Reaching the Last Frontier
Inspired by the Chocolate and Tan Dapple Dachshund
Published by
New Mexico Dachshund Rescue
Copyright © 2016 New Mexico Dachshund Rescue
Table of Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1 – The Trailblazer
Chapter 2 – Houston Bound
Chapter 3 – The Exploration Spirit
Chapter 4 – The Russian Connection
Chapter 5 – Laughing at the Language Barriers
Chapter 6 – Facing Losses
Chapter 7 – Leave of Absence
Chapter 8 – Lake Tahoe
Chapter 9 – Return to Work
Chapter 10 – Standing Ovation
Foreword
Here is yet another Dachshund adventure for my reading audience! This fictional story is inspired by the chocolate and tan dapple Dachshund; their beauty defies description. I know many of you will want one just like the couple in this story.
This fictional story is a sequel to my previous book and is also based in Houston. This time Dad is a Russian brought here to head up the International Space Station team. Like the last book, you will be on the edge of your seats as the story unfolds. Perhaps you will even want to be one of those who makes it to the last frontier. I took great effort to keep the timeline and recorded history as accurate as possible. However, I took author’s license to loosely tie some of those events together, allowing for a smoother flow of the text.
I would like to thank my team for their assistance in preparing the book for publishing: Al Rosario, illustrator; Jan Lawrence, editor and Lucinda Campbell, formatting.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit New Mexico Dachshund Rescue and Dachshund rescue in New Mexico and Texas. Thank you for supporting our mission.
I am dedicating this book to my friend, Michael Shinabery, Education Specialist at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo. The museum here rocks! Each time I visit my curiosity for space exploration rises to a whole new level, sparking my interest in writing my last two books.
--Stella Dillenbeck on behalf of New Mexico Dachshund Rescue
(Featuring the Dachshund Rescue Series by Stella Dillenbeck)
Chapter 1 – The Trailblazer
Ivan was seriously looking at his options for college as he started his senior year in high school. He already knew he was going to major in Electronic Engineering and minor in Space History. The next step was to figure out which school would best help him with his educational objectives so he could work in Russia’s Elite Space Program (ESP). He was reasonably sure he would end up in Moscow, as that was where the best colleges were. But where? The question hung over him – unresolved, at least for the moment.
Though orphaned when he was 10 years old, Ivan did not have it too bad in the scheme of things because his aunt and uncle had taken him under their wings. His uncle was determined he got a good education. Now high school graduation was around the corner. His uncle sensed his frustration in the college selection process and suggested his alma mater, the University of Moscow. So it was settled; he would go to the University of Moscow if he was accepted. The letter of notification came six weeks later. He was accepted. He and his aunt and uncle did a little dance around the table.
University life was different. It did not take Ivan long to figure out his uncle had been right, though. This was where he needed to be. Both his major, Electronic Engineering, and his minor, Space History, were going to take him where he wanted to go. There were no limits to his curiosity when it came to space. He wanted to be a part of the Elite Space Program, so it was full steam ahead for him.
Ivan spent much time reading and researching. Aside from the fact he wanted to know everything about everything when it came to space, he was also determined to get top grades and earn top-notch references from his professors. All of his hard work paid off as he graduated with honors. With the referrals from his professors he got the most coveted position on the ESP Team as the “anchor man.” The anchor man was the pivotal point for the team; it was kind of like a ship’s rudder determining the direction of the ship. He would be guiding the team, not as a boss, but as a pathfinder – a trailblazer. Every experience he had in life, including being an orphan, prepared him to be just that. He knew it would not be easy, but nothing in his life had come easy. He was the man for the job.
It did not take long for the ESP Team to see why Ivan was the “anchor man.” He was sharper than a tack and smarter than the wisest owl. Ivan had never been one to put much stock in what other people thought about him. Now, though, he was glad to have the support of the other men on the team, especially his boss who was quite impressed with Ivan. The more he praised Ivan, the harder Ivan worked. The whole space frontier was there, waiting to be explored. Ivan would lead the way.
Chapter 2 – Houston Bound
The decade from 1970 to 1980 was a busy one in the space programs for both the United States and Russia. Ivan was shaking his head because some of the projects they were allowed to collaborate with the U.S. on, while others they were forbidden to discuss. It was his desire to coordinate with them on all of the projects, but it was out of his control as he was only allowed to discuss the International Space Station (ISS) with the U.S. Mum was the word on Mars-3 and Venera-8.
The day Mars-3 launched was a sweet victory for Ivan and his team. The victory was short-lived, however, for Mars-3 only sent a few seconds of data back to earth before it failed. Ivan was devastated for that was his “baby.” He was all the more determined for success with the Soviet Venera-8 probe. The team simply must get an operational Venera-8 to Venus; Ivan’s career was at stake.
The Russians were determined to beat the United States in the space exploration “game,” especially since the United States had beaten them in getting a man to walk on the moon in 1969. Their drive and determination resulted in the pushing up of deadlines and pressure on the ESP Team to speed up production. They were forced to cut corners and disregard safety issues. Ivan warned the powers-that-be that both cutting corners and disregarding safety issues could result in devastating loss to the space equipment and lives of crew members. His warnings fell on deaf ears. They did not know it, but he began pursuing a job with NASA in the United States to oversee the International Space Station Project (ISS Project). He had had enough.
The United States snatched Ivan up right away. NASA had been looking for the right person to head up the ISS Project; Ivan was that man. The caveat of the whole deal was they wanted him right away. He was able to stall some, but the timing of his leaving Russia had to be right for they were also involved in the ISS Project, as were Canada, Japan and other countries. It was imperative for Ivan to leave his Russian team on good terms. It would be most difficult to maintain a team effort if they were not speaking to him.
Ivan stayed with them until March 1972, when Venera-8 was sent to Venus. With cheers, high 5’s and good-natured back slaps, the team congratulated Ivan on the success of the launch. Now he could be United States-bound, but he would be watching for news on the Venera-8 landing and data retrieved.
The trip to the United States was Ivan’s first international flight and he was excited. He had all the necessary papers, including his passport, visa and work permit, so he was not delayed with immigration. With flight ticket in hand, he board his flight from New York City to Houston. A couple of NASA officials on the International Space Station Team (ISS Team) met him at the airport. They took him out to dinner with the promise to take him apartment hunting the next day. They were good to their word and Ivan was able to secure a nice apartment after several looks around the area. After filling out the paperwork to his
new apartment, Ivan’s hosts dropped him back at the hotel and told him to go sleep off his jet lag, they would be back to take him furniture shopping in the morning. Wow, they certainly did not do that in Russia. Ivan was beginning to like this new country very much.
Chapter 3 – The Exploration Spirit
Settling into the new apartment was a slam dunk for Ivan. He only had a few pieces of furniture packed away in his luggage; a couple of lamps and a wall clock along with his personal items. Other household items he would get as he had time and money. Coming to Houston’s Space Station was a dream-come-true for the young man. He could not wait to get to work.
Ivan did not leave his natural, curious spirit in Russia. His primary focus was the plan for the ISS, but he still kept a finger on the pulse of other space projects in Houston and in Russia, too. Russia was not getting off to a very good start that year when Salyut-1, their first orbital launch, ended with the death of three crew members upon landing. Salyut-2 did not reach orbit because of proton rocket failure and Venera-8 probe on Venus broke down due to rough conditions on the ground. At least Russia got almost an hour of data transmitted before the failure. In the United States President Nixon approved the Space Shuttle Program. Later in the year NASA launched Apollo-17; it was to be the last lunar expedition in the 20th century.
While things were heating up between nations in space exploration, they were also heating up in Ivan’s personal life. He had been dating a young widow named Lynette. He was reluctant to marry her, though, because of his commitment to NASA and all the hours he had to put in at work. Lynette assured Ivan she really did not mind. As a widow she had gotten used to being alone. Not only that, but she had her brown and tan dapple Dachshund, Cory, she had recently adopted through the Human Society. He was 3 years old and her constant companion.
Ivan was an orphan and while they were dating he found out that Lynette was also. It was rather ironic, but the common void in their lives drove them closer together and their courtship moved at a more rapid pace. Once they made plans to marry, they knew it would be a short, civil ceremony with a couple of friends. Lynette was happy; she had been so fortunate to have one great husband, and now was getting married again to the second man of her dreams. Cory was there, too; he was happy because he was getting a dad out of the deal. They were family now, the three of them. Ivan talked Lynette into changing the dog’s name to Korry. It sounded the same, but korichnevyy meant brown in Russian, so it became more meaningful to him. Ivan looked forward to coming home to a clean house, home-cooked meals and a woman and a dog to love on him. Lynette would no longer have to struggle to make ends meet, nor would she have to work. Ivan would be a good provider for her in the years to come.
After discussing the housing situation, Ivan decided to move into Lynette’s home. She owned her home free-and-clear and there was more room for the two of them and Korry. Not only that, but it was Korry’s home and turf. He had already claimed them as his own and Lynette did not think it would be fair to uproot him at this juncture. Ivan agreed and moved in his furniture and personal belongings, making himself right at home.
Chapter 4 – The Russian Connection
From the moment he set foot in the United States Ivan vacillated about becoming a naturalized United States citizen. The Space Program brought him to the United States, but he was still Russian. Lynette assured him of her love and support no matter what he decided; the choice was up to him. After careful consideration, he finally decided to start the naturalization process and go from there.
Ivan could not get over Korry. That little dog had wiggled and squiggled his way right into Ivan’s heart. Korry was one of the reasons he was glad he came to America. Yet Ivan could not understand how a dog could be so stubborn and so cute at the same time. He was also amazed at Lynette’s patience with Korry. She smiled and told Ivan if the stubborn kicks in, there was not a whole lot you could do about it except wait it out. She encouraged him to face the episodes with the attitude that they would pass soon. Besides, Korry was their family, so they both accepted and loved him the way he was.
Ivan’s coming to America was absolutely the best and right thing for him to do. On the homefront he loved Lynette and Korry and was glad he had a family to go home to. Work took a major part of his time and was still his main domain, though. The ISS Team needed staff members that were fluent in Russian. Others were learning the language, but it would take them awhile to get up to speed on conversing and understanding. Even then the language barrier would be one of the team’s most difficult problems. The understanding was necessary and invaluable for their collaboration with the Russian ESP Team. Ivan had a key hand in that; he was the team’s connection to Russia. Nevertheless, even with Ivan on the team, struggling with communicating was still an issue for them.
Both the United States and Russia had several independent space projects going, but thanks to Ivan they began to do more collaboration. He impressed on the ESP Team that collaborative efforts were needed now if the ISS was to be a success. In 1975 the two countries teamed up for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). The Apollo Command Module’s and the Soyuz’ combined mission was to dock in space and perform approximately 100 experiments. The launches and docking were successful, the experiment objectives reached and the landings were done as scheduled. The mission was a resounding success. Russia also successfully sent probes to Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury. The race was on!
The ISS Team and the ESP Team were both encouraged by the success of the ASTP. The success was a catalyst thrusting them even deeper into the planning and preparation for the ISS. Ivan was pleased. They would not rush, however – haste was not an option – but they would meticulously forge ahead. All of the countries involved in the ISS Project had a hand in the preparations, as well as a financial stake. Their united efforts under Ivan’s careful guidance would get them where they needed to be in the project timeline, barring any unforeseen obstacles or delays. They also made sure every safety issue imaginable was addressed. None of the countries involved wanted deaths of crew members on their backs from carelessness, cutting corners or unforeseen emergencies. The teams would go around and around with issues, fixes, back up plans and backups to back up plans. Ivan was personally thriving in this environment. He could now put his days in Russia deep behind him and press on to his future with NASA and the ISS.
Chapter 5 – Laughing at the Language Barriers
Noticing life for Ivan was all work with very little down time, Lynette began to encourage him to take on a hobby or two. Ivan teased Lynette for trying to bring “balance” into his life, so he would not be consumed with space exploration. But after some forethought, he settled on photography and bird watching. Both hobbies went hand-in-hand and, whenever they had free time, they started driving to various destinations for bird watching and photographing the birds, the scenery and the sunsets. Korry loved it. He not only got to be with Mom and Dad, but he got to go for rides in the car, too, and enjoy little doggy adventures when they got to their destinations.
Ivan took them to lakes and rivers and parks, scoping out birds. Ivan would photograph the birds when he could get close enough without Korry spooking them away. If there was a good chance of a decent sunset, they would hit a fast food restaurant and stay out until late in the evening. Ivan captured some gorgeous sunsets; he got to be quite adept with his camera. He printed and posted several of them at his desk at work. His co-workers praised him for his photos, they were pretty impressive. He also had many photos of Lynette and Korry displayed…and his naturalization certificate. He was now officially a United States citizen.
The ESP Team was impressed with Ivan’s leadership skills. Sixteen nations were now on board with the ISS Project with a commitment to financial backing, planning and construction, and sending astronauts to the ISS when it was completed. Ivan took it in stride. This was a part of his job as Director of the ISS Project, after all. He remained humble through it all. They still had a long way to go before the ISS
became a reality.
Ivan had been fluent in English before he immigrated to the United States and went to work for NASA. Each year his English skills improved, though, both at home and at work. He was certainly corrected enough when he made mistakes. Now it was his turn as all of the men on the team now had Russian training; Ivan was constantly correcting their pronunciation, especially for the more technical terms. All the men appreciated Ivan’s assistance with their Russian; mostly they were sorry they had teased him so much. Ivan laughed and took it all good-naturedly.
The ISS Team had many laughs throughout their work days as they dealt with language issues, amongst themselves and with the men from other countries. As if the language differences weren’t enough, they were dealing with accent issues, with their own Texas accents thrown into the mix. When Americans with southern accents are trying to communicate with foreigners and their accents, things can get funny rather quickly. Even talking to Japanese who were fluent in English was problematic because their English words with their Japanese accents were often misunderstood. With twelve different languages from the sixteen different countries involved in the ISS Project, there was much room for error.
Highly specialized technical training was imperative for the ISS Team members so they could keep abreast of technological advances. Ivan knew it would be much easier to implement what they knew, instead of having to backtrack and make changes later. There would always be some measure of backtracking, but Ivan desired to keep it at a minimum. Sometimes one or two of them went to the training and came back to share with the others; sometimes they all were required to attend. Ivan did not particularly care for all of them being gone at once as they lost precious momentum. Nevertheless, the training was mandatory and necessary.