“It’s just a video game—the controls are almost identical to game controllers that have been around for years,” she said. “In fact, the guy who designed them, Jon Masters, probably did that on purpose—he was a video-game nut. Besides, Boomer is a good instructor.
“Now, the secret to maneuvering around in free fall is remembering although you don’t have the effects of gravity, you still have mass and acceleration, and those need to be counteracted very carefully, or else you’ll end up pinging off the walls,” Faulkner said. “Remember that it’s not the weightless feeling you feel floating in the ocean, where you can paddle to move about—here, every directional movement can be countered only by opposing the acceleration of mass with opposite and equal force.
“Once we’re on station, we use Velcro shoes and patches on our clothes to help secure ourselves, but we don’t have those yet, so you’ll have to learn the hard way,” she went on. “Very easy, gentle movements. I like to just think about moving first. If you don’t consciously think about a movement before you do it, you’ll launch yourself into the ceiling when your major muscles get involved. If you just think about getting up, you’ll involve more minor muscles. You’ll have to overcome your mass to start moving, but remember that gravity isn’t going to help you reverse directions. Try it.”
The passenger did as she suggested. Instead of using his legs and hands to push up off the seat, he merely thought about getting up, with light touches of a few fingers of one hand on a handhold or seat armrest . . . and to his surprise, he started to float gently off the seat. “Hey! It worked!” he exclaimed.
“Very good, sir,” Faulkner said. “Feel okay? The first time in zero-G upsets a lot of stomachs.”
“I’m fine, Jessica.”
“The balance organs in your ears will soon have no ‘up’ or ‘down’ direction and will start feeding your brain signals that won’t correspond to anything you see or feel,” Faulkner explained. The passengers had been briefed on all this back home, but they had not undergone any other astronaut training such as simulated zero-G work underwater. “It’ll be a little worse once you get to station. A little nausea is normal. Work through it.”
“I’m fine, Jessica,” the passenger repeated. His eyes were as wide as a young child’s on Christmas morning. “My God, this feels incredible—and incredibly weird at the same time.”
“You’re doing fine, sir. Now, what I’m going to do is step aside and let you maneuver yourself toward the cockpit. I could try to guide you into your seat, but if I’m not perfectly aligned and not applying the right amount and direction of force, I’ll spin you out of control, so it’s better if you can do it. Again, just think about moving. No hurry.”
Her suggestions worked. The passenger completely relaxed his body and faced the hatch connecting the cockpit with the passenger cabin, and barely touching anything, he started to drift toward the hatch, with Boomer watching his slow progress over his right shoulder, a pleased smile visible though the visor of his oxygen helmet. In no time, the passenger had floated right up to the cockpit hatch.
“You’re a natural at this, sir,” Boomer said. “Now Gonzo will unhook your umbilical cord from the passenger seat and hand it up to me, and I’ll plug it into the mission commander’s seat receptacle. You need to gently hold on to the hatch while we get you hooked back on. Again, don’t kick or push anything—gentle touches.” The passenger heard and felt the tiny puffs of conditioned air in his partial-pressure suit shut off, and soon the umbilical hose appeared. Boomer reached across the cockpit and plugged it in. “Hear me okay, sir? Feel the air-conditioning okay?”
“Yes and yes.”
“Good. Getting into the seat is the tricky part, because it’s a kinda tight fit. The technique is to slowly, carefully, bend at the waist and lift your thighs toward your chest, like you’re doing a stomach crunch. Gonzo and I will maneuver you over the center console and into your seat. Don’t try to help us. Okay, go ahead.” The passenger did exactly as he was told, curling his body slightly, and with only a few unexpected bumps and swerves he was over the very wide center console and into the seat, and Faulkner fastened his lap and shoulder straps for him.
“Are you sure we didn’t pass each other in the hallways at NASA astronaut training in Houston, sir?” Boomer asked, his smile visible through his oxygen helmet’s visor. “I know veteran astronauts who get all hot, sweaty, and grumpy doing what you just did. Very good. Here’s your reward for all that work.” And he motioned outside the cockpit . . .
. . . and for the first time, the passenger saw it: planet Earth spread out before him. Even through the relatively narrow cockpit windows, it was still marvelous to behold. “It’s . . . it’s incredible . . . beautiful . . . my God,” he breathed. “I’ve seen all the photos of Earth taken from space, but they just don’t compare with seeing it myself. It’s magnificent!”