Many spacers hated leaving port – any port – and so spent as much time dirtside as possible. One evening, all three of these factors lined up in my favor. Kelly and John were dirtside, keeping an eye on Boris and the auctioneer, and Captain Gus was topside, supervising loading of supplies. Our new crewmembers were still dirtside as well, partying before shipping out.
Source: wiktionary