The Final Expedition

Day Eighty-Two

I pulled myself into the Kibo module and was confronted by a pair of legs dangling down from the hatch in the ceiling.

“Aki?” I called out. The legs disappeared into the hatch to be replaced a moment later by Aki’s head, hanging upside down before me.

“Hello Max.” She smiled. “How are you?”

“Not too bad.” I returned her smile. “How’s our little space garden coming on?”

“See for yourself.” Aki pulled herself clear of the hatch and I propelled myself upwards and through the opening. I looked around in amazement. The walls of the storage module were now a mass of greenery, the tubs barely visible through the leaves of the various vegetables that were spilling out over the sides.

“Wow!” I grinned. “Fresh vegetables any day then?”

“Yes.” Aki replied brightly. “We have a bumper crop of lettuce, peas, radishes and a few other vegetables to harvest. While vegetables have been grown in space before, it’s never been done on such a large scale. I look forward to publishing a paper on a successful hydroponics experiment when we get back, assuming there’s anyone left to publish it. Or read it for that matter. But yes, we should be able to add fresh vegetables to our limited menu in a few days.”

“I never thought I’d be so pleased at the prospect of eating my greens!” I chuckled, pulling myself back down into the Kibo module to join Aki.

“Well, we could all do with some good news.” Aki replied.

“That we could.” I agreed.