There’s a point in space at which the gravity of the earth and the sun are in balance. It’s called the Lagrangian point, and Louise was determined to find it.
She’s young enough to be your daughter, the text from her mother read. Lucky you.
She’s old enough to be your mother, the text from Renee said. Smiley face.
And me, Louise wondered, as she stood at the window, staring out at the stars. What am I old enough to be?
A pinprick of light arced across the sky.
It’s a sign, wrote her mother. Smiley face.
A shooting star, wrote Renee. That’s good too.
But it wasn’t.
It was the flare of Soyuz as it fell back to earth. Inside was Peggy Whitson, 57, the world’s oldest female astronaut. No woman had spent longer in space.
Louise turned away and lowered the blind.
Even if she found that point of balance, 665 days would never be enough.
Flash Wounds 
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