Flying Through Space on a Pegasus

“Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. But if you are as excited as I am, ain't no space and ain't no vacuum going to keep us contained! As kids we grew up with the wonders of space, we were fascinated by it. We would dream of it, imagining what it would be like to explore the unknown. Travel as far as the light can travel. I know it may sound cheesy but when I was growing up, I loved to watch Star Trek the original series. Special effects was not that bad… okay scratch that, special effects were terrible! But the stories were wonderful! Exploring new worlds, new galaxies, new life! At one point we all wanted to be part of Captain Kirk’s crew onboard the Enterprise. That show was the beginning of our curiosity. Eye opening ventures into the unknown darkness of space.”

“Our first space exploration began with the moon on July 20, 1969. That was centuries ago! But Neils words still live on today “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” and one giant leap it was. Now on 2100 we have a functional colony on Mars! We conquered the Red Planet! But that wasn’t enough, we wanted to go even further into the stars. We created The Galactic Academy of Space Exploration. An organization that turned our childhood fantasies into a reality. We will travel at the speed of light, we will travel to new worlds, we will venture into the unknown.”

“We are the new generation of Space Rangers! We were chosen because we are the best of the best in our field. We were chosen because of our passion for exploration. We were chosen because we are willing to take one giant leap for mankind! We were chosen because… well why the hell not?”

“Space cadets, rise from your seats and look at the people next to you. They will be your new family onboard the Pegasus. Our very lives will depend on each other. Our success will depend not only on me as your captain, but on us all. Together we are one, together we are strong, together we will prevail. And when the darkness of space may seem to consume us, we shall always remember the core of our mission. There is no better way to say it that the way Kirk said it.”

“Explore strange new worlds,

Seek out new life and new civilization.

Boldly go where no man has gone before…”

“I’m pleased to officially welcome you all aboard the Pegasus as part of my crew! Congratulations!”

The 450 new crew members of the Pegasus cheered with excitement and threw their graduation caps into the air. Hundreds of helium filled balloons were released into the violet sky. The band was playing the Academies Anthem.

“We are explorers of new worlds,

Traveling thru the stars.

The vast of space and galaxies,

Never seem that far.

Fulfill our mission as Space Rangers,

We must endure and prevail.

To seek new life and glory,

Space Rangers never fail…”

The crowd was wild with excitement, cheering, singing, and laughing. Today we will make history, a new era of space travel. Our mission onboard the Pegasus is to travel far beyond our solar system to a planet called Kepler-452b located about 1800 light years away. Today we celebrated our graduation from the Academy by joining the Pegasus, but we also have to say our goodbye to our loved ones. For tomorrow we are to embark on the greatest expedition know to man. Tomorrow we will fly through Space on a Pegasus.

TO BE CONTINUED…