Summary

Helen Kane, 53-year-old astronaut, is visiting the Japanese headquarters of Prime Space, a corporate space travel enterprise that is planning a trip to Mars in four years. Before the actual trip, there will be a 17-month-long simulation which will take place in a real spacecraft. Boone Cross, the founder of Prime Space, is inviting Helen to join this mission. This is a good opportunity for Helen because she has recently retired from space travel at NASA in order to give younger astronauts a chance to advance. Cross shows Helen an advertisement for Playtex bras from the 1950s, explaining that his grandmother worked for Playtex and also helped design the spacesuit the astronauts wore on the first moon walk. Helen acts suitably impressed, but all she can really think about is Mars.

In the next chapter, we meet Mireille, Helen's daughter...