Chapter 52 - Tip Of Rocket, Burnt Marshmallow, Slap

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3rd POV

"Brother, why is the tip of a rocket pointed?" Missy asked as she stared at a rocket model while they drove toward the NASA Johnson Space Center. The Cooper family had been waiting for Dr. Hodges to call them in for nearly 20 minutes, but there was still no sign of him.

"Come here." Georgie said, motioning for Missy to sit next to him. "Can I get a pen and some paper?" he asked Dr. Hodges' assistant.

"Sure." Janice replied, handing him a pencil and a sheet of paper.

"Oh, pencil and paper? Smart." Sheldon remarked, already guessing what Georgie was about to explain to Missy.

"Alright, now imagine this paper represents the air." Georgie began, but Missy looked at him skeptically.

"Air doesn't have a shape, brother."

"True, but can you feel it?" Georgie countered. Missy nodded.

"Exactly. Air is invisible, but it's there. Leaves can fly because of it, right?"

"True," Missy agreed, now paying closer attention.

"Good. So, let's say this paper represents air, and this pencil is a rocket." Georgie continued.

"Air is essential—it gives us oxygen, shields us from the sun's radiation, regulates Earth's temperature, and much more." he explained, holding the pencil and paper in front of Missy's face.

"Now, when a rocket takes off and tries to leave Earth, the air doesn't like that. It pushes back, resisting the rocket's ascent." He pressed the pencil against the paper, demonstrating.

"Here, hold the rocket," he said, handing Missy the pencil. She giggled as she took it.

"Now, I'll hold the air, and you try to break through it with your rocket's tip."

Missy pushed the pencil against the paper, and Georgie deliberately bent the sheet, yet the pencil still pierced through.

"Hey! That's not fair! You're not holding the paper properly!" Missy protested.

Georgie chuckled. "Hey, I'm air—I can move however I want!"

Missy giggled but nodded in understanding. She then glanced at the torn paper.

"See? Your rocket can penetrate the air easily, even when I try to move it around. Now, turn your rocket upside down and use the eraser end instead."

Missy flipped the pencil so that the soft, rounded eraser was now the tip.

"Alright, try breaking through now."

Missy laughed but still attempted to pierce the paper. This time, Georgie folded the paper slightly, making it harder for her to push through. She had to apply significantly more force before she finally managed to break through.

"Now, what's the difference?" Georgie asked.

"It was harder to break through your paper," Missy replied.

"You're wrong," Georgie said, lifting the paper. "This isn't paper. It's air."

Missy squinted at him. "Right… and it's harder to break through the air you're holding?" she teased.

"Exactly! A pointed rocket tip allows it to cut through the air more easily. Sure, a rounded tip can still get through, but the difference in resistance is significant. That's why rockets have sharp noses—it reduces drag and saves fuel."

Sheldon, who had been listening, nodded and added, "A pointed shape also stabilizes the rocket. When it reaches supersonic or hypersonic speeds, a sharp tip generates smaller shock waves and reduces the stress on the rocket's body."

"What's hypersonic and supersonic? Are they superheroes?" Missy asked.

"It means faster than the speed of sound." Sheldon explained.

"What's the speed of sound?" Missy asked again.

"It's—"

Sheldon was about to explain when Georgie cut him off, "Hey, don't tease your brother." he said, pinching Missy's cheek as she giggled.

"Hmph!" Sheldon huffed, mildly annoyed but used to Missy's antics.

"Aren't they adorable?" Mary whispered to George. Connie nodded, letting the kids have their moment.

George, however, didn't answer. His eyes were misty as he watched them. "...Hiks..."

"Oh, George..." Mary placed a hand on his chest, touched by his emotions. Seeing their children grow up and bond like this made them feel like successful parents. Georgie's transformation had brought so much joy into their lives.

"Hey, want to hear an interesting fact?" Georgie suddenly said, catching everyone's attention—including Janice, who had been eavesdropping from the start.

"Did you guys know that NASA's early rockets were nicknamed 'The Marshmallow Disaster'?" Georgie grinned.

"What? Why?" George asked, now intrigued.

Sheldon, already familiar with the story, answered first, "You mean the prototype rockets from the 1950s that caught fire?"

"Exactly! Do you know why they burned? Because some incompetent engineers forgot to account for heat! Haha, those rockets melted, so people started calling them 'Burnt Marshmallows'!"

Georgie's voice was loud enough to attract attention—even from passing NASA scientists.

George and Mary's faces flushed with embarrassment. They were literally inside NASA, and here was Georgie mocking the very people who worked there!

BEEP Janice, maybe it's time you brought them in?

A voice came through Janice's intercom.

But Georgie wasn't done yet. "Oh! And have you heard about the rocket called 'FLOPNIK'? Or, more recently, the Challenger disaster?"

BEEP JANICE! Get them in. NOW.

"GEORGIE COOPER!" Mary's voice rang out in frustration, making Georgie freeze momentarily before grinning again.

Of course, Dr. Hodges wanted them inside before Georgie could humiliate NASA any further in front of his colleagues.

Connie chuckled knowingly. If she hadn't seen how much Georgie had changed, she might've called him 'Dumb Georgie'—but now she understood there was always more to his actions.

Finally, Georgie and Sheldon entered Dr. Hodges' office.

Sheldon walked in with unwavering confidence, while Georgie followed behind him with a smug grin, looking either like his assistant or his bodyguard.

Dr. Hodges greeted them with a stiff smile, clearly still irritated by Georgie's antics.

Georgie, however, simply smirked, unfazed by the tension.

Dr. Hodges exhaled and turned his attention to Sheldon, forcing a smile.

"Now, gentlemen, what can I do for you?"

Sheldon and Georgie exchanged a grin before Sheldon dropped an unexpected bombshell.

"We're here to slap you in the face!"

{I'm sorry you had to hear that.} – Adult Sheldon.