 Why does the writer evoke the NASA by saying that "there was word from the pad that the launch sequence was initiating"?
More Bang for the Buck A friend of mine offers a theory about why Bill Clinton's poll numbers stayed so high throughout the Lewinsky scandal: The news made it possible for serious-minded people to spend lots of time--at the office and over lunch--talking about semen stains, vaginal insertions, and blow jobs. And the people were grateful. That's probably because they're not getting all that much themselves. A recent University of Chicago survey of 10,000 adults found that Americans are having considerably less sex than was generally thought. Only one American in 20 has sex three times a week. One in five didn't score at all last year. If that's true, many of us could use a little sexual self-improvement. Not me, of course. I have been happily married for 26 years, since the age of 21. Deb and I have what seems to us to be a perfectly fine amorous life, yet everywhere I turn the culture tells me--almost mocks me-- you can do better!
 Because the writer and his wife engaged in and completed sexual intercourse.
 Because the writer and his wife did not enjoy playing strip poker or with the dirty dice, they decided to roleplay that they worked for NASA and were initiating a launch sequence.  Because a rocket was about to be launched into outer space.  Because the writer and his wife engaged in and completed sexual intercourse.  Because the writer is attempting to give diverse perspectives on the issue he is describing.