The two-hour flight from Luanda to the Namibian capital, Windhoek, felt more like a journey through the looking-glass.

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Riding the compartment full of harlequins, fairies and assorted fur-balls, I felt like Alice falling through the looking glass.

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In a conference room, looking through a wall of glass into the Messenger mission-control center, Solomon described his fascination with the parched and moon-like planet, which is a sister of Earth.

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Through the storefront glass, I saw a lecture and slide-show in action with students calmly looking at the screen.

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