother comforts her, Arthur looks back at Beth. "Did you have a good time."
"Yeah, sure, it was fun. The food was good."
Back at Foxbury, Susan's last - and Ken's second to last - term is about to begin. This time, Susan is determined to get a head start, and to focus on her studies. One more term... all she has to do is keep her eye on the ball.
Her room by now is a mess of posters, drawings and clothes she leaves everywhere. It does not improve matters when she leaves her board up 24/7, but who can be bothered with removing it between sessions?
Ken prefers the busy hallway, where he can be distracted by others and see what is going on. If that means moving it after each time he's used it so be it. He couldn't stand staying in his room for so long.
The night before classes start is Easter Sunday. As no one can go home to their families, they share a meal together at the dorm.
It's a quiet affair, Susan insisted, and she goes early to bed and is up early the next morning. This semester she is not going to fall asleep on any lessons.
And at first it is just like Susan imagined, quiet, with TV-nights watching another rerun of "The Night of the Living Dead" instead of partying.
Studying at Larry's den (Susan isn't letting Ken off the hook for this one).
Sometimes, though, it's easier to study at the dorm, and one of their roommates has a typewriter Susan can borrow for her term paper. This way she manages to finish the paper well in time.
When the weather gets better, the student body arranges for a few tables and without asking permission, plops them down on the main lawn. This is a perfect place for studying.
When the weather gets better, the student body arranges for a few tables and without asking permission, plops them down on the main lawn. This is a perfect place for studying.
But come mid term and Ken is getting antsy. Half a semester and no parties? Come Wednesday, he's calling up "a few friends" to a "gathering" at the dorm. Of course he means another Keg Party. Those things are fun!
And while Susan at first protests, in the end she's dancing with the rest of them, for if it's one thing she cannot resist, it's dancing.
But even though the party is still raging on, she does go back to her room and forces herself to go to sleep. She has lessons the next day and while Ken will be fine, she's learnt that she won't be.
And while Susan at first protests, in the end she's dancing with the rest of them, for if it's one thing she cannot resist, it's dancing.
But even though the party is still raging on, she does go back to her room and forces herself to go to sleep. She has lessons the next day and while Ken will be fine, she's learnt that she won't be.
As the term comes to an end, her hard work and discipline pays off. Susan gets the highest mark on all her courses, bringing up her final GPA to an A-. Not what she had planned for, but better than she had dared hope.
Ken, too, benefits from Susan's disciplin and forceful study hand, with his lowest grade for the semester being a B. Having failed one course last year and only taking three this year, he still has two courses to finish before he can graduate, but things could be much worse. He has gotten a B+ GPA and chance to bring that up with only two courses next term.
Ken, too, benefits from Susan's disciplin and forceful study hand, with his lowest grade for the semester being a B. Having failed one course last year and only taking three this year, he still has two courses to finish before he can graduate, but things could be much worse. He has gotten a B+ GPA and chance to bring that up with only two courses next term.
That night, they celebrate, heading to Maritime Manor together with the rest of the dorm. With no more courses and no more deadlines, they can all let go a bit.
The next morning, Susan sleeps in late. Her graduation doesn't start until 10.30 and so she has plenty of time to rest up and still be on time. She's dead excited, and can't wait to go up and get her diploma. Yet, in spite of herself she finds herself thinking about, of all people, Tony! She's not sure why, maybe because once she had envisioned him being here to greet her after she graduated. But now things are different. He's married. A father, or so she's heard, and she has better things to think about.
And so she forces him out of her mind, and tries to focus on the graduation instead. Once it starts it's easy enough, and after all she's feeling is pure joy and pride. She did it! She graduated. Now life can begin for real.
The next morning, Susan sleeps in late. Her graduation doesn't start until 10.30 and so she has plenty of time to rest up and still be on time. She's dead excited, and can't wait to go up and get her diploma. Yet, in spite of herself she finds herself thinking about, of all people, Tony! She's not sure why, maybe because once she had envisioned him being here to greet her after she graduated. But now things are different. He's married. A father, or so she's heard, and she has better things to think about.
And so she forces him out of her mind, and tries to focus on the graduation instead. Once it starts it's easy enough, and after all she's feeling is pure joy and pride. She did it! She graduated. Now life can begin for real.
Comments
Post a Comment