The last one had occurred in 2011, when Barack Obama and his family followed through with their plans to watch the launch of the Endeavour despite receiving news that the mission had been scrubbed because of problems with a heater system. It was, probably, an appropriate conclusion for what some described as man’s most epic achievement. But George Cunningham was coming. “He’s going to stay overnight,” said Mary. That was a surprise. “Will Lyra be with him?” The First Lady. “No,” she said. “She’s on a peace mission to the Middle East.” She grinned. The First Lady, like most presidential wives in recent years, was an active player in the administration. And Lyra had proven herself a decent diplomat. But peace in the Middle East? That was a loser’s game. “He wants to stay at the Beach House.” The Beach House was an unassuming cottage out on the Space Center shoreline. In another era, it was where the astronauts and their families stayed before a mission. It was where they’d said good-bye to each other.
