Von Neumann’s War

Charlotte clicked X on the Internet browser and stretched out across her bed, knocking over the Louisville Slugger that was leaning on her nightstand, then picked up the phone, “Okay, I got it.”

“Charlotte, honey?”

“Hi Daddy, what’s up?” she asked.

“How’d the ccd camera work out for your telescope, slugger?”

“It works great, thanks! Odd thing though, I think Mars is turning gray or something,” she said.

“Hmmm,” John muttered. “Could have been atmospheric interference; perhaps it was lightly cloudy and you just didn’t notice.”

“Mmmm, nah, don’t think it was. What’s all the business with Mom about?” Charlotte asked, wondering at the comment. There was no way that clouds could cause the changes she’d seen.

“Yeah, about that, your mom just doesn’t understand sometimes about great opportunities and priorities. Listen, I’ve been down in Huntsville, Alabama, all this week — it’s a neat little town. I’ve got to run up to Denver and see Tina’s mom for a day or so, then it’s back to Alabama late next week for some meetings and I thought you might could go with me.”

“Dad, I’d love to see you, but why on Earth would I want to go to Hicksville, Alabama?” she asked.

“Huntsville, Alabama, and you’d be surprised what all is there. How’d you like to go to Spacecamp at the NASA Space and Rocket Center where they built the rockets that went to the Moon while I’m at work during the days? You’d have to miss about three days of school, but I could call your principal and talk to him about it. God knows it would be educational. Alice is coming down, too. I thought you might get Tina to come down and you two could go to Spacecamp together and hang out at the hotel pool, the space museum — they have some pretty cool rides. And there are a couple of malls a short cab ride from the hotel.”

“I’ll go if Tina goes; I’d probably get bored out of my head by myself in the daytime.” Charlotte thought that getting out of town now that Tina had spilled the beans to Michael that she liked him wasn’t such a bad idea. “Can we really go to Spacecamp?”

“Yeah, well, at your age it’s the Space Academy actually and it’s only three days, but it’ll be a blast.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Great. I’ll come by Tuesday after school to help you pack. Well, let’s see.” There was a pause as her dad checked something. “It looks like our flight is first thing Wednesday morning and we’ll come back on Sunday.”

“I’ll call Tina and see if she wants to go. B’bye daddy, I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.”

* * *

“Who loves you, baby?” Charlotte laughed and screamed at the same time as the Moonshot launched the two teens ten stories straight up at over three gees. At the top of the ride there was a split second of freefall that made her stomach lurch. Charlotte was fine but she hoped that Tina didn’t throw up all over her light blue astronaut flight suit.

“I’m gonna kill youuu!” Tina screamed as the freefall broke and the ride jerked them back downward.

Tina jumped from her seat the second the ride stopped and stumbled around, dizzy for a moment. Charlotte didn’t appear to be affected by the thrill ride so she held her friend’s arm and told the Space Academy instructor that she needed a break.

“Ten minutes, then back around by the Saturn V out front,” their instructor told them.

Charlotte nodded and led Tina by the arm under the rocket engines of the Saturn IB and to the picnic area not far from the ride.

“Wheeeww!” Charlotte wiped her brow. “That was cool. You okay?”

“Yeah, that was all right. I wasn’t expecting that thing to shoot off straight up that hard, wow!”

“Well, it’s called the Moonshot, you know.”

“Whatever,” Tina was finally catching her breath. “I could use something to drink.”

“Hey, I’ll get it, be right back.” Charlotte could tell that Tina was still a little pale and was just trying to be bold in front of her. That was Tina’s way. Charlotte had learned that years ago and just decided it was easier to play along than to call her on her weakness.

“Here ya go,” Charlotte returned with soft drinks and handed one to Tina who was looking at her watch. “We gotta get back.”

“You okay?”

“Hey, it’s me.” Tina punched her on the arm, causing Charlotte to slosh her soda on her hand.

Charlotte just shook her head back and forth muttering “Dingbat” under her breath.

At the front of the George C. Marshall Space and Rocket Center the rest of the teen Space Academy group had collected and was being shushed by their instructors. The instructor was going on about the Saturn V rocket and the Apollo program, then pointed to an elderly man with wild white hair and white fuzzy sideburns.

“Okay, now we’re fortunate enough today to have a very special guest here.” The head instructor shook hands with the white-haired man. “The man who designed and built the first commercial spacecraft, from Scaled Composites, Mr. Burt Rutan.”