Found: Sci-Fi Short Story about Relativistic Space Travel

So I'm trying to remember the name of a short story I was once assigned in English class in high school a few years ago. I'm not sure if it is a particularly common short story to assign, I'm not sure I've heard of anyone else reading it for school so maybe not. The plot of the short story featured this guy who was spending some time with his parents and is preparing to go on a journey as an astronaut. This journey would take many years, I think even a few decades, for him, which would be a long enough time to be away from Earth, but also, as is kind of one of the main points of the story, they are actually traveling at relativistic speeds so a few centuries will have passed on Earth before they get back. It is mentioned that none of the astronauts are allowed to have wives (I do think I remember it distinctly being said wives, as though relativistic space travel is perfectly possible but female astronauts are not) or children because of course they wouldn't be around to see them and I think part of the main themes of the story was the way technology can disconnect us from the world or cause or loneliness or something like that. I think this short story might have been by Ray Bradbury, but also possible not, it may just be that I am imagining that because we did definitively read another short story by Ray Bradbury during the same unit at school and I might be mixing them up. At any rate, I did kind of try to look up a list of all the short stories by Ray Bradbury and I couldn't find it so maybe it isn't him. On the other hand I did kind of just look through the list hoping a name would stick out because of his many short stories I wasn't able to look up more information on every one, especially because not every one is available online. So, in summary, it may or may not be by Ray Bradbury, I am unconvinced.

The absence of women astronauts suggests something from before 1970. Sorry, but I can't think of any that match your description.

The closest match I can think of is Robert A. Heinlein's "Juveniles" novel Time for the Stars, which introduces the twin paradox. The story features telepathy, but I didn't remember that part. I'm not sure if any school is still assigning Heinlein, though.

Thank you for the suggestion, I don't think it is that though. I remember it was a short story, not a novel and not even, I don't think, an excerpt from a novel. Also there weren't really any twins involved or talk of the twin paradox. The guy didn't seem to have any siblings. Perhaps it is worth noting that I think the story was mostly told more from the point of view of the father and that we were mainly supposed to feel bad for these parents whose son was leaving them to never return, within their lifetimes at least. I think a lot of emphasis was put on the human and emotional aspect of their goodbye. But thank both of you for your help, I hadn't thought that it must have most likely bene from before 1970, that might help me try to find it

>4 sadafkadir: Really, it does sound like Bradbury's style.

Good luck in the search and waiting!

I'm just coming back to say that I eventually got in touch with my high school teacher who said that this story was Long Way Home by Charles Waugh. I thought I'd post it here in case anyone else wanted to know.

>6 sadafkadir: Cool. Yay for high school teachers!

>6 sadafkadir: That's amazing. Thank you for letting us know!

Touchstone: Long Way Home, Waugh