above the Tropic of Cancer. Around the Earth were concentric circles showing the orbit of Endeavour along with the orbits of several other artificial satellites. Among these she searched for MIR, but before she found it her eye caught on the red dot that had ISS next to it. In an instant she had a solution to their immediate problem…if the orbital mechanics would work out. She typed in more instructions to the program, commanding it to work out a solution that might allow a rendezvous with MIR first, and then the International Space Station second. She wondered if the move to the higher orbit, and the use of the extra fuel to get there, was going to cost them their only chance for survival.
Maybe Jerry was right in a way; maybe they should have spent more time trying to get in touch with Mission Control. At least they would have been closer to MIR to effect a rescue. She shook her head as if to shake the doubt out of her mind. She had made the decision and it was a sound one at that time. With the problems that they now faced, she could not afford to be spending time wondering if she did the right thing.
Paul’s voice came through the intercom, “Susan, I’ve gotten something on the short-wave. There is a lot of chatter going on and with this interference it’s hard to make it all out. I keep getting things about major earthquakes. A lot of it is in languages I don’t understand. Let me try something. I’ll let you know in a few minutes.”
Susan looked up from the computer screen over to Ivan, “Ivan, how are you making out with MIR?”
“I keep getting a broken transmission. They must be in a bad way and our comm system is not working well either. The best I can make out is that they are in their return craft, but they cannot separate from the station. Beyond that, I do not know.”
“If you can get through to them see if they can use their return ship to boost their orbit a bit higher. Maybe they can get above the debris before their next pass and give us more time to get to them.” Susan thought for a moment, “It’s going to be real tough to keep the entire station stable while doing a burn.”
“I’ll see what they can do.”
Susan glanced down to the computer screen to look at the latest set of data the program presented. As she studied the numbers and the graphics, it became clear that the only way they could make it to MIR, and finally to the space station, was if they had more fuel. She punched in more numbers. This time she wanted to know how high MIR would have to be to make it work with the fuel they had available. Susan let out a breath of exasperation, more waiting while the computer worked, more valuable time they were wasting. Each second that passed pushed them further along in their orbit and possibly further away from safety. She found herself wishing that NASA had invested in more state-of-the-art equipment.
Susan keyed the intercom, “Paul, have you found out anymore?”
“Yes. I was able to link up with a friend in Hawaii. He was not sure what has happened, but the word he has is something catastrophic has happened in the southern U.S. Also, the U.S. in on full red alert! He said, a lot of the chatter is that there was a terrorist attack with a nuclear bomb. He also added that Russia is also on full red alert. It doesn’t sound good at all.”
“Thanks Paul, keep at it.” Susan returned to the computer and stared at the blank screen for a few moments waiting for something to happen. She searched her memory for the last image she had of the asteroid as it passed out of her line of sight. She closed her eyes and forced herself to recall the horrible scene. Slowly, the terrifying image of the asteroid and how it started to break apart formed in her mind.
In the background she could see the coast of northern Florida and beyond that lay the gulf coast. She could see the cities she memorized as a child in
Maybe Jerry was right in a way; maybe they should have spent more time trying to get in touch with Mission Control. At least they would have been closer to MIR to effect a rescue. She shook her head as if to shake the doubt out of her mind. She had made the decision and it was a sound one at that time. With the problems that they now faced, she could not afford to be spending time wondering if she did the right thing.
Paul’s voice came through the intercom, “Susan, I’ve gotten something on the short-wave. There is a lot of chatter going on and with this interference it’s hard to make it all out. I keep getting things about major earthquakes. A lot of it is in languages I don’t understand. Let me try something. I’ll let you know in a few minutes.”
Susan looked up from the computer screen over to Ivan, “Ivan, how are you making out with MIR?”
“I keep getting a broken transmission. They must be in a bad way and our comm system is not working well either. The best I can make out is that they are in their return craft, but they cannot separate from the station. Beyond that, I do not know.”
“If you can get through to them see if they can use their return ship to boost their orbit a bit higher. Maybe they can get above the debris before their next pass and give us more time to get to them.” Susan thought for a moment, “It’s going to be real tough to keep the entire station stable while doing a burn.”
“I’ll see what they can do.”
Susan glanced down to the computer screen to look at the latest set of data the program presented. As she studied the numbers and the graphics, it became clear that the only way they could make it to MIR, and finally to the space station, was if they had more fuel. She punched in more numbers. This time she wanted to know how high MIR would have to be to make it work with the fuel they had available. Susan let out a breath of exasperation, more waiting while the computer worked, more valuable time they were wasting. Each second that passed pushed them further along in their orbit and possibly further away from safety. She found herself wishing that NASA had invested in more state-of-the-art equipment.
Susan keyed the intercom, “Paul, have you found out anymore?”
“Yes. I was able to link up with a friend in Hawaii. He was not sure what has happened, but the word he has is something catastrophic has happened in the southern U.S. Also, the U.S. in on full red alert! He said, a lot of the chatter is that there was a terrorist attack with a nuclear bomb. He also added that Russia is also on full red alert. It doesn’t sound good at all.”
“Thanks Paul, keep at it.” Susan returned to the computer and stared at the blank screen for a few moments waiting for something to happen. She searched her memory for the last image she had of the asteroid as it passed out of her line of sight. She closed her eyes and forced herself to recall the horrible scene. Slowly, the terrifying image of the asteroid and how it started to break apart formed in her mind.
In the background she could see the coast of northern Florida and beyond that lay the gulf coast. She could see the cities she memorized as a child in
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