by Frank Cereo
Michael followed down the ladder and then he started taking some ice samples. Captain Laird took the air temperature and gathered a sample of the atmosphere. Their brief walk lasted about ten minutes before they slowly climbed the ladder back into the ship. The ice and atmosphere samples were put into an ionizer to breakdown them down into their basic components.
They wrapped up a long day by grabbing a bite to eat and settling in for some sleep with the exception of Commander Rescott who had the first watch.
Daylight turned into darkness as the illuminating hydrogen atmosphere lost its refection from the sun. The wind makes eerie sounds on the hull of the ship throughout the night. The lightning strikes are continuous as they light up the murky sky in the darkness. Commander Rescott bides his time checking the different gauges on the inside of the ship and logging the results. It’s a short night but the wind sounds make it feel longer than it really is. On the other hand, everyone is exhausted as they fall asleep quickly with the exception of Stephanie. She cannot take all the noise outside the ship, so she put her head phones on and listens to music that relaxes her enough to fall asleep.
Chapter 4 – Jupiter’s Surface
As morning came on day one on the fifth planet in the solar system, the crew ate a light breakfast as they prepared for their first experience on the planet’s surface. Most of the crew had scrambled eggs, bacon and coffee with the exception of Commander Rescott who ate pancakes and sausage. Their goal was to explore what was thought to be new life that was discovered from the new Giant Masterman Array telescope located in Earth’s orbit. The breakfast conversation was exciting as questions were asked to Michael and Captain Laird about the surface of Jupiter.
“What was it like?” Jennifer asks.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Captain Laird explains.
As they finished their breakfast, the disposable containers and cups were thrown into the portable compacter that was located next to the vending machines.
“Gather round, today’s plan includes the exploration of the surface just off the perimeter of giant red spot for life. Our coordinates brought us close to the area that life was seen from the Masterman telescope. We should be within a mile or two of the projected site. We will break into two groups of three and we will cover the northern and eastern quadrant. Three will remain on the ship for support of the ground crews. The breakdown is as follows Commander Rescott, Stephanie, and Josef will go north. James, Michael and Jennifer will cover the east. Support crew on board is Amanda, Huey, and I. Any questions?” Captain Lairds says.
“Yes. How come Huey and I are not going out?” Amanda asks with a disconcerting look.
“Amanda, everyone will get their chance to walk on the surface. We need to do this by the book and safety is the number one concern here. Do you understand?” Captain Laird says.
“Yes sir.” Amanda says with a shitty attitude as she salutes him.
“Listen here. If you don’t change that attitude right now, you will never see the surface of the planet. I have the say of who goes out and who doesn’t. Remember that.” Captain Laird says as he gets into her face.
The other seven had puzzling looks on their faces as the captain went off on Amanda. The captain in his own mind was making sure he kept order on the ship. The number one concern was the safety of the crew and the success of the mission.
Meanwhile, the support crew took their positions on the bridge as the landing party prepared for the exploration of the surface of the largest planet in our solar system. The six members enter into the air lock all dressed in their hard suits and equipped with gear necessary to perform experiments to investigate for new life. The lock was pressurized to that of the surface of Jupiter. As the door opened inward, excitement was written on all of their faces. This is the moment they all have been waiting for to make their mark in world history and to be known as the pioneers of deep space missions.
“Boy, this is exciting I can’t wait to get out there.” Stephanie says with a smile on her face.
“I know this seems like it will be fun but safety comes first. We are exploring a world unlike our own so please expect the unexpected and keep your guard up at all times.” Commander Rescott reiterates to the landing party.
All six slowly make their way down the ladder as they gather and wait at the bottom. The two landing parties then divide up as they prepare to explore in their planned directions. The wind was blowing and the surface temperature is showing a negative 124 degrees Celsius.
“Make sure you stay together as a group and for God’s sake keep your eyes open for abnormalities.” Commander Rescott says.
The mission was under way as the groups of three head off to their assigned directions. The northern crew went out and discovered absolutely nothing that supported life on the planet. The eastern group found little to do with life but did find the remains of an old American probe that was sent to Jupiter in 1978. The remains were almost totally decomposed as the metal was brittle and fell apart when it was touched.
“Captain, we’ve seemed to have found the remains of a twentieth century probe ship that the United States launched in the 1970’s.” Commander Rescott says over his radio.
“Can you bring back any portions of the ship?” Captain Laird says back on the radio.
“That’s a negative sir. The ship is so badly decomposed that it’s falling apart upon our touch.” Commander Rescott responds.
“Are there any signs of life?” Amanda asks.
“That’s a negative on our end. It’s just windy with frigid cold temperatures here. Did you check with the other landing party?” Josef responds.
“We are checking with them right now.” Captain Laird says.
Nothing was found during the first day exploration of Jupiter’s surface. Both groups were instructed to make their way back to the ship as time and daylight was expiring. Darkness would be falling within the next hour or so and everyone needed to be back onboard. The northern group arrived first and climbed the ladder into the air lock. The pressure was equalized in the air lock as the eastern team arrived. James, Michael and Jennifer would have to wait until Commander Rescott, Stephanie and Josef exited the air lock before they could reenter the ship. The wind started to pick up as darkness began to fall on the surface. Captain Laird turned on the outside lights to help compensate for the rapid loss of daylight. Now the temperatures were beginning to plummet as the three crew members were feeling something hitting their hard suits. What started lightly began to increase as the pellets were getting larger. Inside the ship you could hear the pellets hitting against the metal skin of the ship.
“What the hell is going on out there?” Captain Laird says through the radio.
“Captain, it looks like we’re in the middle of a hail storm. We need to get inside immediately because the pellets are increasing in size.” Michael replies.
“Rescott are you out of the air lock?” Captain Laird yells over the intercom.
“Yes sir, we’re just closing the door on the inside.” Commander Rescott responds.
“The lock is clear, move it up the ladder.” Captain Laird says over the radio.
Jennifer takes the lead up the ladder followed by Michael and lastly James. They move as quickly as possible but the suits are heavy and so is the gravity of the planet. The pellets keep getting larger and the crew can feel the pellets hitting their suits. When the storm started the hail stones were the size of an M & M candy and now there were about an inch in circumference. With wind blowing with such velocity these pellets were putting small dents into the ship’s hull. As Jennifer reached the air lock she opened the door inward and she made her way into the air lock. Within a minute or so Michael followed into the air lock. As James reached the door he put his hands into the air lock when his helmet was hit with a hail stone the size of a brick. It cracked his helmet wide open and his air began to flow out into the heavy atmosphere. The hit on his head also knocked him out cold as he fell flat into the hatch doorwa
y.
“Pull him in.” Jennifer yells to Michael.
Michael grabs James but he is very heavy and he can’t move him due to the fact that the gravity is two and half times that of Earth.
“Jennifer, give me a hand. I can’t budge him.” Michael yells back.
“What’s going on down there?” Captain Laird asks over the radio.
“There has been an accident. James has been hit with a large piece of hail. It knocked him out inside the hatch. His helmet is split open and his air is leaking out rapidly.” Jennifer says emotionally.
“Get him inside immediately. You have about fifteen seconds before his air is completely exhausted and what comes next will not be pretty.” Captain Laird says as he makes his way down to the air lock.
Both Jennifer and Michael pull with all their might as James’ body lays stationary. At that point, Jennifer and Michael get on opposite sides of James as they wedge their feet against the wall for leverage as they grab him by the waist. With all their might and strength they pull. The body moves slowly as it inches its way into the air lock. When that is accomplished Jennifer pushes the button to close the outside door. As the door latches the air and pressure inside James’ suit has been completely depleted because the hissing sound is gone and so is the vapor. Jennifer then proceeds to push the button to pressurize the air lock. As they both look down, James’s hard suit begins to expand as his body is under pressurized, as compared to Jupiter’s surface. The air lock begins to depressurize to that of Earth’s atmosphere as they roll James over.
“Oh my god,” Jennifer says as she backs against the air lock wall.
James’s body had been subjected to the pressure of Jupiter’s surface and his body had swelled to mass proportions as his face was smashed against the glass of the helmet.
“Help me.” James says in a slurred voice just as his head explodes inside of his helmet.
It spread a red and gray wave over the glass of the helmet as it squeezed his brains and blood through the hole in the back of his helmet. This sent a massive wave of blood and brain tissue onto the floor of the air lock. Jennifer looked on in horror as she stood against the wall with her hands and legs spread wide apart. Michael looked on and fell into the furthest corner and turned his head not to look what had just happened.
When the pressure was restored in the airlock, Captain Laird opened the door and was shocked at the sight before him. The body of James Edwards had exploded inside his suit due to the outside pressure of Jupiter’s atmosphere. Captain Laird put his hand out and took Jennifer by the hand and guided her out. She seemed to be in shock from the incident that occurred right before her eyes.
“Get her out of her hard suit and get her to her quarters. Give her a sedative.” Captain Laird says to Stephanie.
Commander Rescott aided Michael out of the air lock and out of his suit and into his quarters also where he was given a sedative. The hail outside was made up of frozen hydrogen which pelted the ship continuously throughout the night. Damage was occurring to the hull of the ship that might alter their return flight.
“What are we going to do with James?” Josef asks.
The captain looked at Josef with looks that could kill.
“Are you kidding me? The only thing left in that suit is massive hamburger meat.” Captain Laird replies.
Later that evening the crew gathered by the airlock for their final goodbye to James.
“This is where he would want to be.” Commander Rescott says in despair.
The captain puts on his hard suit and lowers the remains of James to the surface of the planet. He then proceeded to the bridge and sends a message back to the Earth letting them know the complications that the day brought. Captain Laird’s recommendations to Mission Control were to abort the mission and return to Earth. As darkness consumed the outside the noise of the hail hitting the ship was deafening. The crew gathered in the small mess hall with the exception of Jennifer and Michael who were sleeping in their quarters. They had a little bit to eat as the captain let them know of the circumstances and how this had jeopardized their mission. He told them of his recommendations and that Mission Control had the final say. After they ate everyone except the captain and Amada retired to their quarters. The captain sat in his chair on the bridge waiting for Mission Controls response. Amanda sat in the commander’s chair as she was too restless to sleep.
Chapter 5 - Complications
The computer started flashing a message on the monitor “Message Received” as it made a beeping sound. On the bridge Amanda and the captain had fallen fast asleep shortly after the hail stormed ceased. The rest of crew was still nestled in their quarters sleeping. The mission was just barely over forty-eight hours old and they have already had their first fatality. Throughout the night the ship was continuously bombarded with hydrogen pellets from the hail storm. Within a few minutes Captain Laird was awakened by the beeping sound. He looked over and saw Amanda was still fast asleep with her head down on her folded arms on the console. He wiped the sleep from his eyes as he made his way over to the communications monitor. He took a peek outside and saw it was already daylight as he pushed the button for the incoming video message from mission control.
“We understand the severity of your situation. Our condolences go out to you and your crew for the loss of James Edwards. Your recommendation to return to Earth before mission completion is accepted. Please do an outside assessment of the damages sustained to your ship during the hail storm. See you in a few hours Mission Control out.” Captain Bridges said from the space station Orion.
When the message completes Captain Laird alerts the crew within a minute. All eight crew members were on the bridge and accounted for.
“We have been given the authorization for early departure to return to Earth.” Captain Laird says as he pushes the button to replay Captain Bridge’s message.
After the message finishes everyone begins to talk out loud about the discontent of abandoning the mission early. Order is quickly restored as the captain puts everything into perspective.
“Commander Rescott and I are going out to inspect the ship for any damage sustained during the hail storm. When we return to the ship we will depart for Earth immediately before sunset. I don’t want to put the ship through another hail storm like last night because we may not make it home. Are there any volunteers that would like to join us on the inspection to quicken the pace?” Captain Laird says.
“Count me in,” Amanda says.
“Me too,” Huey responds.
There was no objection from the captain because at least this way both Amanda and Huey could say they walked on the surface of Jupiter just like the rest of the crew.
The inspection went as planned as they teamed up in pairs and walked around the ship looking for any visible damage. The captain teamed with Amanda and the commander teamed up with Huey. They listed all the physical damage to the ship as they walked around.
“Captain you need to come here to the starboard side hydrowarp engine.” Commander Rescott says over the radio inside his helmet.
“What’s wrong?” Captain Laird responds.
“It looks like we have sustained severe damage to the starboard engine.” Commander Rescott replies.
“I’m on my way.” Captain Laird answers.
When the captain arrives Commander Rescott points out the damage. The cylindrical engine has taken the brunt of the hail storm as that engine was in the direct path of the wind and hail. There are many dents and holes in the hull of the engine that made it look like Swiss cheese.
“My god, this is worse than I thought. We’re not going to be able to use this engine.” Captain Laird says.
“We can still use the other three engines. Correct?” Huey asks.
“No we can only use two engines. The opposite engine will have to be shut down to hold us on the correct trajectory to Earth.” Commander Rescott answers.
“Is there any other damage to report?” Captain Laird asks.
“All right everyone back onboard. We’re setting a course for home and leaving immediately.” Captain Laird orders.
The four members of the landing party enter the airlock and stay in their hard suits for liftoff and departure back to Earth. As the four enter back on the bridge of the ship the other team members had already begun suiting up for their ride home. Captain Laird and Commander Rescott took their space gloves off to enter the coordinates into the computer to set the proper trajectory. Slowly one by one each crew member finished dressing and strapping themselves into their assigned seats. Then the countdown begins for lift off. The ship would first have to get above Jupiter’s atmosphere before they could use the hydrowarp engines. Again they would have to use the thrusters to get the ship back into Jupiter’s orbit. At that point they would use two of the three good engines and sling shot around Jupiter and head home.
When the countdown reached zero the ship slowly lifted off the surface and rocketed towards space. Within fifteen minutes the ship has reached the outermost layer of Jupiter’s orbit. The sight was unbelievable as three of Jupiter’s moons were revolving around the largest planet in the solar system and they were casting shadows on the planet’s surface.
“Totally the most unbelievable sight I have ever seen.” Stephanie says as she snaps a picture from her camera.
“I have to agree with you there.” Amanda responds.
“Hold on to your britches people because in five seconds I am engaging the hydrowarp engines.” Captain Laird says over his radio to the crew members.
“No life found on the big planet with the large red spot. Goodbye Jupiter.” Huey says as the engines kick in.
The planet becomes a blur as the hydrowarp engines engage. All eight crew members are pushed back into their seats as the ship moves towards full throttle. The sling shot effect only takes ten seconds as the ship departs Jupiter’s orbit and sets sail towards Earth. The large blur of a planet on the starboard side quickly disappears from view. With only two hydrowarp engines being used the trip home will take about a half an hour longer as the two engines cannot maintain the same speed as four.
