The brave astronauts, having cleared 1000 meters within seconds, were feeling the effect of gravity nearly 3 times more powerful than you or I am.
There were no windows on the craft, but that didn't matter. John and Smith weren't here to have a pretty view. They knew their mission, and they would not fail.
And if they did fail, well, that's a problem for the higher ups to deal with. John spoke to Smith. "Do you think we'll make it to space?" Smith was silent for a while. "Perhaps we will" he finally replied.
It didn't matter. The ship was getting higher.
