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He can’t believe that he hasn’t gotten tired of looking out the windows.
Granted, there were times when it held less appeal than others. He remembers five months in as being particularly hard. They were traveling through space at about 28 kilometers per second, more than 60,000 miles per hour. In the vast emptiness between the planets, that had felt like a snail’s pace. The view out the window had changed so minutely from day to day then, so far from any solid ground. Earth and Mars alike had been nothing more than tiny specks.
It had never been unpleasant to look out the windows, though. He just hadn’t been constantly glued to them, gawking, the way he had done with every little snatch of free time that first month.
It still thrills him. Nineteen months in a spaceship and he’s not over it. Nineteen months in, and it all feels worth it. They can see Earth again, and every glimpse of it is heady. He doesn’t think he’ll ever forget the giddiness of finally being close enough to see the Moon again, finally being close enough to see the blue oceans again.
“What are you going to do when we’re back?” Kinnon asks, tossing a ball idly in the low gravity. “Everyone else talks about their plans. Fix up that house, find someone special and settle down, finally have that baby, travel the world, all that stuff. What’s your deal, Horan?”
Niall doesn’t respond right away. The only sound in the room is the rustle of Kinnon’s uniform and the gentle thwack of the ball against her palms. He’s not going to tell just because Kinnon wants to know. He looks inside himself and finds, though, that he wouldn’t mind talking for his own sake. Slowly, he answers, “Considering how long it’ll be before I can go back up, I do have some things in mind. I can’t wait to see my family and my friends again. Of course I look forward to that the most. God, seeing Ireland again, that’ll be something. Seeing green as far as the eye can see, not just little plants in pots. I’ve thought about recording an album – I’ve written some songs while we were out here. I wonder if anyone would listen to it.”
Kinnon snorts. “We’re the first people who set foot on Mars. I think that’s a given. I’m pretty sure I could sell a fucking album, and you’ve heard me at karaoke.”
“True,” Niall agrees seriously. “My ears haven’t been the same since.” He gets a ball to the back of his head for that – no surprise there.
“But you said, before you can go back up. That’s what you want? To come back out here?”
Niall stares out the window at the tiny blue marble of the Earth and the bright, still stars behind it. “I want a lot of things, Kinnon, but this – this is what I want the most.”
BREAKING: The Eos 3 spacecraft is officially en route back to Earth with all seven members of the space science team on board. The 10-member ground team – two of whom are scientists, the remaining eight of whom are tasked with establishing the Martian mining operations – have successfully built their habitat and started work. It was feared that the accident with Lander 3 would seriously impact the mission, but thanks to the quick work of the astronauts and the redundancies of equipment, crisis was averted. It will not be possible to use Lander 3 to retrieve equipment deliveries from Eos 3’s next fly-by, but there was no loss of life and only a minor loss of supplies – overall, a success for the Mars expedition…
“Shit, shit, shit,” Niall mutters under his breath. The process of donning his spacesuit has never felt so long and arduous before. This is mostly due to stress but partly due to the fact that this is the strongest gravity he’s experienced since leaving Earth ten months before. He only took the damn thing off an hour ago after Lander 1 successfully touched down.
“Be cool, Horan,” Covarrubias says. “We trained for this. We’ve got this.”
“I know, but it makes me feel better to swear.”
He hears Captain Peterson’s voice through his headset. “Lander 3, what can you tell us?”
“Well, we’re tipped over, which you know,” Tran says. She’s trying to sound calm but there’s an undercurrent of strain in her voice. “We can’t get into Bay 4 – the doors are too warped. There’s a slow atmospheric leak, too. We’re suited up and trying to find it, but it’s probably in the most damaged part of the hull, which we can’t get to.”
“Stay inside for now,” Peterson orders. “We’re not ready to risk losing your entire atmosphere if the airlock is damaged. I’m sending a crew over from Lander 1 to assess the exterior and, if possible, patch your hull.”
“Acknowledged,” Tran answers shortly.
Niall seals the helmet on his head and takes a slow breath. In spite of his fear, he laughs. “Whatever happens out there, we’re about to step foot on fuckin’ Mars. Holy shit.”
Covarrubias gives him a high-five, made slow and awkward by their thick, heavy suits. “Fuck yeah, man. Let’s do it.”
NASA has released a series of short videos from the Eos 3 astronauts with updates on the Mars mission, spaceship life, and progress on their scientific experiments as they make their approach to the Red Planet! Dr. Niall Horan’s even includes a short song about the mission. Click here to watch!
There’s a strict routine from day one. Everyone has a different schedule to ensure that they all get their two hours a day on the exercise machines and that the potential for science experiments is maximized. There’s always someone in the lab, following their carefully-planned, carefully-scheduled protocols.
They don’t have a great deal of leisure time, which is for the best. Niall doesn’t want to go through his books and movies too quickly. He also thinks too much during his free time. He mopes about the fact that he won’t get to see Louis’ new film until they get back because he’s not allotted enough bandwidth to have it sent to him. He wonders when he’ll finally get that inevitable “Dear John” letter from his girlfriend. He thinks about how much older everyone’s kids will be when he gets back. He’s missing so much.
At least he’s had lots of experience being away from home. Being on a mission is kind of like being on tour. He wonders if that’s part of why they chose him for this mission. He’d made sure to emphasize it in his application, to turn the quirks of his personal history into positive traits. It must have worked.
(It’s not really like being on tour. He can’t check up on everyone’s social media; their personal data allotments are fairly stingy. He can’t video-chat with anyone any time he likes. He can’t even call – the lag time, which grows day by day, means that communication can’t happen in real time. No, it’s pretty different from tour.)
(He’s in space, though. He’s in space, and he’s grateful for it every day.)
THE SELFIE THAT BROKE THE INTERNET: We’re calling it early – this picture is going to be the viral hit of the year. Louis Tomlinson posted the picture of himself, husband Harry Styles, and former One Direction bandmates Liam Payne and Zayn Malik. These four not-quite-silver-yet (though Payne is on his way) foxes in one picture would already make for a great snap, but wait, it gets better. Behind them stands the rocket that will deliver the Martian astronauts to the Eos 3 spacecraft, ready for launch. Cheekily, Tomlinson has tagged Niall Horan in the picture, since he’s in that very rocket! Once a fellow One Direction crooner, Horan is now a NASA astronaut headed to Mars. Thank goodness that the launch was successful. Otherwise this would be one awkward picture.
“The physical tests are absolutely insane,” Niall says into the phone. “I’ve been touched in places that I’ve never felt before, and you know I’ve had some pretty wild times, so that’s saying a lot.”
Louis laughs and asks, “How’s your knee holding up?”
“It feels good, no problems. It fuckin’ better be good after all that surgery.”
“Do you think that being a bionic man helped your application?” Harry chimes in.
“Probably, yeah.”
A door opens down the hall, and he sees someone poke their head out and wave at him. “Dr. Horan?”
“Gotta go, lads. I’ll let you know how it goes.” He ends the call and rolls the phone up to tuck it away, then stands and goes to the open door. NASA is waiting for him.
Another nail in the coffin of One Direction? The 1D lads had social media buzzing today as Niall Horan’s bandmates congratulated him on completing his PhD at the California Institute of Technology. One Direction’s tour four years ago was announced as their final run, but fans were skeptical. A year after that, though, news leaked that Horan had secretly been a graduate student for several years. With Payne’s splashy solo career making waves every year, Tomlinson and Styles constantly expanding their family, and Horan taking on a new academic job, it seems increasingly unlikely that there’ll be any 1D announcements to come.
The four of them get together at least once a year. They always aim for more, but it’s usually just the one time.
They’re at Harry and Louis’ in London this time. They’ve been real homebodies since the baby was born. Harry looks absurdly happy rocking an infant on his chest. She spits up on his shoulder and he just laughs and coos at her.
“I can’t believe you guys didn’t do this before,” Liam says, shaking his head.
Louis shrugs, swapping the soiled blanket on Harry’s shoulder for a fresh one. “There was always some other opportunity around the corner that made it make sense to say, well, not this year, maybe next year. And then it was ‘maybe next year’ for ten years. I don’t regret it, really, but I’m so happy now, even though I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in two months.”
“Do you think you ever will, Niall?” Harry asks, rubbing the baby’s back. “You’re the only one without kids now.”
Niall rolls his eyes. “Well, I just broke up with someone, as well you know, so I don’t see it happening soon. I mean, maybe someday, but it’s not my priority. I’ll probably finish my PhD next year, but I’m going to start applying to NASA once I get my citizenship next month.”
Harry stares at him. “Wait, what?”
“You have to be a US citizen to work at NASA,” Liam says. He’s a good listener. Niall is sure he’s mentioned this before but apparently only Liam remembers.
“And the European Space Agency takes on new astronauts like every fifteen years,” Niall explains. “So, yeah.”
Louis shakes his head. “Shit. You’re going to be an American and then you have to move to Texas if you get in to NASA, right? Are we sure that you aren’t just about to finally launch that country music career?”
Niall cackles. “Any day now!”
1D alumnus Niall Horan announced today the upcoming release of his second solo album and a corresponding tour. The aptly-named “Graduation Tour” begins a few weeks after Horan completes his degree at Trinity College in Dublin.
Horan has given little explanation of his decision to attend university. He’s shown an intellectual streak over the years – perhaps this was simply a pit stop to develop his mind before resuming his musical career. He has neither confirmed nor denied the various rumours that he’s launching a huge new solo career, that he intends to pursue further education, or that One Direction will reunite after this round of solo albums.
Louis leans against the balcony railing next to Niall and blows out a plume of smoke. “You’re quiet.”
Niall shrugs. “Some of us know how to shut our mouths now and then,” he says, lips curving into a smile.
“You never said what you’re doing once this tour is done.”
“You lot, your plans are fuckin’ epic,” Niall laughs. “You two are coming out. Liam’s making another solo album and another baby. Me, though…”
Louis takes another drag from his cigarette and knocks his elbow against Niall’s. “Yeah? What about you?”
“I’m just going to school, man. Going to university.”
“No shit?” In his peripheral vision, Niall can see that Louis has turned to look at him. “Why? I mean, good on you, mate, I mean that seriously, if any of us have the brains and attitude for it, it’s you. But what for? What’re you going to do with it?”
Niall tips his head back so he can look up at the stars. Well-being and alcohol and starlight are buzzing in his veins, and he smiles slowly. “I’m going to space.”