The rocket is fuelled, the pad lights are on and the launch window opens in a few minutes. There is just one last job in the control room: the mission cards, one for every system on board, have been shuffled face down across the console. Pixel Elon has to pair each card with its twin before the flight director will say go. The crew calls this final check Countdown Pairs.
Before each check the cards flash face up for a moment, just long enough for a sharp memory to take a mental photo. After that it is all recall: rockets, moons, satellites and fuel cells hide in neat rows, and every pair found keeps the countdown on track. Each cleared console brings a bigger one, and when the clock reaches zero the launch window closes. How many checks can pixel Elon finish before lift-off?
