down in his helmet’s faceplate as Caitlin climbed into the seat of the vehicle. When she looked out on the group, she was pleased to see Suzette pointing the camera her way.
Caitlin pressed a button to activate the vehicle’s electrical system. She turned on the headlights—totally unnecessary and a waste of battery power, but Blake had told her to do it anyway because it would “look fantastic on the video.” She pressed her foot to the accelerator, hearing the faint hum common to electric vehicles, and rolled out of the garage toward the group.
“Behold our very own lunar rover,” Blake said, “or, as I like to call it—the moon buggy!” Outer Limits had clearly been inspired by the original Apollo design—wire wheels, a lightweight frame of aluminum alloy tubing, seats of canvas webbing, and a dish antenna. But there were differences, too. It carried four seats instead of two. And the battery, while weighing less, was a significantly more powerful lithium design. Video cameras were mounted front and rear and a GPS unit sat next to the vehicle’s hand controls.
But Caitlin knew that Blake’s favorite thing about the rover was that Black Sky didn’t have one. An Outer Limits exclusive you’ll only get when you join the premiere space experience tour.
“But don’t worry,” Blake said as he walked past Caitlin in the rover and to the LEM, where he opened a second panel adjacent to the first to reveal another garage. “I know what you’re thinking. There are six of us out here but only four seats.” He stepped in and inside of a minute had parked a second rover beside Caitlin ’s. “That’s why we brought two,” he said, beaming. Outer Limits: 2, Black Sky: 0.
Five minutes later, the two rovers drove away from the LEM toward the crater that they had flown over during their landing escapade. James Burton rode shotgun next to Caitlin, while the selenologist had the back seat. In the other vehicle, Blake drove while Martin Hughes sat beside him, and Suzette occupied both back seats for herself and her camera equipment.
The comm channels buzzed with excitement as the moon buggies bounced and jostled over the uneven landscape. James pestered Caitlin with technical questions about the range, speed and handling capabilities of the rovers while behind her, Asami and Martin discussed which was more beautiful, the moon or the Earth, or was it really both of them in concert that imparted the other with its true beauty? Blake was quieter, eyes focusing often on the vehicle controls, especially the GPS, with Suzette taking footage from the back of his rover as they bounded along the lunar surface.
The rovers came to a small hillock and Blake stopped atop its crest. Caitlin followed suit and pulled up next to him so that she was now across from Dr. Hughes. In front of them, the hillock leveled out into a flat plain, one that soon rose sharply to meet the crater wall. The crater’s exterior was a formidable hill with a gradual but long incline that Caitlin judged to be several stories high at the rim. She looked past Martin at Blake, who was fussing with the GPS unit and talking. Except that she couldn’t hear what he was saying, which meant that he’d switched over to the other frequency to speak with Dallas. He was lost, asking for directions to where his planned site was from here. She watched as he threw up his hands and swiveled his head around. Then she heard his voice.
“Let’s take a drive to the rim of the crater. Make sure to stop short of the actual top—we don’t need anyone falling in. The view will be marvelous.”
Blake led the way up in a zigzag pattern, as if driving up switchbacks that had yet to be carved into the hill’s face. Stealing a glance behind them, Caitlin reflected that their tire tracks were indeed the modest beginnings of a new road. With no wind to blow them away, they were a permanent environmental modification. A half an hour later, both rovers rested about twenty
Caitlin pressed a button to activate the vehicle’s electrical system. She turned on the headlights—totally unnecessary and a waste of battery power, but Blake had told her to do it anyway because it would “look fantastic on the video.” She pressed her foot to the accelerator, hearing the faint hum common to electric vehicles, and rolled out of the garage toward the group.
“Behold our very own lunar rover,” Blake said, “or, as I like to call it—the moon buggy!” Outer Limits had clearly been inspired by the original Apollo design—wire wheels, a lightweight frame of aluminum alloy tubing, seats of canvas webbing, and a dish antenna. But there were differences, too. It carried four seats instead of two. And the battery, while weighing less, was a significantly more powerful lithium design. Video cameras were mounted front and rear and a GPS unit sat next to the vehicle’s hand controls.
But Caitlin knew that Blake’s favorite thing about the rover was that Black Sky didn’t have one. An Outer Limits exclusive you’ll only get when you join the premiere space experience tour.
“But don’t worry,” Blake said as he walked past Caitlin in the rover and to the LEM, where he opened a second panel adjacent to the first to reveal another garage. “I know what you’re thinking. There are six of us out here but only four seats.” He stepped in and inside of a minute had parked a second rover beside Caitlin ’s. “That’s why we brought two,” he said, beaming. Outer Limits: 2, Black Sky: 0.
Five minutes later, the two rovers drove away from the LEM toward the crater that they had flown over during their landing escapade. James Burton rode shotgun next to Caitlin, while the selenologist had the back seat. In the other vehicle, Blake drove while Martin Hughes sat beside him, and Suzette occupied both back seats for herself and her camera equipment.
The comm channels buzzed with excitement as the moon buggies bounced and jostled over the uneven landscape. James pestered Caitlin with technical questions about the range, speed and handling capabilities of the rovers while behind her, Asami and Martin discussed which was more beautiful, the moon or the Earth, or was it really both of them in concert that imparted the other with its true beauty? Blake was quieter, eyes focusing often on the vehicle controls, especially the GPS, with Suzette taking footage from the back of his rover as they bounded along the lunar surface.
The rovers came to a small hillock and Blake stopped atop its crest. Caitlin followed suit and pulled up next to him so that she was now across from Dr. Hughes. In front of them, the hillock leveled out into a flat plain, one that soon rose sharply to meet the crater wall. The crater’s exterior was a formidable hill with a gradual but long incline that Caitlin judged to be several stories high at the rim. She looked past Martin at Blake, who was fussing with the GPS unit and talking. Except that she couldn’t hear what he was saying, which meant that he’d switched over to the other frequency to speak with Dallas. He was lost, asking for directions to where his planned site was from here. She watched as he threw up his hands and swiveled his head around. Then she heard his voice.
“Let’s take a drive to the rim of the crater. Make sure to stop short of the actual top—we don’t need anyone falling in. The view will be marvelous.”
Blake led the way up in a zigzag pattern, as if driving up switchbacks that had yet to be carved into the hill’s face. Stealing a glance behind them, Caitlin reflected that their tire tracks were indeed the modest beginnings of a new road. With no wind to blow them away, they were a permanent environmental modification. A half an hour later, both rovers rested about twenty
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