more afraid to let it go. “This is dated ten years ago. How . . . how did you manage to do this in Armstrong?”
Winn was relieved. Astonishment was easier to deal with than disbelief. “I finished the high school curriculum early, and my father set up the distance-learning college courses to keep me busy. I did everything online that I could, and the museum provided all of my field projects. The worst part was that the archaeology professors had to inspect my documents and projects. Not to mention that the restoration defense required a gallery showing. Remember those ‘tourists’ from Tycho who expressed such an interest in the machine shop when it was just getting started? That was my adviser and the external examiner. They are both clients, actually, and helped me set up a holographic gallery show in the Canaveral Museum in Florida. The ‘honeymoon’ over in Tycho before Grace was born was my defense. It still had to be done by virtual conference because we couldn’t afford the recovery time it would take if I went Earthside.”
Harriman sat stunned for several minutes while Winn waited patiently. “I had no idea,” he finally said as a new expression began to take over his face. “So. Why here? Why aren’t you working at the Smithsonian or the Louvre? Instead of working at a machine shop?”
Winn reached out and placed his hand over that of his father-in-law. “Dad.” Harriman looked up. “I own a chain of machine shops. I am married to a wonderful woman—your daughter—who is about to become Luna’s top agricultural expert. Our children, and our family, are here.”
Harriman finally put the sheets down and passed them back. It was clear that he believed the documents. That was never really the issue. The same was true for money, these days. Winn could tell that at this point, only one question remained. “Why now? What’s so different that you brought out all of . . .” He waved his hand at the documents. “All of this? Why today?”
Winn placed the documents back in the case, closed it, and looked up. “In five years it will be the bicentennial. Two hundred years since the moon landing. It will take that long to get the museum ready, certified, and registered as an official event.” He paused and then continued. “Besides, we need this. Grace and Mary need this; all of the kids do. It’s for us . . . and it’s for our children.”
“Huh. Yes, it would be, wouldn’t it?” Harriman thought for a moment and then continued. “Very well. I will take it up with the council. As for this . . .” He pointed at the document case. “You need to show this to your mother-in-law. She’s going to be angry you didn’t tell her. Dinner. Sunday. Bring it all, she’s going to want pictures!”
* * *
—
The thermal seals on the outside doors had been removed. In fact, six months ago, the original doors had been removed and replaced with the latest technology from Wright Fabrications for the unofficial opening day. For today’s official opening, a small crowd was waiting for the curator, docent, and owner of the museum to open the doors on history: July 20, 2169.
The city council had wanted to name it the Wright Museum, but Winn successfully argued that that museum was in Ohio. Jenny convinced them that the name Armstrong-Aldrin Museum of Lunar History was much more appropriate, and Winn agreed.
Winn opened the doors from the inside, and the crowd held back while fourteen-year-old Grace and eight-year-old Mary solemnly stepped up and showed their guest passes. Their mother had coached them in “formal” behavior for the event, but their father was determined to break the mood. He scooped Mary up in his arms and hugged Grace tight as he led the way into the central display. A custom polymer case that Winn had designed expressly for this display enclosed a twenty-five-meter space, within which a blocky platform stood on four spindly legs. The one-hundred-seventy-five-centimeter-thick platform was nearly level with the floor, while the legs rested nearly one and a half meters below on exposed lunar regolith. It was the only place in Armstrong where the original surface was exposed, and Winn had carefully built the new, fully transparent casing around the original hull and