On May 22, 2053, two childhood friends embark on an improbable galactic journey.
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This story is dedicated to Tom Delonge
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Story co-creator & Bass Cover by Anthony Vorndran
Original Song “Soul Survivor” by Angels & Airwaves.
Audio Production: Ken Wendt
Original Art: Pete Whitehead
Podcast Coordinator: Cori Birce
It's Aaron! I hope you're well. What you're about to hear is a first for this podcast. This is a fictional seven minute story, but one that is based on true events. Now, this is all going to make sense here momentarily. But before I go further, I just had to say that this is a true collaboration with my dear friend Anthony Vorndran. Anthony helped co-create the concept for this story. And guys, he is one of the most passionate people about music that I know. He's a wonderful bass guitarist and he created an awesome bass cover of a song that we both love, many of you might know. And that song served as such an inspiration for this story. And so you'll hear that here momentarily. Oh, and Anthony's also got a great YouTube channel where he does other base covers of other awesome songs. So, make sure and check them out. I put the link to find him in the episode description. And one last thing, and I know I'm speaking for Anthony as well. I had to say, that this story specifically is dedicated to the artist and musician Tom DeLonge. Tom, thanks for the inspiration and for everybody, please enjoy the Spaceflgiht.
The date is May 22nd, the year 2053, and my hands are shaking. I am so nervous, my hands are sweating, and this walk down the tarmac to my destination feels like it's taking forever. But I'm brought comfort in the fact that when I look to my left, walking almost in sync with me, is my lifelong friend, Anthony. And we've gone through all the protocol, we have the proper attire. And when we both finally arrive at our destination right in front of the aircraft carrier, it hits me. That we're not going to be getting onto the aircraft carrier. We're actually going to be getting on to the sleekly designed spaceship attached to the aircraft carrier, because on this day, both Anthony and I, at the age of 70, are going to outer space. Right before I get into the spaceship and put my helmet on, I stop and I take a breath and I look up at the sky one last time from my vantage point standing here on Earth.
And I remember so vividly the origin story of what brought me here to this very moment. Anthony and I grew up in the same town. We went to preschool together and I remember countless nights growing up, sitting around the fire, looking up at the night sky. And we would look at the stars and the constellations and we would look for UFOs and we would wonder. What's up there? Like, what's out in the galaxy and the universe and how many universes are there? We knew implicitly that we were part of something so much bigger than ourselves, and we wanted just to reach the edge of that mystery by going into space just one time. Just exiting the earth's atmosphere, just one time to get a different vantage point of the truth that we knew was out there.
But we were just kids, you know, and it was just a dream. But that dream would come in handy years later when we turned 37 years old. See, that was the year 2020 and it was tumultuous. I mean, the global pandemic, all the social unrest, the anxiety, the fear, the anger, the death, it really felt like the world was coming to an end. I remember being on the phone with Anthony and we both said, if we can make it through this year. If we can survive this year, one of the worst years of our lives and for so many others. If we can do that, we owe it to ourselves to make a promise; that we're going to fulfill our dream and go to space one time before we die.
I mean, if commercial space flight is available and relatively affordable, we can work hard and save money. And we have to do this at least once in our lives. And we said that and we made that promise. And you know what fueled that ambition and our drive? Was the music from Angels & Airwaves. You see Anthony listen to them for years and he finally got me to listen to him. He turned me on to this documentary featuring Tom DeLonge, their founder. And it was over after that. Once I heard one song, I couldn't stop and I understood what he was trying to share with me, which was this music was optimistic and hopeful. It was atmospheric. It was like space rock. And we both listened to it throughout that entire year and dreamt about going to space. And you know what? We kept that going for the years after we survived 2020, and even the decades that followed, it became the soundtrack to this dream.
And it brought me to this very moment right now where I am now boarding a spaceship. There's six people sitting here and one is my best friend, Anthony. And we're sitting at the back of the spaceship and I'm putting on my helmet right now and we're about to take off. I can hear the countdown in my headset and the vibration of the engines. And the next thing I know, we're flying up at an incline higher and higher and faster and faster.
I look out the window in the sky is quickly changing from a light blue to an indigo to a purple to a dark blue. And I know that we're getting closer to space and all of a sudden I feel a drop like a freefall. But all it is, is that the aircraft carrier has dropped the spaceship right before the thrusters kick in and then BANG! The thrusters kick in. And I'm pushed back against my seat and I'm facing straight up and I'm on a rocket ship!
I'm going into space and there's so much pressure, I'm starting to get scared. I feel like I'm being shaken by somebody like the spaceship is going to explode.
"Just keep your breathing in and out, in and out. Just pray you're going to be OK. You're going to be OK." And the next thing I know, it is a feeling... It's indescribable, it's weightlessness. And an utter silence, so quiet and calm besides the chatter of the instruments. (music starts) And I look out the window and I can see it! I can see the curvature of the earth against the black void of space.
I'm in space, I'm looking down at where I live. And I look over at Anthony and he gives me a thumbs up and we both turn on our headsets to our custom music and we're listening to Soul Survivor by Angels & Airwaves (music plays). And I'm trying not to cry because I'm thinking about the year 2020 when we made this pact, and I'm thinking about being kids growing up in rural Ohio. And now the captain says we can take off our harnesses and we can float for two to three minutes in the spaceship weightless.
And we do. And I'm just listening to the music and we're rocking out. And next thing I know, we have to sit back down and the ride's almost over. The captain says we're going to do one orbit around the Earth. Can't believe it. I look over at Anthony and I say "Well, we made it to space. What next, man?" And he looks at me, in his spacesuit, and he says "to the stars!".
