by Bobby Akart
Chapter 30
Three Years Prior
The International Space Station
Two Hundred Fifty-Four miles above Earth
“Houston, did you see that?” Mere seconds after Heather Fox uttered those words, warning alarms erupted inside the ISS. Confused at first, Heather looked around to seek out one of her fellow astronauts for guidance. The largely Russian crew seemed to stick to themselves as the spirit of cooperation that once was evident aboard the ISS was replaced with the diplomatic chill of the second cold war.
Heather had been frustrated by this and, at first, somewhat despondent. She’d dreamed of traveling into space as a girl, spending her nights gazing through her telescope and her days reading about the history of space exploration.
There was never any doubt about the career path she would choose, and she pursued it with vigor. She understood that her role would be limited on this first trip. It was part of NASA’s protocols. Her first trip into space would be intentionally short, full of research projects and mundane tasks associated with the operation of the ISS. While she dreamt of a space walk and envied the other astronauts who had done one just the day before, Heather was willing to pay her dues and wait her turn.
Then things changed in an instant. She’d been studying the solar system through the newly modified Celestron telescope designed to overcome the challenges of observing space from the constantly moving ISS. Up until a few years ago, the Celestron was only used to observe Earth because of the orbital velocity of the ISS. Moving at eighteen thousand miles per hour, the view was designed to focus on the Earth, as the ISS slowly rotates to keep the same side facing the planet.
The design made it very difficult to view the solar system. Given the limited view from one of the windows of the ISS, an astronaut could only observe a region of the sky for about ten minutes. That changed when the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer was mounted outside the ISS, and with the subsequent Celestron upgrades. Heather was able to focus on a part of the stars and gently adjust her field of view to spend longer than ten minutes on a region. It was fascinating technology, and she spent every available moment using it.
In an instant, her life suffered a massive upheaval. She saw something out of place. It was fast, had a tail like a comet, yet it wasn’t on any charts known to NASA. She’d discovered what would later be identified as IM86.
She followed its path across the solar system as it streaked toward the Sun. At first, she didn’t say anything into the comms. When she was certain, she asked, “Houston, did you see that?”
Then the alarms rang. Communications had been lost with Earth.
The Russian commander was calm and collected as he assigned tasks to each of his cosmonauts. It took Heather several minutes to find the commander and the top members of his crew. They’d huddled in a closed-off area that contained access to an array of monitors that showed all aspects of ISS operations. When Heather approached, all the monitors were turned off and their screens were dark.
The group nervously broke up and went about the task of fixing the communications system. The commander, who spoke English, explained to Heather what needed to be done. He told her that a complete computer system check needed to be performed, and they also needed to investigate the possibility that space debris had dislodged one of the ISS antennas.
Heather expressed frustration that she was unfamiliar with the computer system and that her ability to assist was limited. That was when she heard the words she’d dreamt about—we need you to join two members of the crew on a space walk to look for damage caused by debris.
Heather’s heart fluttered as the words soaked in. She felt like a backup quarterback in the Super Bowl with his team down by a touchdown. With tens of thousands of screaming fans looking on, and countless millions around the world watching, that backup quarterback had to lead the team down the field to avoid defeat. He’d practiced, studied, and run simulation plays on the computer against his opponent’s defense. He understood what was being asked of him. The fate of the team’s season was all up to him.
That was how Heather felt sitting in the air lock of the ISS for the first time. She wasn’t supposed to walk in space on that mission, although she’d trained for it. Now the Russian commander had declared an emergency, and Heather became that backup quarterback. He’d entrusted her to search for a problem and fix it, enabling the ISS to continue to function.
There was a reason that the Russian commander was concerned about the external antennae. Years prior, India blew apart one of its satellites orbiting Earth as a test of its ballistic missile defense interceptors. The explosion created hundreds of pieces of orbital debris in an apogee near that of the ISS. It was so close, in fact, that extensive studies were made to determine if the ISS needed to be moved to avoid a collision.
India was condemned and ridiculed for its actions, but it opened the floodgates for other countries to test their ballistic missile defense systems on satellites. At the time, India was only the fourth country to acquire the technology to conduct a test such as this one. After its success, Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran followed suit with similar tests.
The increased debris resulted in Washington issuing a directive aimed at cleaning up space junk. The Space Fence, as it was called, enhanced the military’s tracking capabilities from twenty-three thousand objects to nearly two hundred thousand.
The concern was real. Moving at thousands of miles per hour in orbit, objects of an inch or larger were capable of causing catastrophic damage to anything that got in their way.
That fact did not deter Heather from getting ready for her first space walk and settling into the air lock. The two cosmonauts had already exited the ISS and were outside, inspecting the massive spacecraft.
Heather was naturally nervous. It was exciting and frightening at the same time. She watched the digital clock tick down, anxiously awaiting it to register zero. Finally, it did. Heather unhooked her suit and she was floating.
She floated over to the air lock’s inner hatch and pushed it closed. She pulled the handle down and spun it shut, resulting in a loud clanking sound.
She switched her suit over to its own self-contained battery power and oxygen system. She carefully depressed the air lock, and after a final purge of air from the air lock, she found herself surrounded by a vacuum.
There was no sound. The thud she’d heard when she closed the air lock’s inner hatch couldn’t be heard now. She could pound on the walls with a sledgehammer, and she wouldn’t hear that either. In the vacuum of space, there was no way for sound to travel.
At that point, Heather was ready to take the leap. Nothing held her back except her apprehension, and she fought the fear with anticipation and excitement. She knew that once she opened the outer hatch, there would be nothing between her and an instantaneous death but the space suit she was wearing.
She opened the door to the payload bay and pushed the thermal cover aside. First, she poked her head through to make sure nothing unexpected awaited her. No little green men. No ugly lizards bearing fangs. No leftovers of the Indian satellite.
Heather put her hands on the hatch frame and secured her safety tether. Then she pulled herself through, floating on her back, looking up into the heavens.
Everywhere she looked, there was nothing around her but the infinity of the universe. She began to giggle uncontrollably as she realized she’d achieved her dream. She spoke to herself, although the vacuum of space distorted her voice within her helmet. Sound waves travel different at lower atmospheric pressure, causing her voice to sound like a more sexy, throaty Mae West than Heather Fox.
Every day is a good day when you’re floating.
She’d dreamed of saying those words, repeating them often to Gunner when she convinced him that she’d be perfectly safe in space. Heather savored the moment, staring upward toward the stars.
Now she wanted to see the Earth. Home. Gunner.
At roughly two hundred fifty miles above the planet�
�s surface, the vantage point didn’t enable a spacewalker to fit the whole planet into their field of vision. You can’t quite see the curvature of the Earth or its relationship to the universe. However, seeing the Earth through the space station’s small windows versus seeing it from outside was like looking at a fish through aquarium glass instead of scuba diving alongside one.
Heather pushed off the ISS slightly to rotate her body toward Earth. As it came into view, her eyes grew wide as she took in the most magnificent view of her life.
There she is, Mother Earth, light and bright in all her glory.
Mesmerized, she tried to force her eyes wider in an attempt to look around the entire image laid out before her, soaking it in to remember for the rest of her life.
And then, it ended.
Chapter 31
Saturday, April 21
Aboard the Starship in Lunar Orbit
Earth’s Moon
The Starship commander spoke to the crew as they waited to land on the Moon. “We will remain in lunar orbit for another thirty minutes in preparation for our final descent onto Artemis. While we wait, for the benefit of Chief Rawlings and Major Fox, let me provide you a description of what you’re seeing.”
Chief Rawlings leaned forward and caught Gunner’s eye. Gunner responded with a nod of the helmet and a thumbs-up. For a brief period of time, as the Starship sped away from Earth towards its rendezvous with the Moon, Gunner put the task he’d been charged with out of his mind and focused on the magnificent splendor of space.
It was completely pure. There were no buildings or honking cars or millions of people moving about. It was deserted, desolate, and wild. In a way, Gunner thought to himself, it was a shame that man was invading space. We have a way of screwing things up.
The commander explained why the two faces of the Moon appeared different. “You’ve probably noticed that there’s a stark difference between the Moon’s heavily cratered far side and the relatively smooth, open basins of the Earth-facing nearside. Over billions of years, the Moon has been transformed by space debris. We’ve learned that the farside has a thicker crust and an extra layer of material. Scientists have suggested that the Moon collided with a dwarf planet at some point in the early history of our solar system, creating this geologic wonder.”
Gunner pointed toward a window and asked, “What are the flashes of light emanating from the surface? Is that part of the mining operation?”
“No,” the commander replied. “That’s been labeled transient luminous lunar phenomena.”
“That’s a mouthful, right?” quipped Chief Rawlings. “Don’t we have an acronym for that? We do for everything else.”
“I wish we did, and I also wish we had a full explanation for the light show, but we don’t,” replied the commander. “We’ve studied it and found that the phenomena occur several times a week, illuminating part of the Moon’s landscape for a brief period before disappearing. We’ve even observed a reverse effect, which causes the lunar surface to darken. Using artificial intelligence on Earth, we’ve deployed our lunar vehicles to play an inconsequential game of whack-a-mole. When the light show begins, we dispatch our teams into the open basins in an attempt to identify the source.”
“Is there a consensus as to what causes it?” asked Gunner.
“Some believe that small meteors hit the Moon, causing the flashes of light as energy is released on impact. They’re too small to register on our seismometers, however. Another theory is that solar activity sends highly charged particles through the solar system that interact with the lunar surface. That might explain why a definite source of the activity can’t be pinpointed. You know, the whole lightning never strikes twice in the same place concept.”
Gunner chuckled to himself. But it does, in actuality.
“Okay, lady and gentlemen, LOP-G is passing beneath us, and as soon as it clears our path, we’ll bring ’er down.”
LOP-G, the acronym for the Lunar Orbital Platform Gateway, commonly referred to as the Gateway, remained in orbit above the Moon although it was scheduled to be decommissioned in two years. The LOP-G performed a similar function to the International Space Station. When it was first launched into orbit around the Moon, it was used as a staging ground for personnel, space machinery, and materials to be delivered to the lunar surface as part of building a base there.
The LOP-G was used for several years to host resupply runs and the delivery of cargo until the lunar outpost was created and operational. At this point, the orbital platform simply assisted in monitoring activity on the lunar surface and acted as a sentinel for incoming space debris like meteor storms, solar activity, and asteroids.
Chief Rawlings leaned over toward Gunner. “So, Gunner, now that you’ve seen the Moon, here’s a last chance to catch a glimpse of Earth before we land. How’s it look to you?”
“Light and bright.”
*****
Moments later, the Starship was expertly set upon a landing pad in the center of Artemis, the name assigned to the lunar outpost. As the ground control team made arrangements to escort the astronauts from the Starship into the friendly confines of lunar mission control, the newly arriving crew of the mission made small talk.
“Why did they call this Artemis?” asked Gunner.
Chief Rawlings responded, “NASA has always pulled its names of projects from sources like Greek mythology. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo, as well as the goddess of the Moon. It was a logical name for the lunar outpost, as she embodies our mission to inhabit the Moon.
“In 2024, when the project was begun by navigating a lunar lander to the south pole of the Moon, it was important that a woman be designated the first to step out of the lander. Since then, not only have we established a sustainable habitat on the Moon using resources we found here to build, but we’ve created a gateway for future exploration.”
“Mars,” muttered Gunner.
“That’s right. Certainly, the mining operation here has become the number one priority as scientists collect rock and regolith samples to return to Earth. However, we’ve also learned to become self-reliant here. The permanently shadowed craters hold ice that is mined to produce water and rocket fuel. As I mentioned, almost all of the buildings have been built utilizing surface rocks and soils. We’ve proven that we can convert the natural resources of a celestial body to further human settlements, something that will be absolutely necessary if we’re going to duplicate the process on Mars.”
The Starship shook as a vacuum-sealed jet bridge connector was attached. Moments later, the hatch was opened and a rush of cool air entered the Starship.
“Welcome to the Moon and Artemis,” a uniformed NASA employee proudly announced.
Chapter 32
Saturday, April 21
Artemis
Earth’s Moon
Gunner’s head was on a swivel as he took in the flurry of activity taking place within the mission control center of Artemis. He glanced down at his feet, which stood upon perfectly shaped brick, albeit much larger than standard brick on Earth. Another NASA engineer approached Gunner and Chief Rawlings. His hand was extended and his smile was broad, considering the circumstances.
“Gentlemen, welcome. I’m glad you’re here, albeit a day late. Jan Werner, director of mission control here at Artemis. Chief, it’s a real honor. When I heard you’d be on board, I told everyone to clean up their cubicles and sweep the floor.”
Gunner looked down again and noticed the dusty appearance. “Um, do you have to sweep often?”
Werner laughed. “Not as much as we should, considering. You’re standing on, and actually surrounded by, bricks made of moon dust. That’s right. One of the first structures built on the lunar surface was a solar concentrator. As the sun rises, electric shutters roll back to reveal a twenty-foot-tall solar array of hexagonal polished mirrors, which, as the name suggests, concentrates the sunlight into a tight light beam.”
She nonchalantly tapped her foot on the brick floor, cau
sing just enough moon dust to float around her ankles until gravity pulled it back down to the floor. She continued. “The sunlight is focused into a solar furnace, where temperatures reach five thousand degrees. This is capable of melting most metals, including iron, steel, and titanium. On approach, you might have noticed the bluish color of Mare Tranquillitatis, um, sorry, the Sea of Tranquility. It’s abundant with the titanium-bearing mineral called ilmenite. The lunar rocks harbor ten times as much titanium ore than those on Earth. It was a tremendous find and made all of this possible.”
She spun around and raised her hands toward the ceiling. The structure resembled a giant igloo, except with all of the modern conveniences of electricity.
“One of the biggest challenges in establishing Artemis was the up-front costs associated with shipping building materials up here,” added Chief Rawlings. “The discovery of the titanium, coupled with the technology creating the solar concentrator, allowed NASA to greatly advance the development schedule of Artemis. The building we’re standing in was due to be constructed ten years from now, yet here we stand.”
“That’s right, Chief,” said Werner. “Our mining operations are likewise a decade ahead of production. Heck, we’re waiting on the private contractors to build rockets so we can start sending our resources back to Earth faster, which, in turn, will start paying for all of this.”
“Very impressive,” said Gunner. “Where’s the Starhopper?”
“We have it inside the hangar, being retrofitted to haul the, you know, payload,” replied Werner in a hushed tone. Gunner appeared puzzled, so Werner explained her reasons for lowering her voice. “Major, not everyone here on the Moon agrees with the prospect of blasting the asteroid. They’ve experienced firsthand what our science and engineering capabilities are because many of them have been with Project Artemis from the beginning. Frankly, they believe the destruction of IM86 is a waste of a valuable research tool.”
