(Rubs Sheldon's telephone receiver under her armpit)
Penny: What are you doing? Alex: Alex. Alex: Oh. Alex: Ooh. Alex: She seems nice. Amy (to Penny, on other side of room): You were right. Amy: Really? And I'm sure a lot of people want to work with him. And, Penny, feel free to paint your nails. But meanwhile, the limbic system of your brain is calculating that if another woman is attracted to Leonard, it must be because he's desirable. Caught Raj right in the eye. He kept making me drop pencils for him. Howard: Well, remember the Soyuz capsule they were sending to bring us home? Leonard: If you want help, just hire a grad student. Leonard: Mmm, the nurse is a woman, so he couldn't talk to her. Leonard: No, no, no, no. Look, I don't even know where my relationship is with Leonard is right now. No anxiety. Penny: Come on, Amy. Penny: Oh, it's about time. Penny: Okay, maybe she was flirting with him, but who cares? Penny: Well, for starters, at some point, that face starts talking. Scene: Penny's apartment. Scene: Sheldon's office. Sheldon: I believe Alex may have unearthed the grade school science project that could be my ticket to the Nobel Prize. Well, tell him Amy called. You should introduce him to Sheldon.
Plan: A: home; Q: Where does Sheldon have his childhood scientific notebooks sent from? A: Nobel Prize material; Q: What does Sheldon hope to find in his childhood notebooks? A: attractive female grad student Alex Jensen; Q: Who does Sheldon hire to read his notebooks? A: Amy; Q: Who is jealous of Alex? A: Penny; Q: Who introduces herself to Alex? A: no interest; Q: What is Penny's opinion of Alex's interest in Sheldon? A: the Caltech cafeteria; Q: Where does Alex flirt with Leonard? A: sex; Q: What does Penny drag Leonard to her apartment for? A: Earth; Q: Where does Howard want to return to? A: Soyuz capsule; Q: What is the name of the return capsule? A: nonsense; Q: What does Howard talk when he has "space dementia"? A: a sedative; Q: What did the other astronauts give Howard? A: his pants; Q: What does Howard remove in microgravity? Summary: Sheldon has his childhood scientific notebooks sent from home, hoping to discover Nobel Prize material in them. Having no time to read the notebooks himself, he hires attractive female grad student Alex Jensen to do so. When Amy finds out about Alex, she is jealous and inspects Sheldon's office despite Penny's insistence that Alex has no interest in him. Amy and Penny later see Alex flirting with Leonard in the Caltech cafeteria, now making Penny jealous. Amy points out that though Penny is unsure of her feelings for Leonard, subconsciously the thought of him with another woman bothers her. Penny gradually realizes Amy may be right. After finding an elementary school project of Sheldon's with Nobel potential, Alex visits him at home where Penny and Leonard are. Penny introduces herself to Alex (with Penny subtly hinting that Leonard is hers) then drags Leonard to her apartment for sex. Meanwhile, a homesick Howard wants to return to Earth as soon as possible. When the return Soyuz capsule is delayed, he suffers anxiety attacks, cabin fever, and "space dementia" (i.e. he talks nonsense). The other astronauts give him a sedative which relaxes him but also makes him remove his pants and windmill in microgravity.