“Space Joe: Ad Nostra” begins with Joe outlining his plan to finally travel to the moon and his hopes of discovering “something” up there, some kind of space mystery he feels needs solving. Joe’s compulsion for space travel has lead him enlisting into the International Space Research Program, a pilot program attempting to unit the world’s resources to explore the furthest reaches of space and eliminate the competition between countries to discover the secrets of space first. Due to Joe’s insurmountable drive, ambition, and focus, Joe is the first chosen for the next flight into the Earth’s orbit to help with routine maintenance on the Second International Space Station. Unbeknown to the scientist, organizers, and other pilots of the I.S.R.P, Joe is planning to highjack the shuttle before the launch date and travel unaccompanied to the Moon.
Upon arriving on the moon, he begins his first moon walk, and discovers that there indeed is “nothing up there.” On the dark side of the moon, however, he exclaims, “Hey! Wait a minute!” Joe is astonished to see a lunar base settlement on the moon, as large as a major Earth city, towering into the darkness as a startling, silent sentinel. Joe cautiously makes his way toward the settlement, unaware of its reason or purpose. As he bounds closer, he sees a red light shining in the distance in a repeated pattern of short and fast flashes? Morse code? Joe decides to travel towards the light, hoping it is a signal or cryptic hint or what to do next.
After Joe’s discovery of the lunar settlement, he reflects on how he got there, a prequel to his own living epic. Looking out at the sunrise through his bedroom window, and at Maia, his sleeping wife, Joe realizes there is no turning back once he embarked on his mission, that the life he leads now will be forever altered. As a coping mechanism, he tells himself he will be back soon, and face whatever consequences await him upon his return. Intuitively, he knows this is not true; there is no desire to return. Joe has resigned himself to his fate, to discover the true meaning of space or never return.
lyrics
Space Joe: Ad Astra
I drew my plans my mission is clear
There’s something up there
There’s something up there
I want to float over the see of tranqulity
There’s something up there
There’s something up there
Yeah, uh hunh
Yeah, uh hunh
Yeah, uh hunh
Yeah, uh hunh
I stole a space suit and some space
There’s nothing up here
There’s nothing up here
There’s no foot prints for me to follow
There’s nothing up here
There’s nothing up here
I’m not sure but the moon could be hollow
There’s nothing up here
There’s nothing up here
I wish I had a flashlight so I could see
There’s nothing up here
Hey! Wait a minute!
There’s no room on the dark side of the moon
There’s no room on the dark side of the moon
There’s no room on the dark side of the moon
There’s no room on the dark side of the moon
Early in the morning
I wake up cold the Earth is freezing
Early in the morning
Sometimes easy but I can’t find it
And I can barely remember
When she wakes up near me and she breaks on the ocean
They’re already gone
Guess I’m never going home again
I couldn’t see
They chase me down ‘cause I took stuff with me
I look back to see their mouths on their face say
He’s got his balls
He’s got his balls
Yeah uh hunh
Yeah, uh hunh
Yeah, uh hunh
Yeah, uh hunh
I look out the window
I can see what it used to be like
It looks so cold and lonely
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