Dear readers, tonight with us is a naval aviator and astronaut, chosen to command the Apollo 32 mission, and then later carrying out a lunar geological survey and visiting both lunar poles for the first time.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

Hi! Thanks for having me on. I’m Vivian Carter, US Navy and NASA, and I was a military brat. I grew up on bases and stations across America, and some overseas, and we were never in one place for more than a year or two at a time. I’d like to say that was refreshing and awesome, but actually … it sucked. Kept having to prove myself every other year to a whole new bunch of kids in a whole new place. I mean, it was okay, I made it through. My parents pretty much left me to myself, like all parents did in the 1950s and 60s. Sink or swim, right? And once I became a naval aviator, the same thing: always moving around. So I never really put down roots anywhere until I joined the astronaut corps and moved to Houston

If I’m honest, I wouldn’t say we were a close family. Aside from my gran. She’s terrific. Don’t ever mess with my gran.

Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

Toys?

Sure. You know, toys.

Well, okay, then: Airplanes. My dad made those plasticky Revell model kits, which totally makes sense, right? Fly military planes all day, and make them out of teeny tiny components and glue in the evenings. Revell, and some Airfix kits from England, I think. A lot of them were really quite nice. You’d glue them all together and then maybe paint them or just stick the decals on. Or my dad did. And then he’d hang them from the ceiling in my bedroom with string. I’d unhitch them and play with them, and then hang them back up again. I did love those planes. Never made them myself, I was out with my friends, raising Cain. I mean …  fishing. I get to edit this afterwards, right? I’m a bit punchy right now, just came off a training exercise in Panama and I’m working on very little sleep.

We can do that. Let’s jump ahead. What’s it like being a woman in the astronaut corps?

Tell you what, if we’re jumping ahead and all, why don’t I just skip the woman part and talk about being an astronaut? Which is hard work for everyone. And how goddamned proud I was to command Apollo 32, on its mission to the Marius Hills a couple of years ago. It was exploratory, walking on regolith no one had ever visited before. We did ten excursions in ten days, on foot and in the Lunar Rover. Those days were was long and hard, but exhilarating. It was the best experience of my life.

I’m sure. And what can you tell us about your next mission, your coming adventure?

As you obviously know, I’m commanding Lunar Geological Survey One when it launches next month. Which is a complete circumnavigation of the Moon, visiting both poles for the first time. We have a MOLAB – mobile laboratory, big silver pressurized truck – plus a lunar rover and a dirt bike. We’ll head north out of Zvezda-US Copernicus base to the North Pole, then down the far side of the Moon to Daedalus Base. We’ll take a two-week break there during lunar night, then off we go again: down to the South Pole, and up the nearside back to Zvezda. We’ll be taking rock samples every step of the way, visiting a whole bunch of really cool lunar sites, and doing a lot of other science as well. I was one of the designers of the original mission concept. We’re calling it “Around the Moon in Eighty Days.”

Catchy. And it sounds a lot calmer than … well. It’s safe to say that you’ve seen the Cold War up close and personal, by now.

It did get a bit hotter a couple years back, yeah. As we all know. Hopefully that’s behind us now.

Of course, but … let’s cut to the chase here. What went through your mind when you first found yourself under attack by the Soviets, in space?

I’m not really supposed to talk about that.

Whatever you feel like sharing. But … well, a lot of that was in the news, anyway. Eventually.

I guess.

Well.

When I became an astronaut – I mean, ‘became’ sounds like some fairy shook her magic wand over me – when I earned my slot on Apollo, and even more so when I flew: I honestly thought I’d left the Cold War behind, back on Earth. We all did. I mean, the Space Race was – is – still very much a thing, right? And I’m all for constructive competition, especially if it gets Congress to keep funding the Apollo Program. Wait. You’ll edit that out, right? Maybe give me a copy of the article prior to publication, so’s I can check for anything that might get me in trouble?

Of course we will.

Okay, that’s a relief. I don’t have to second-guess what I’m saying in real time, then.

Absolutely not. What was the scariest thing in your adventures?

I wasn’t scared … usually. Mostly. I mean, I was freaked out from time to time, like anyone would be. Anyone who says they aren’t afraid at launch, when a Saturn V or even a Saturn V Heavy is igniting right under your butt – however many million pounds of propellant that is – well, they’re lying to you. And obviously I was afraid of dying. But, you know what? I was even more afraid of screwing up. And no, that’s not just because I’m a woman. All astronauts are. Comes with the territory. Men just lie about it more.

Okay, so, after launch … What’s the worst thing about life in space? More generally. When you’re not being shot at.

Odors. Can I just say ‘odors’ and leave it at that? Guys can be pretty stinky. Me, myself, and I can be pretty stinky as well. And no, I’m not going to talk about Going to the Bathroom in Space. Ask someone else. Oh, no, wait again: girls, ladies, don’t let bathroom stuff deter you from applying to the astronaut corps. It’s messy, but it’s fine. And sure, there’ll be guys around, but everyone’s professional about it. It’s okay. Uh, shall we move on?

Please, yes. What’s the best thing about it? Life in space?

Oh my God. It’s the best privilege ever. Being in orbit around the Earth. Walking on the Moon. It’s difficult to describe just how … mind-blowing that is. I wish everyone had the chance to do it. I’m aware that I’m very lucky – as well as working my socks off every single day – and that a lot of things had to line up just right to give me this opportunity, all of these opportunities. Everyone says the Earth looks beautiful from space, and it does. But I think the Moon, the lunar surface, that’s even more beautiful.

Tell us a little about your friends.

My what? I’m always in space these days.

Okay, so, your crew. Coworkers and such.

Oh, right. Ellis Mayer, my Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 32: terrific guy. He really kept me grounded, even when we were in space, haha. Probably saved my life a couple times as well, just by being there, and being careful. Dave Horn, Command Module Pilot. You’ll never find more competent and easy-going guys anywhere. We’re all still great friends. Rick Norton, commander of Hadley Base, rest his soul: we didn’t see eye to eye to begin with, but we reached a good working understanding. Also breathtakingly competent. Terri Brock, amazing astronaut and a good friend. So many others, in space and on the ground. Michael Collins, Charlie Duke, and other old pros: I’m not really buddy-buddy with them but they were a great help to me early on when I was trying to find my feet in the astronaut corps. You don’t have time to listen to me wax lyrical about all the awesome people in the Apollo Program. There are like four hundred thousand of them.

But, you know? Let’s not forget the cosmonauts. They’re supposed to be our enemies, in a sense, or at least our opponents. But we’re more similar than we are different. We’re all … spacefarers. We want the same things. Despite our cultural differences. Nikolai Makarov, of course. Svetlana Belyakova … well, she can be a royal pain in my ass, let me tell you. There was some stuff that went on when I … visited Zvezda Moonbase, that I prefer not to think about. But I can’t talk about that here. Classified, and all. But she’s also extremely competent. And photogenic. That bitch. Sorry. You’re editing that out as well, by the way.

Any romantic involvements?

Seriously? Not for a looong time. Since before I joined the astronaut corps.

Really? None? No high school sweetheart, boy next door? And, you spend so much time in really close quarters with guys …

Sure. Professionally. But romantically, nope. Look, I’m just too busy. Have you any idea what my average day is like?

Nobody in the Air Force, even? The space side, the dark side? Because, Vivian, I need to be honest: word gets around.

I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Let’s move on again. Whom (or what) do you really hate?

People asking me about my fricking love life. Okay, no, you’re fine. So: Politics in general. I really hate this Cold War crap. All the threats and the posturing and saber-rattling.

What’s your favourite drink, colour, and relaxing pastime?

Relaxing pastime? Have you met me? I don’t relax well. I’ve always got to be doing something. Working towards the mission, or the next mission or, you know, staying alive. You really don’t want to meet Unscheduled Vivian. I’m a mess without a checklist or a mission plan or some shit … I mean, some structure. I need to have something to work towards. So … downtime? Probably reading a technical manual. Or catching up on my sleep.

Can you share a secret with us, which you’ve never told anyone else?

You’re kidding. You’re not kidding? Well. I really liked our dog, growing up. I’m a dog person. I think I’d like a dog one day. That might be really good for me, actually.

Anything else?

I got nothing else. Jeez, man. You’re a force of nature.

Honestly, I kind of feel like you are.

Aw, thanks. Okay, so, I really love the Moon. That’s not something you’re supposed to talk about when you’re an astronaut. You just do the mission, hit all your check marks, and don’t screw up. But above everything else, I really do love the Moon.

I can tell. So, in closing: we’ve talked about LGS-1, but what comes after that? And what happens after your last mission? What does the future hold for Vivian Carter?

Uh. Vivian?

Sorry. It’s just, that question is hard for me. What comes after my last mission, after my last time in space… I don’t have a clue. I can’t see that far ahead.

Okay, you wanted me to share a secret, just now? And we were talking about fear? Well, that’s what I’m terrified of. The end of my last mission. I have no freaking idea what I will do after that to keep myself sane.

A lot of astronauts have had to face that. Buzz Aldrin, he was very public, very candid about his clinical depression and his … I mean, I don’t think I’m likely to take to drinking a lot, that’s not my thing. But I’ll sure be depressed and wandering around like a crazy person, looking for some clue about whatever comes next.

Wow. That’s a dark note to end on. Hang on a moment. Let me come up with something more upbeat and we can edit it in, okay?

Sure thing.

Good, great, then let’s go with this:

My whole life, I’ve been working to get off the ground. Into the air, and then into space, and then to the Moon, and next? Maybe even beyond the Moon? I honestly believe that humanity’s future lies off-planet. Off this Earth, beautiful as it is.

No, wait, I’m not done. I think mankind is going to get it together, as a species. The Cold War has to be a hiccup, in the scheme of things. Temporary. We’re going to get past that, past the suspicion and the threat of mutually assured destruction, and all. We’re going to move beyond the Moon, go to Mars, swing by Venus, maybe go even further.

Everyone knows that we’re already planning to develop manufacturing at the Earth-Moon L5 point using the mass driver on the Moon to send out materials. Starting small, of course. But we can do this, and we will. And yeah, eventually Vivian Carter’s days in space will be over, but for the rest of my life I’ll always be really proud of the small parts I’ve played in helping that bright future come about, with Apollo rising, not just stagnant. Humanity has moved into space. We’re on the right path. We’re not stopping. We’re not going back.

I really believe this. You got Snarky Vivian earlier, because I was already in a mood. But, this I really believe. No one at NASA is making me say this. I believe it, to my core. I’m  seriously, deeply optimistic about humanity’s future in space. And that’s what I’m living for.

We’ll call it a wrap there, okay?

Sounds good. Thanks!

And seriously, I need some go-backs. You caught me off guard with some of those questions. We’ll revisit, and edit. Right?

Absolutely.

Thanks, man. I knew I could trust you.

Alan Smale writes alternate history and hard SF. His novella of a Roman invasion of ancient America, “A Clash of Eagles”, won the Sidewise Award, and related novels Clash of Eagles, Eagle in Exile, and Eagle and Empire (2015-2017) are available from Del Rey. His Roman-baseball collaboration with Rick Wilber, The Wandering Warriors, came out from WordFire Press (2020), Hot Moon, his alternate-Apollo “technothriller with heart” was launched by CAEZIK in 2022, with sequel Radiant Sky released in November 2024. Alan has sold 40+ stories to Asimov’s and other magazines and anthologies, and non-fiction essays to Lightspeed, Journey Planet, and Galaxy’s Edge.

You can meet Vivian on the pages of Hot Moon and its sequel Radiant Sky.

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