Jesús KeeferAboard the orbiter, Keefer issued departure orders, studiously verifying the steps from the online checklists even though he had memorized them long ago. Eager to go, he felt like an enthusiastic child waiting to dash onto a playground, but he was also self-conscious about being in command. He preferred being a hands-off sort of boss, but he would have to make sure everyone else performed their appropriate tasks. The other eleven crew members bustled about, doing their jobs as they had been drilled, looking at Keefer’s anxiety with bemusement.
In the main compartment of the orbiter he shook Captain Rubens’s hand as the others climbed into the lander module. “I envy you, Keef,” Rubens said. “This is my third back-and-forth, the last one the UN rad limits will allow, and then I’
