I looked out into deep space. It was so vast! It was overwhelming! The darkness went on and on, stars sparkled like little diamond tacks holding up a black curtain.

The earth looked so tiny, like a model globe from school. It was hard to imagine life down there being anything but grand. Surely such a beautiful planet was inhabited by beautiful beings. NASA radioed some news to me every evening. It was all so grotesque, the way we fought, polluted, or otherwise destroyed things down there.

I thought about my friends and family a lot. How they will have grown, changed, aged. How I will have not, not so much. How life will be different when I get back, especially after the missions completed out here begin affecting life down there.

“You alright?” a voice crackled in my helmet.
“Yeah.” I paused, gazing at the Earth, lost in thought. “Just finishing up.”
“Hurry up, you’ve only got 15 minutes more oxygen!”
“I’m done. I’m coming. Reel me in.”

As I slowly floated toward the ship, the Earth slipped out of sight.