The silence lingered in the air, thick with disbelief. Their expressions—a mixture of awe, confusion, and thinly veiled frustration—were a familiar sight to me.
I had seen this before.
And I would see it again.
But there was no time to revel in their astonishment. The moment my first test concluded, we were ushered toward the next.
The others had barely caught their breath.
I didn't need to.
Test 2: Spacecraft Operations – Piloting, Docking, Emergency Procedures
The simulator loomed before us—a scaled replica of an actual NASA spacecraft cockpit, complete with controls mimicking real-life conditions.
"Your objective," the instructor announced, "is to complete a manual docking with a simulated space station. No autopilot. You will also be tested on emergency procedures—engine failure, decompression events, and onboard fire scenarios."
The European man from earlier scoffed. "Last time was a fluke for sure."
I ignored him.
The simulation commenced.
