Orbital Maneuvers (17 page)

“Here we go!  Look, this…RPC, the Remote Power Controller is the controller for this system.  It’s located in this compartment in the communications rack.”

Paul and Ivan followed the flow of the diagram and both agreed with Susan’s discovery.

“That takes care of the KU-band system.  But we are still left with the two S-band systems.” Ivan said, as he reached up to the display and cycled through several more screens of information. He let out a heavy sigh, “I was afraid of that.”

“What?” Susan and Paul said simultaneously.

“Look here,” Ivan said, pointing to a red line on the display leading toward two blocks labeled:
SU SUBSYSTEM
.

“This is where the RPC modules are for the SU-band systems.”

“Yes, I see that.  What is the problem with it?” Susan asked, still puzzled at Ivan’s dismay.

“The problem is, these are located on the P6 truss section—outside!”

“I didn’t think this was going to be a piece of cake,” Paul murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.  He proceeded to explain the dilemma to the cosmonauts who were having trouble keeping up with the rapidly changing display screens.

“So, we have to take a walk outside?” Alexander asked.

“Yes, that is what it looks like if we are going to shut down the two S-band systems,” Ivan said as he quickly ran the display through several more screens, stopping only when he was back to the very first screen that they had started with.  “Let us see if the blue branch offers us a better choice.”

Ivan selected the heading for the computer control/data-processing branch.  This time the screen burst forth with a chart that looked more like the root system for a hundred-year-old oak tree.  There was a collective groan in the room as they all realized that the computer control and data distribution network were much more complicated and dispersed than the power system had been.  It was now obvious that if they wanted to shut down the communication system they would have to do it from inside, and outside, the station.

XVI

The station continued its endless freefall around the planet below.  Inside the sprawling structure of aluminum, steel, silicon and hundreds of other man-made creations, six souls fought to survive in a battle that was turning against them.  Survival meant leaving a temporary oasis to get back to their stricken planet—their home of questionable safety.  Five of the six stood together united in their efforts, while the sixth stood alone with his own ideas for salvation.  The five, sequestered in the control module for the station, now had to decide the best way to defeat an unexpected adversary. The resolution of this problem would require one of them to exit the station in order to put their plan into action. A process that was dangerous at best, when it was well planned in advance, but was extremely dangerous when it was carried out on the spur of the moment.

Paul looked at Susan and broke the silence, “I’ll do the EVA.”

“No, Paul, you won’t!” Susan snapped.  “With the concussion you had earlier, you’re in no way going to suit up and go out!  Ivan has to stay here to see if he can isolate the shutdown command—so I’m going to go.”

“Susan, you have to go on oxygen now for at least forty minutes before you can go,” Ivan reminded her.  “The EVA will probably take another thirty minutes or more to complete.  That gives us less than three hours to move the station.”

“I know, but we can use the ORLAN suits.  They run at a higher pressure and will cut down on the pre-breathing process, saving us some time.”

Alexander and Nicholas perked up when they heard Susan’s reference to the ORLAN suits.  These were designed in Russia and both cosmonauts were familiar with them.  The suits are basically like a miniature space ship, which the astronaut enters through a hatch that is exposed when the life support backpack is opened.

“We know how to use the ORLAN suits,” Alexander said.  “You can pressurize them higher than what you may do normally, especially if you are not planning a long EVA.  I will go.”

“You’re not familiar with the way the station is set up.  It would be extremely dangerous if you were to go.” Susan felt both grateful and tempted at Alexander’s offer.  She was not really feeling up to journeying outside again, but she felt it was her duty and no one else’s.  Alexander was not familiar at all with the station and its construction; this would put him at an even higher risk.

“Commander, I have been on MIR for more than two years.  MIR was a handful!  Held together with whatever we could find.  I assure you, that with you talking me through the process, there is nothing on this station that we can not fix.  Come, we are wasting time.  Where are the suits?”

Susan looked at Ivan, who looked at Nicholas, who finally spoke, “The Commander has spoken.”

Susan stared at the three of them, biting her lip as she weighed the alternatives.  “Okay, but you go on the condition that you do it by the book, as I give it to you.  No heroics. Nothing beyond what is instructed, understand?”

“Commander, I will follow your command to the exact letter!” Alexander smiled at Susan.

Susan gave Alexander a sideways glance as she turned to Paul.  “Paul, take Commander Orlov and Captain Zuyev to the Joint Airlock where the Commander can suit up.  I will start working up a procedure for the task, and Ivan can get to work on the lockout command.  After you get the Commander going, come back here and check out what needs to be done to shut down the KU-band system.  We will have to coordinate these two tasks fairly closely, so as not to give Korolev Control a warning that we are up to something.”

“On my way.  Gentlemen, this way please,” Paul said, as he led the two cosmonauts out of the compartment.

Paul escorted the two cosmonauts toward the Joint Airlock which was located on Node 1, about half way to the end of the station from the Zvezda module.  There was very little conversation among the three men as they proceeded to the airlock. 

The EMU suits were stored within the airlock along with all the equipment necessary to check out and maintain the suits. The Russian made ORLAN suit that Alexander would wear was in an equipment locker on the interior of the airlock.  Paul showed the equipment locker to the cosmonauts and instructed them on how to operate the controls on the airlock itself.  With a handshake and a wish for good luck, he left the two men to their task and hurried back to tend to his own priorities.

Alexander immediately took the portable oxygen mask down from its storage shelf and strapped it over his nose and mouth, adjusted the flow and took several deep breaths while Nicholas removed the ORLAN suit from its storage rack.  Nicholas quickly checked the status indicators on the suit to verify that the batteries were fully charged, the oxygen tanks were at maximum capacity, and the cooling/heating system was active.  He then floated the suit toward the center of the room keeping its umbilical cord attached so it would continue to draw power and oxygen from the station.  Alexander released the backpack on the suit, revealing the entrance to the interior of this little space ship.  Upon completing a quick visual inspection on the condition of the suit’s interior he slid himself into it, feet first.  Just before he completely inserted himself into the suit he took a deep breath of the oxygen, pulled off the mask and handed it to Nicholas.  Alexander then slipped inside the suit and Nicholas swung the backpack closed and secured it.  Confident that the suit was safe, Nicholas began to go through the final checklist with Alexander.

Paul entered the control module to find Susan and Ivan intently studying their respective displays.  Ivan was feverishly searching for the lockout command while Susan was putting together a list of instructions to help Alexander disconnect the power to the communications system.  Moving over to the station he was working before, Paul began to search for the troubleshooting guide for the KU-band system.  He traced the repair procedure until he found the section that discussed the interruption of power to the communication system.  Paul touched the display over this information block and the display painted an image that showed the communications rack and the location of the remote power converters.  Paul carefully read the directions several times.  He did not want to have to come back to the display once he started the process.  Overall, the procedure looked relatively easy.  Remove four fasteners on the front panel, slide out the power chassis and remove the power connector.

Paul looked about the cabin to locate the proper rack and inspect the panel that needed to be removed.  He debated about removing the panel now, or waiting until Alexander was ready. He was unsure if there were an interlock on the panel that might set off an alarm to the computer if tripped. 

He went back to the console and studied the flow chart for the procedure again, this time looking for any status conditions that the onboard computers might monitor.  Satisfied that the panel could be removed safely, he loosened the fasteners on the front panel and very slowly pulled it away from the rack, all the while straining to see if there were an interlock switch engaging the panel. 

Heaving a sigh of relief, Paul pulled the panel free and secured it with Velcro straps to the floor.  He now studied the power chassis, which needed to be released by depressing a lever on each side of the assembly.  Cramming his face into the opening, he looked for another interlock switch.  Finding nothing obvious on the top of the chassis, Paul stood on his head to get a clearer view underneath it.  In the furthest corner of the chassis, at the back of the rack, Paul could make out a small rectangular box, which appeared to be attached to the rack frame and also touched the power chassis.

“Damn,” the word slipped from Paul’s lips before he could catch himself.  He did not like to swear, especially in front of a woman, who in this case also was his Commander.

Susan looked up from the list she was writing. “What was that, Paul?”

“Sorry, I just discovered something that looks like an interlock on this power chassis.  I think I’d better wait until Alexander is ready to make his move before I pull the power panel out.”

“Is it going to be difficult to pull the power connection?”

“No, it should be very easy.  Once it’s out, it’s just a matter of getting to the plug.”

Before Susan could respond, the intercom squawked with Alexander’s voice.  “Susan, can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear, Commander.”

“Ah, good.  I am all suited up and ready to leave the station whenever you are ready.”

Susan looked over her list of instructions before answering.  “I have most everything here to get you started.  While you are on your way to the P6 truss I can finish the instructions.”

“I am going to move into the outer airlock, I believe you call it the crew lock,” said Alexander.  “I am detaching the umbilical now, going on full internal systems.”

“I copy that, Commander.  As you exit the crew lock, you will need to come around to the side of the airlock structure to pick up the tools you will need.”

“Ah, I was beginning to wonder how I would gain access to the electronics.”

“Please make sure that you attach your tether to the station.  As you exit the lock, the toolboxes should be to your left.”

Alexander attached his tether while he waited for the indicator light in the crew lock to show that the compartment was depressurized before he opened the hatch to space.  He opened the hatch and was greeted with a dramatic view of the earth spinning below.  A sudden wave of vertigo swept over him.  The hatch was on the side of the station that was always oriented downward, toward the Earth, the nadir side. 

Being a creature born and raised on the ground, and not realizing the orientation of the station, Alexander fell victim to his primordial senses that told him he was about to fall.  His hands instinctively tightened on the rails in the compartment before he could force himself to ignore this visual sensory input that was misleading him.  He loved being in space, and usually did not have problems during his space walks, but that was contingent on being totally aware of the situation around him.  He paused, closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths to push the fear of falling back to the recesses of his mind and pushed himself out of the hatch.

Outside of the station things were much different, the anxiety subsided, and Alexander began to enjoy the view and the sensation.  “Commander, I have attached my tether and I am out of the station.  I am in front of the toolboxes.  What do I need?”

Susan checked her list.  “You will need the power hand tool on the left side of the box.  You should take a set of bits.  I am not sure which one you will need to open the panel.”

“Okay, the power tool looks like a hand drill? No?”

“Yes, like a hand drill, but with a battery pack on the bottom.  After you get the tools, you need to make your way to the main truss, which should be above you.”

“Understood.” Alexander removed the power tool and a box of bits from the toolbox and attached them to his suit using Velcro strips.  With the tools secured, he closed the doors to the toolbox and pulled himself up alongside the Z1 truss to get to the topside of the station, to access the backbone of the station, the main truss. 

The view was mesmerizing; the station stretched out fifty meters to either side of him.  The metal truss glowed silver in the reflected light of the moon.  The solar panels were diamond flecked, black, rectangular pools, floating over the darkened Earth below as they reflected the starlight.  Alexander studied the subtle shades of black and dark blue of the panels, contrasting with the bright specks of the stars.  He found himself wishing he had his paints and easel to capture the view before him, to save it before the harsh sun washed it all away or his memory dulled and smeared the subtle details.  Susan’s voice pulled him back to his task at hand.

“Alexander, are you on the truss?”

“Affirmative, Commander.”

“Good, you need to go to the P6 truss segment on the port side, all the way to the end.”

Alexander started to move to his left as instructed and then noting the symmetry of the station found himself very confused.  His left or Susan’s left?  “Ah, Commander, which side is the ‘port side’?”

“Oh!  I’m sorry.  I keep forgetting that you are not familiar with the layout of the station.  Let’s see…if you keep the airlock to your back, you are facing the port side.  Does that make sense?”

“Okay, let me orient myself.” The cosmonaut pirouetted to see the airlock below him and then spun around until it was at his back, and he could see down the truss.  “Okay, I have my bearings now.”

“Let me know when you are at the last segment with the solar arrays.”

“I will be there shortly.”

Jerry finally roused himself from the self-imposed oblivion he had been in since Paul had left.  His hands still ached from pounding the bulkhead in his fit of anger.  Feeling bored and frustrated, he floated around the compartment looking for something that might interest or amuse him.  Having nothing better to do, he switched the intercom to monitor mode—maybe there was something going on in the station that he would find useful.  The speaker was quiet for a few moments and then crackled with static as Alexander’s disembodied voice inquired about the station’s port side.  Jerry perked up immediately and drew nearer to the speaker.

The speaker squawked again, “Commander, to save time, maybe you can give me the details on what I must do once I get to the P6 truss.”