Comstock Mining sent a satellite into low earth orbit at 10:49 a.m. on Saturday, November 11.
Initial reports that the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket used to achieve this historic event was unmanned were incorrect, but then again, perhaps unmanned is the correct term for the pilot was a woman. None other than Virginia City resident and Comstock employee Alexia Sober throttled up the motor and guided the ship to over 300 miles above Earth.
“It was a wonderful flight,” she said. “I looked down on Earth and it reminded me of an over-inflated giant beach ball. It was a side-effect of the Dramamine I took to prevent motion sickness.”
The flight lasted for about 90 minutes, one rotation around the planet, and long enough to disinter its massive one million tons of cargo, including the GenMat-1 satellite, which will look down on the Comstock in search of gold, silver, and other minerals. Sober reported only one hitch during her time in the capsule.
“The only problem I had was that one of my brassière straps broke during the initial lift-off,” Sober said. “The girls were floating all over the place. It was a rather enlightening experience.”
Once back on the ground in Area 51, her long-time boyfriend Kyle Blanchard met the freshly christened astronaut. Their reunion, however, was short, as Sober found herself whisked away for debriefing.
When asked what he thought of his girlfriend’s flight, Blanchard replied, “It was fine, but she failed to bring an extra-terrestrial to me like she promised. I had planned to taxidermy the thing.”
The couple later drove to the Little A’le’Inn on Highway 93 in Rachel for breakfast and an overnight stay. Oddly, Sober owns the Canvas Cafe, a favorite breakfast spot in Virginia City.
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