In April 1969, thirteen-year-old Adam and his mother wait to meet astronauts preparing to depart for the Space Center. A space enthusiast, Adam waits with a sketch of Saturn V, wanting to ask the astronauts for their signatures, and his mother reflects on the seclusion she feels from her son and husband, who share similar scientific passions. She is tired since it is so early in the morning and hopes that the astronauts will be kind to her son as he finally meets them. Adam excitedly asks the astronauts to sign his drawing, and they are flattered, giving their autographs and answering his questions. When Adam and his mother return to their motel room, Adam’s father Daniel is now awake, and the father-son duo go off to the Space Center together. Adam’s mother sunbathes on a nearby beach, where she meets a woman who asks if she is a “space mother.” She thinks to herself how she feels ostracized by all the lingo she doesn’t know and leaves the beach. After rejoining Adam and Daniel, Adam reveals that Commander Brant has invited him to come to his room to chat later that night. When the time comes, Commander Brant hosts a party in his motel room, and Adam decides to catch him in the morning instead. Early in the morning, Adam returns to Brant’s door to see Brant ushering a blonde woman out of his room. Brant apologizes for forgetting his invitation and asks Adam to send him a letter instead. Months later, the family learns of Brant’s divorce in the papers.