Dear Mom,
I'm glad for the chance to finally write. It seems like only a few months since we left the solar system. By our calculations it will have been about 21 years, according to your time. It will also take another decade to "mail" this letter to you.
The trip to this solar system was pretty near uneventful. One fellow who monitors the engine had to have some minor brain surgery. The on-board computer did a fine job on him. Still, Julie and I had to be called out of deep sleep early to take his and his wife's place.
This solar system has five instead of the four reported planets. We've chosen the third planet to colonize. I can't help but reflect on how similar this colonization will be to the colonization of Titan. I can't expect to see you again in this life. None of the colonizers of Titan ever returned to Earth.
We've gone against the advice of the agency and chosen a site in the mountains as our base. It makes things more complex for us, but you should see the view.
We have found the necessary materials for construction of our technological base and several standard-size greenhouses. All the couples here are getting along well. This will be a successful expedition.
It's good to be free from Mother Earth's womb. When God created the stars, He must have made them to keep man busy. It feels good to have a backyard to play in.
Mom, I love you. Give my love to my sister, and if she's married, to her husband. Oh, yes, Julie and I will be parents soon! We'll be naming him Henry, after Dad. I wish he were with us still.
I hope this letter has been worth the thirty year wait.
Love, your son Apollo.