R E Cooper [Cooper - Saving The Mission

The Race to Space

I - Saving the Mission

By R.E.Cooper

Authors notes

R E Cooper is an average middle-aged woman. Married, with a house and four goldfish. She is not a professional writer, certainly not an astronaut or professional astrologist. Just a normal person living in Derbyshire with a keen interest in space. Hoping, like many of the characters in her book, that one day she will get the opportunity to look down at the Earth and see how small we all really are.

This book is the first in a trilogy called The Race to Space and is R E Coopers debut novel.

So sit outside, with a glass of wine, on a clear night and look up and wonder, what if...

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to my mum and dad who always believed in me and always said that I could do anything I put my mind to. I think they believed I would be the next Ed Dayton and even though it hasnt worked out that way, they always said they were proud of me nonetheless!

To my good friend Zak who read through my first draft with a keen eye and told me in a non-blunt way the bits that were terrible. He is a better writer than I will ever be!

Most of all to my husband James. Over the years he has taken on many roles in our marriage: carer, therapist and motivational speaker. He also helped me to edit the book and spent a lot of time researching and encouraging me to get it out there. There are not enough words to express my gratitude for all you have done. This book is for you. Thank you.

Disclaimer

Ed Dayton is a fictional character, not built or biased towards anyone in the past or present. Any similarities he or any other character has in the book to a real person are purely coincidental.

Although the book is loosely based on some incidents in our past, it is not scientifically accurate. For example, there was a programme to recruit a civilian into space at one time and there was a dog sent into space by the Russians who no-one knew had actually died. These historical events are used to loosely provide a background to our history with space.

I am not an astronaut or physicist. I have tried to make the book as scientifically accurate as I can but for any inaccuracies, I apologise. Now, go pick up a textbook.

Enjoy what is a purely fictional book and treat it as just that. The fantasies of a slightly mad, space interested, middle-aged woman.

2019 R.E.Cooper

Part 1 - The Race

Ed Dayton stood and looked down from the platform in his hanger and thought of all the things he could have bought with 100 million, but to be fair it was one hell of a rocket. He was nervous, more nervous than usual, the Russians were getting close. Dayton Space didnt seem to be making enough progress. He wondered how it was that they always seemed to be one step ahead. Ed wasnt used to failing, owning a company worth billions which all revolved around catering for high-end travel for the super-rich had its flaws; mainly dealing with idiots, but very rich idiots. However, one thing was for certain, it was always abundant.

Ed had originally made his money working up the greasy pole as an investment banker. Dealing with people who gave off the air of genuineness but were really as corrupt as they come. He invested at the right time and pulled out at the right time before all hell broke loose in 2008. The money Ed made, he invested in a plane for the super-rich. Instead of an aircraft which could have easily fit two hundred people, it instead accommodated just twelve. With double beds, champagne throughout and generally every request catered for. It was a gamble in the crisis but one that paid off. As the working classes cut back in affording flights when the economy slumped, the super-rich were still spending. He now owned a fleet of planes in Dayton Airways, a travel company Dayton Leisure and a hotel chain Dayton Hotel Group. All of which were comprised under the umbrella Dayton Industries Ltd. Ed had well and truly made it. He was always eager to find the next big thing and the next big thing was space.

Ed had watched with keen interest as NASA and the Chinese travelled further afield to get closer looks at Mars and Venus. We were getting more technologically advanced and with that, more curious about the world around us. Ed recalled the day he was watching NASAs Curiosity Rover explore Mars and its environment. He was watching this with his wife Lanette. Lanette was originally just meant to be a trophy wife. The wife he was rich enough to afford. Being an ex-supermodel, American and attractive, he met her at a Hollywood party. She was stunning, long blonde hair in perfect loose curls and curves in all the right places. She was unique in that she was not just slim but full-breasted and curvy. They hit it off, Lanette wasnt the brightest button in the shop, she never truly understood what he did for a living but he found that she offered escapism from the real world that he had grown to like. After ten years of marriage, they had become somewhat of a Hollywood couple; a proof that the balding, forty-something can still keep hold of his trophy wife.

Although Ed tried to keep himself in good shape, recently he had let himself go a little. There was a slight bulge around his waist that did not used to be there, and his black hair was thinning, but Ed was not quite ready to let himself go under the knife just yet. He was quite tall and in business always wore a smart suit. He always had. To Ed, it was like his armour. When he put it on, he became the person they wanted him to be: the professional, the air of intelligence and most importantly the charismatic leader that made him who he was today.

While Ed and Lanette were watching the NASA probe land on Mars, Lanette said a passing comment of it is a shame one of your planes cant go there. It was almost a challenge to a man like Ed and he could not get it out of his head. So Ed spent all night researching how much it would cost and how to go about launching his own commercial space company. He found it was outrageously expensive. Most of his money would be initially funding the project until he could get some commercial investors, but Ed could not stop thinking of the publicity. The first UK based commercial airline into space, now that was something to put on the grave.

The next day Ed approached his backers, most did not want to go near the mission and only one stood by him. His old friend Tim Sykes. Tim had set up a business empire in social networking, which had now gone global. He was worth even more than Ed, not that Ed dare admit it. After weeks of discussions and negotiating terms, Tim said he would financially support Eds plan to commercialise space flight on a 50/50 profit basis, if, and only if, the live stream of the first flight was broadcast exclusively on his social network, FriendFinder. Ed agreed and so Dayton Space was born.

It was never intended to be a race but after Eds announcement to the media, only one week later, Russia announced a Government-backed space program to rival that of Eds and so the race was on.

As Ed was watching the rocket being built with hundreds of scientists at its base working on the boost thrusters, he was interrupted by that of a voice he recognised and hated hearing.

Ed, call for you, its Tim Sykes, he says its important.

Ed sighed and cursed the fact that he needed commercial investors. He had broken his golden rule of never going into business with friends, they always turned out to be enemies. Ed turned his head and saw the quite beautiful and incredibly smart Director of Human Resources for Dayton Space and his right-hand woman, Ruth Merryweather. Ruth was wearing a black dress with a suit jacket and her long mahogany coloured hair cascaded to her shoulders. Ruth was a graduate of the University of Oxford, having studied Business and Finance. She was incredibly smart and had risen the ranks in his company. He had the utmost respect for her even though she often told him things he did not want to hear. Ed turned and said, Tell him Im with Hans and the other science guys and Ill call him back. Ruth was still walking towards him despite his hard glare.