Chapter 3
As the Chief Health and Medical Officer for NASA's upcoming Diana IV mission—the mission that would finally return mankind to the moon—he was not someone who kept people waiting.
He didn't bring donuts or breakfast burritos, but he did bring mission patches, pins, T-shirts, and even cuddly toys of Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon and the official mascot for the mission.
It was fitting that she had been chosen as the mascot for a mission where a woman would finally walk on the moon.
The entire world had gone crazy three years ago when the Diana III mission happened, Bella very much included, so she knew everyone at Bella Pelle would love the gifts and considered the meeting tax paid in full.
"Dr. Campbell, it's nice to meet you. We are all quite intrigued," Bella said. "Please let me introduce you to our team—Jerome Nash, our creative director, and you've spoken to Carrie B. Shaw, our VP of Operations, of course."
"Thank you for meeting with me, Ms. Genovese.
I've heard wonderful things about your company," said Dr. Campbell.
"These are my associates, Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith," he said, motioning to the two men who looked more like mountains dressed in dark suits and Ray-Ban sunglasses.
Bella arched an eyebrow and silently wondered if they would be pulling a silver thingy out of their suit pockets at the end of the meeting and erasing their memories.
After completing the introductions, exchanging a few pleasantries, and checking to make sure everyone had a cup of coffee or a bottle of water, they headed into the conference room.
A gorgeous Italian marble table dominated the room.
Bella had decorated the walls with photos of all their daughters and framed posters of famous women they all admired, including her favorite, Taylor Swift.
"I imagine you are all wondering why NASA would want to meet with a skincare brand," Dr. Campbell said.
"NASA studies all aspects of life in space and how it can affect both the mind and body.
Our number one priority is always the health of the crew, and we are constantly looking for ways we can improve their time in space.
As you can imagine, it's a harsh environment—microgravity and radiation can cause significant negative changes to the skin, including accelerated thinning, increased dryness, severe irritation, and so on.
Space is limited on the capsule, and of course there is no running water for showers. "
"So being in space is terrible for the skin. Got it," interjected Jerome.
"Ahem, yes, as I was saying, we are looking for a product that could possibly mitigate these factors for the crew. We would like Bella Pelle to develop a cream that the crew could take with them and use while on the mission. NASA will then study the results upon the crew's return."
"That sounds like an amazing opportunity, Dr. Campbell, and we are thrilled you came to us. Is there any reason why you've chosen Bella Pelle over some of the larger brands?" Carrie asked.
"Yes, Ms. Shaw, we like what you've done.
Both my wife and daughters are big fans and rave about your products, and if I do say so myself, their skin always looks nice.
We also prefer to partner with a smaller team that will focus on the task at hand rather than be too spread out working on other things at the same time. "
"So, we'd be expected to concentrate strictly on this project while it's in development?
I'm not sure that is something we could or would want to do—it doesn't make much sense from a business-planning standpoint," said Bella.
"And who would own the formula? Is it NASA's?
Or would we have the chance to launch and sell the product to the general public later on? "
"I understand your concerns, Ms. Genovese.
Bella Pelle would own the formula and, of course, be able to sell it under its own brand name after the formula is proven to perform as expected.
We do have some specific requirements: packaging must be NASA-compliant and minimal—think like a tube of toothpaste.
It would need to be quite concentrated and fragrance-free.
There are other requirements, and we can provide all the parameters should you choose to collaborate with us.
It goes without saying that you and your team would need to submit to background checks and sign an NDA.
And we would need a final formula to test for eight months.
Diana IV is scheduled for launch in April 2028, and everything we plan to equip the crew with has to undergo rigorous testing months beforehand to ensure there are no unexpected surprises in space. "
"In space no one can hear you exfoliate, ha ha," said Carrie. "It's a joke—you know, in space no one can hear you scream. Get it?"
"We don't joke, Ms. Shaw. We're NASA."
Dr. Campbell stared at Carrie for several long moments before breaking into laughter.
"No, I'm just messing with you. We laugh all the time."
Bella let out the breath she hadn't even realized she was holding.
Her mind was racing with a million thoughts, ranging from how exciting this could be for the company to how they could come up with something in the time NASA was giving them and be sure it worked.
Then she had a lightbulb moment. They had been working on a new facial moisturizer that could probably be modified quickly with key ingredients to give NASA what they needed.
She made a note to get with their lead chemist as soon as the meeting was over to begin the formulation process.
"Okay, Dr. Campbell, I think we can make this work.
We are happy to submit to whatever checks NASA needs.
Please send over any contracts we need to sign so I can get them to our legal team, and we can start moving forward.
We'll need contact details for the people we will be working with, a calendar of benchmarks we need to hit, and, of course, the list of restrictions and requirements for the product and packaging.
There is no one I trust more than Carrie to keep this project on track, so she will be leading the team on our end.
I also want to make clear that Bella Pelle uses no animal-based ingredients, nor do we allow any animal testing on our products.
Would any of the tests NASA does include animal testing? Because if so, then we can't do this."
"Excellent, Ms. Genovese. Everything you need will be with you in minutes.
I've had my team in Houston on standby, waiting for the outcome of the meeting, so as soon as we finish here, I will give them a call, so they know to proceed.
And of course, no animal testing is involved.
I hope that puts your mind at ease. As far as benchmarks go, do you think you would be able to have an initial sample in one month?
We would need a specified amount of the cream as well to run our own tests on. "
"Of course, we can provide you with however much product you need. And if there is any special packaging needed for sampling, please make sure we have that information as well. One month should be fine to send you the samples."
"Oh no, Ms. Genovese, I apologize if I wasn't clearer—you would be required to bring the samples yourself when you do your product presentation to the team and the crew of the mission."
Bella's heart sank. In one month, she'd be seeing Taylor Swift in concert in Dallas.
Bella had been as surprised as anyone when Taylor announced a new tour only a few years after the record-breaking Eras Tour, and Bella had been thrilled when she managed to snag a few premium seats for one of the Dallas shows for her and the girls.
"I'm sure I can manage a day to make it," she replied.
"Again, I'm sorry, but you would need to be in Houston for a week—it's more involved than just a quick meeting. Is this going to be a problem for you?"
"No, Dr. Campbell, it's fine. I can make it work."
"That's great news, great news. I can see you are a fan of Ms. Swift. Did you know that NASA keeps a suite at NRG Stadium, where she will be playing during the time you are in Houston? We'd love for you to attend if you'd like. Plenty of room in the suite for you."
"I like very much, thank you."
Bella's smile was wide and genuine. This had turned out to be a great day indeed. She just knew it was down to the red dress—it never failed.