Prologue
It is the day that caught the world by surprise and is still considered to be the biggest news story of the twentieth century. It would usher in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. Even sixty years later, it is still recognized as the day when humanity stopped to look skyward and consider its place in the galaxy.
~~~
On October 4, 1957, a speeding Chevy screeched to a stop and parked in front of a suburban hospital in Southern California. From the car radio issued the excited voice of reporter Walter Cronkite, announcing that "the world will never be the same." After switching off the ignition, a young man leaped out of the car, awkwardly clutching a boquet of flowers in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Sprinting inside, he raced down the halls to the elevator, following the signs reading "Maternity Ward." As he passed the nurses' station, the nurses and doctors seemed shocked, bewildered, speechless--all mesmerized by Walter Cronkite's newscast.
As the father dashed past, Cronkite's voice continued, "This day will prove to mark the start ...," then the young man burst into a room occupied by a young mother holding her newborn.
The baby was peacefully nursing as her father rushed to her, red-faced, breathless, waving the front page of the Los Angeles Times at her as though she could read it. "Look, baby Lisette, an omen occured on the day following your birth! The Soviet Union launched a surprise satellite--Sputnik! You've heralded the dawn of the Space Age!"
~~~
A few years later, now seven years old, Lisette was on her backyard lawn, playing "Barbie dolls" with her sister. The dolls were dressed in wedding gowns. It was a cloudless, warm summer day in Los Angeles.
Lisette's mother joined them on the lawn, commenting on the heat. As she applied sunscreen to the children's faces and arms, they squirmed at the cold feel of the lotion.
"Hold still, you don't want to get sunburned," the mother said to her children.
Suddenly a distinct, cool shadow from above passed over them. Only Lisette noticed and looked up curiously, smiling and scanning the cloudless blue sky overhead, but she saw no cause for the shadow.
