Apollo 404

Sarah looked out the window of the rocket as she took her seat. She never imagined this would be her future — crammed in the belly alongside thirty other grim faces knowing she’d never return to her home.

She recalled the half-hearted warnings as she started high school. Climate change was mentioned every now and then. Carbon pollution dirtied the air, land, and water. Famines forced their way through distant countries like a swarm of locusts.

The only bright spot was NASA, who continued to pursue their Apollo program for decades after their first success. The Lunar Relocation Program touted plenty of success as the world’s first extraterrestrial settlement. “A New Frontier — A lifetime of opportunity!” ads beamed on every channel as the 80s came to a close.

She looked down at the ticket in her hands as she showed the clerk. It had been imprinted with a copy of the president’s signature, an approval of her decision all the way at the top.