school: Jacksonville, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Houston, Texas, all in a line. The trajectory of the asteroid followed that line perfectly. Susan shuddered with the thought of all the people who were never going to know what had hit them, and those who would struggle to survive in the aftermath. How ironic , she thought, as she pondered the notion that the U.S. and Russia would prepare to launch nuclear weapons with the devastation that had already been dealt to the Earth.
The new graphic popped up on the screen and snapped Susan out of her self-imposed torment. She quickly scanned the new numbers and the new plot, hoping that what she found would minimize the burden on MIR, and Endeavour. The numbers revealed a solution that demanded that MIR increase its altitude by at least twenty miles. If they could not do that, then it would take Endeavour several orbits to catch them, and with the rate they were losing oxygen, they would not make it. It was not only fuel, but also oxygen that was now in short supply. She looked over the numbers again to make sure that what she saw was reality and finally decided that it was the only way.
“Ivan, let MIR know that they need to boost their orbit by twenty miles, minimum . We don’t have enough air or fuel to do it any other way. We need to get their coordinates as soon as they’ve reached altitude.”
“I did get enough across to find out that they have the ability to boost the station’s orbit from the attached Soyuz capsule, but they do not have very high hopes of keeping the thing stable and together. I will see if they can get twenty more miles out of it.”
“Thanks, Ivan,” Susan said. “Jerry, how are you coming with chasing that leak down?” Susan asked, as she checked the status of the oxygen reserves on the computer screen.
“I can’t find it. I don’t know, it may be behind one of the equipment bays. It’s going to take some time to check that out,” Jerry replied in an annoyed tone.
“Time is something we have little of, so let’s not waste it. Jerry, get Paul to help you and try to check out the equipment bays. It’s probably worth checking out the bays on the port side of the shuttle first because that is where most of the damage occurred.”
There was a long tense pause, which was finally broken by Paul, “Roger, Susan, I got that. We’ll get right on it.”
“Susan,” Ivan interrupted, “MIR is going to try to get as much altitude as they can. They also have extra oxygen generators on board that they will try to salvage. They will contact us before they start the burn in about five minutes.”
Susan returned to the computer and entered a few more commands that would enable the computer to plot the space station’s path over the earth for the next five days. She watched the screen intently as the numbers were calculated and the plots were placed on the screen. Susan swore as she realized that the space station would cross the areas of devastation within six hours of their rendezvous. If they missed their window to meet the station, it would not be there in one piece on their second opportunity to rendezvous—even if they had enough fuel and air for another try. They also had to boost the station’s orbit as soon as possible.
V
The cosmonauts rushed about the station trying to salvage anything they thought might be useful and would fit in the Soyuz capsule. The condition of MIR was precarious at best. The cloud of debris that MIR passed through had shredded the solar panels that powered the station and it was now running on batteries. Everything nonessential had been shut off. There was very little light, and with the clutter that has accumulated over the years, the cosmonauts struggled to move about the station. Hoses and cables that once were essential for normal operation were now a hindrance, entangling the men as they hurried about their
The new graphic popped up on the screen and snapped Susan out of her self-imposed torment. She quickly scanned the new numbers and the new plot, hoping that what she found would minimize the burden on MIR, and Endeavour. The numbers revealed a solution that demanded that MIR increase its altitude by at least twenty miles. If they could not do that, then it would take Endeavour several orbits to catch them, and with the rate they were losing oxygen, they would not make it. It was not only fuel, but also oxygen that was now in short supply. She looked over the numbers again to make sure that what she saw was reality and finally decided that it was the only way.
“Ivan, let MIR know that they need to boost their orbit by twenty miles, minimum . We don’t have enough air or fuel to do it any other way. We need to get their coordinates as soon as they’ve reached altitude.”
“I did get enough across to find out that they have the ability to boost the station’s orbit from the attached Soyuz capsule, but they do not have very high hopes of keeping the thing stable and together. I will see if they can get twenty more miles out of it.”
“Thanks, Ivan,” Susan said. “Jerry, how are you coming with chasing that leak down?” Susan asked, as she checked the status of the oxygen reserves on the computer screen.
“I can’t find it. I don’t know, it may be behind one of the equipment bays. It’s going to take some time to check that out,” Jerry replied in an annoyed tone.
“Time is something we have little of, so let’s not waste it. Jerry, get Paul to help you and try to check out the equipment bays. It’s probably worth checking out the bays on the port side of the shuttle first because that is where most of the damage occurred.”
There was a long tense pause, which was finally broken by Paul, “Roger, Susan, I got that. We’ll get right on it.”
“Susan,” Ivan interrupted, “MIR is going to try to get as much altitude as they can. They also have extra oxygen generators on board that they will try to salvage. They will contact us before they start the burn in about five minutes.”
Susan returned to the computer and entered a few more commands that would enable the computer to plot the space station’s path over the earth for the next five days. She watched the screen intently as the numbers were calculated and the plots were placed on the screen. Susan swore as she realized that the space station would cross the areas of devastation within six hours of their rendezvous. If they missed their window to meet the station, it would not be there in one piece on their second opportunity to rendezvous—even if they had enough fuel and air for another try. They also had to boost the station’s orbit as soon as possible.
V
The cosmonauts rushed about the station trying to salvage anything they thought might be useful and would fit in the Soyuz capsule. The condition of MIR was precarious at best. The cloud of debris that MIR passed through had shredded the solar panels that powered the station and it was now running on batteries. Everything nonessential had been shut off. There was very little light, and with the clutter that has accumulated over the years, the cosmonauts struggled to move about the station. Hoses and cables that once were essential for normal operation were now a hindrance, entangling the men as they hurried about their
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