Drum Of The Cosmos

After years of preparation, the first Cornelan astronaut was ready to take his historic flight into space.

Though Cornela had no space technology of its own, the nation was eager to use this mission to showcase the advancement of their society and the eminence of their culture.

The vehicle would be a Naser Peace-90 spacecraft, and the Cornelan government had already paid the Naserian government tens of millions to train their elite astronaut team.

This landmark space flight would take place in January - commandeered by the pioneering Cornelan astronaut together with two other Naserian veterans - and they would perform sensitive chemical experiments in orbit.

As the launch date approached, a problem started brewing.

Every Cornelan must face their Ancestor's Hill and beat the ritual Drum ten times, repeating this activity ten times daily.

Two metres high and two metres deep, the Drum is the centrepiece of every Cornelan home and the most important symbol of Cornelan culture.

Failing to perform this ritual would mean that the doors of Paradise would be slammed shut to the Cornelan during his afterlife.

Thus it was imperative that the astronaut must beat the Drum while in space too.

But difficulties abound.

Firstly, the standard 2m X 2m Drum was too large and too heavy to fit in the cramped crew compartment of the Peace-90. Compromises were made and a 50cm X 50cm Drum was installed between two seats in the flight deck.

Next, a Cornelan must face Ancestor's Hill when beating the Drum, otherwise his efforts would be meaningless. But because the astronaut would be in space, the relative position of Ancestor's Hill would be changing rapidly as the spacecraft travels in its orbit.

In order to fulfill this important duty, special modifications were made to the Drum such that it can swivel to face the correct direction. A GPS system was installed to show the astronaut which direction to gradually turn as he beat the Drum, so that he is always precisely aimed at Ancestor's Hill.

Finally, tradition states that a Cornelan must beat the Drum ten times daily. However, the spacecraft would be orbiting the Earth 16 times every 24 hours. As such, the astronaut must beat the Drum 160 times in a 24 hour period!

The Cornelan High Council debated this for weeks. Some Elders thought that it would be more practical to reduce this to 10 times per 24 hours. Many others fiercely opposed it, because such a big departure from tradition would render the whole purpose of Drum beating meaningless.

The astronaut team agreed - a space mission is important, but not so important for a Cornelan to forgo his eternity in Paradise.

Eventually the launch day arrived.

Journalists all over the world converged at the Bronhare Spaceport as the first Cornelan blasts off into space.

It was a joyous occasion of tremendous national and cultural pride.

The mission then proceeded without a hitch, with the Cornelan performing nearly 800 Drum beats during the five-day spaceflight.

The sensitive chemical experiments were abandoned of course, because vibrations from the Drum were disrupting the tiny crystals that were grown in orbit. So the two Naserian chemical specialists played cards and listened to folk songs instead.

On the fifth day, the Peace-90 spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere accurately and safely splashed-down into the Baldrick Sea.

The astronauts were given a hero's welcome. Cornela's first astronaut was given a special award by the King himself.

It was an absolute success.