Cosmo (flying beyond the sky)

2028, at International Space Agency. . .

  

The crewmates of Falcon 3 are ready to go to Moon. Rakesh of India is one among the crew of Falcon 3. He, along with two crew members, are on the way to the rocket. They are all waving their hands to the people who are encouraging them. At the time, Rakesh saw a small boy with a small board indicating, "Rakesh, you are an inspiration for the youngsters who dream to fly across the sky." After seeing the board, tears from Rakesh's eyes started flowing. It's not only happy tears but also sad tears because of the struggle he faced to become an astronaut.

 

After all the wonderful welcomes, three of the crew members are on board the rocket. All the things have gone pretty well, and the rocket is ready to launch. The countdown starts 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1... Rakesh recollects his past,

   

1985, India, Chennai...

 

A loud crying sound is heard in a hospital. A family is on a hurry, burry. As the crying sound continued, the doctor said, "You are blessed with a baby boy!". The mother felt so happy because the boy was born after 2 female children. Good riddens…. The family members are so happy with the news. The boy finally got the name Rakesh.

 

2003, India, Chennai...

 

Rakesh was waiting for his 12th board exam result. Rakesh is under high pressure because he knows the pain that his mother, as a single parent, expects that his son will clear her sorrows. In 2000, Rakesh's father died from a disease. After that, Rakesh's mother struggled to cope with financial status. Rakesh's sisters got married, and they have been living separately in their family. Even with the financial problems of his family, Rakesh dreamt to be an astronaut.

 

Every day he saw the planes in the sky—the moon and stars—and he wondered about these. He got very much interest in aerospace and astronomy.  From that he searched about the things required to become an astronaut in books, etc. He came to know that an astronaut needs flying experience. So he decides to clear NDA and become a fighter pilot. After all these plans in his imagination, he is ready to face the challenges.

 

Day by day, his involvement decreased. He started to spend time with his friends making fun things. Soon he sees himself as lazy, and his concentration in studies got low. Days were going fast, and his 12th board exam was very near. As he was a bright student, he regained his concentration and completed all his board exams. Results came, and he finally chose mechanical engineering.

 

All his dreams washed away. He begins his college career. He thought that he couldn't become a fighter pilot because he lost his self-confidence, and he was afraid of his family because he was responsible for taking care of them after 4 years. So he chooses engineering and decides to complete the course, get a good job, and take care of his family.

 

His first year of college was going  well. But he was in double mind in his studies. Soon he won't be able to study because of his double thought of being an astronaut. He failed his upcoming semester exams and can't focus on his course. Soon he decided to clear the AFCAT SSC test. He started preparing well, and at last he cleared the AFACT SSC test and got selected for the Indian Air Force. His family was so angry and worried about his course dropped in college; soon they became normal.

 

Rakesh struggled so much in his air force training sessions. Also, he can't see his family in a worried state about his future. As he was not well in his training, he was forced to leave the Air Force. He cried with sorrow to give him a chance to perform well in training. He cried all the nights in his training session. He forgot all the things about his past and started to move on. He completed all his training and became a fighter pilot.

 

He worked several years as a fighter pilot, and he is one of the best fighter pilots ever in the Indian Air Force because of his confidence that made him. Soon he retired from his contractual position of 14 years and started preparing for the astronaut test for the International Space Agency. He cleared the common test and also cleared the major tests, like the long-distance flight test. Even though he has cleared the tests, he did not have the opportunity to fly into space.

 

After a long time, he got selected for his first space travel. He, along with some members, tested for their first space travel. The moment when he started to fly above the sky, he got tears in his eyes that his dream had come true after a long battle of his bad past memories. Also, they got tested for their first spacewalk. He started to wear his space helmet and go out of the rocket for a spacewalk. At the time, he felt something that words couldn't explain.

 

After all his initial tests, soon after 3 years, he was one of the crewmates of the spacecraft for the mission Falcon 1 to Mars in 2023. Their mission starts with a fail, as there were technical problems. They returned safely from space to Earth. Then the agency arranged their next mission, Falcon 2, in 2026. He was not selected as the crew for Falcon 2. He was so disappointed, and soon the Falcon 2 got launched. It was an utter failure that the rocket got blasted after a few meters from the atmosphere.

 

The entire media focused on this news and questioned about the deaths of the astronauts. After a long struggle, the agency again planned to launch Falcon 3 in 2028 with all safety measures. But the plan failed. Rakesh, as one of the senior astronauts, said that he is ready to be the captain of Falcon 3. But the agency rejected it. Rakesh's two friends among the senior astronauts gave him support, and the agency finally accepted the crew for Falcon 3. Rakesh was selected as the captain of the spacecraft Falcon 3.

 

Again at Falcon 3 spacecraft...

 

Slowly Rakesh opened his eyes and finished thinking about his past memories of how hard he struggled to become an astronaut. The Falcon 3 spacecraft perfectly reached about the atmosphere level. Next, the spacecraft reached space with no issues. The team of Falcon 3 was so happy with the news. The spacecraft smoothly travels towards the Mars. Suddenly all the signals from the spacecraft lost, and the spacecraft started to collapse. The agency has completely lost the signals of the spacecraft.

 

Rakesh and his crew were so confused about what's happening there. They came to know that the space weather conditions became so bad. The electrical components in the rocket got faults, and engines slowly began to heat. They planned to return to Earth. As they were near the Earth, they launched their safety launchpads, and the rocket blasted in a few seconds.

 

After that blast, Rakesh's safety launchpad got damaged by the rocket's particles, and slowly the oxygen level decreased to the maximum. From a severe height to the down, he started losing his breathing. His crew of 2 members got out of the launchpad and opened their parachute, but Rakesh wasn't able to manage to do it. The trio got landed in an ocean, and finally the rescue crew rescued them.

Both the friends of Rakesh were completely confident that their friend escaped and was alive, but after testing, they came to know that Rakesh has been dead because of breathlessness. They begin to cry as they lose their beloved friend. The media again confirmed that Falcon 3 was a failure and Rakesh has been dead.

 

A day after Rakesh died, the media covered Rakesh's mother. They all thought that she would be very sad. But at last Rakesh's mother smiled with pain and said, "My son already died many times in his life. My relationship with him decreased after he joined Air Force. At least before going to the Falcon 3 spacecraft, he finally said to me (mom cries), "Ma, don't worry, this is just a training (the same dialogue he told in his first training).

His last speech: "Even if I have been dead in this mission, I consider that to be proud, but I won't let my friends (crewmates) die. This is my captain's oath. Thank you. "