Earth2

Earth2 by Shikhar Dixit (a Short Story Contest entry)

USS Encounter’s four man crew had two woman astronauts. Encounter launched from Cape Canaveral. No sooner had acceleration reached 1/3 lightspeed, than they had to begin deceleration burn. The micro-fusion drive meant the ship met all their needs for 44 years. Their first low-orbit survey revealed a continental layout identical to Earth’s. Encounter was met by a new ship—four man crew—called Encounter. The astronauts prepared to meet themselves.