Orbital Maneuvers (2 page)

II

Susan floated over to a porthole and looked out at the blue Atlantic Ocean covered with clouds that looked like puffs of cotton.  How small and fragile Earth looked from orbit, like a piece of hand-painted porcelain, so delicate and beautiful.  Her gaze drifted from the deep blue of the water to the deep black of the horizon.  There was always something very sinister and threatening in the blackness of spaces where one could not see everything that was hidden in shadow.  Susan realized that she was experiencing the same feelings that she had had as a child looking into her bedroom closet on long, hot summer nights, just as the light was fading in the room and the crickets’ songs grew louder.  The blackness she now stared into was infinite, so deep, so ominous that Susan could not turn her eyes away.  Maybe if she stared long enough she could see what was out there and just maybe the ache in her stomach would go away.

Space is so infinite, distances so huge, sizes so massive and time so old that one has no option but to use terms that are measureless in characterization to describe it.  It is in this realm that things happen just because there is enough time or just enough space for them to happen.  The odds of a star going supernova and shredding the planets that peacefully orbited it for billions of years are small.  The odds of it going supernova and blowing one chunk of the debris in just the right direction so that a billion years later it would enter the gravitational pull of our Sun and its path be deflected just enough to intercept the third planet from the Sun, are astronomically small.  Astronomically small, yes, but not zero!  Given enough time, enough space and enough pieces to play with, statistically anything may happen.  This day, a billion years ago, such a star did go supernova, and sent hurtling through space was a piece of an alien planet, almost ten miles in length and four miles across at its widest point.  The life that was once nourished by the light from that sun—plants and animals much unlike anything we would ever recognize on Earth—would never be again, would never awaken to a new sunrise, a new day.  The blackened, charred, sliver of a planet was sent on a journey that would end as it begun: in a fiery cataclysm.  As its environment was shattered and disrupted, it too was about to do the same to a very unsuspecting planet, in the solar system of a very average star, in a remote corner of the Milky Way galaxy
.

Susan was snapped out of her vigil at the porthole by the sounds of the Everly Brothers singing “Wake Up Little Suzy”—mission control’s idea of a little joke to keep things light.  She had been anticipating this song all mission long and was surprised that it took them this long to get to it.  Actually, Susan welcomed the temporary distraction as she made her way to the shuttle’s flight deck to check the status display for the condition of her shuttle.  All systems showed nominal, so there should be no delay in the satellite rendezvous coming up this morning.

Ivan was the first to emerge from the cocoon of his sleeping bag.  He had no trouble sleeping on the shuttle, being a veteran of many months on MIR, and was always the first up and ready to tackle the NASA cuisine that would now be called breakfast.  He was sometimes referred to as “Chef Ivan” because he prepared the food for everyone, especially if they were not at the “table” on time.  He claimed it came from being the big brother to four brothers and one sister who trained him for kitchen duty.  As Susan came down from the flight deck, Ivan floated by, smiling and humming “Wake up little Suzy” none too softly.  He looked closely at Susan and his expression grew serious. “Are you feeling all right?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m okay.  Ready to grab SCIEXSAT after breakfast!” Susan replied, trying to sound excited. 

Ivan gave her a long look. “You are sure everything is okay?  You look troubled.”

Susan took a deep breath and said, “No, really, I’m doing fine.”

“Okay, you are the boss,” Ivan said, and then resumed humming his tune as he floated on his way.

Susan had grown to like Ivan a lot.  Her first encounter with him left her a little concerned that he was too gung-ho with his experience as a military pilot and a cosmonaut, but it didn’t take long for her to realize that he was quite warm and friendly, and he took his responsibilities seriously.  Over the years that they trained together she found that she really appreciated his wisdom and humor.  He coached her on the trials and tribulations of life in space, as well as the intricacies of flying in space.  She helped him with his English and the challenges of living in the United States.

Ivan was on this mission as a warm-up to taking a position on the International Space Station next year, if all went well.  The relationship between Russia and the United States had warmed considerably in the last few years, which made it easier for the exchange of technology, resources, and people.  Ivan took to flying the shuttle like a proverbial fish to water and fell into the NASA routine with ease.  As a testament to his piloting skills, the docking with the space station went well considering that one of the shuttle’s thrusters had become intermittent at the worst possible time.

Breakfast went as usual with the right amount of camaraderie and business.  Between slurping up balls of floating orange juice and eating their eggs and toast, they discussed the procedures they would be going through to catch the satellite. 

“So, Jill, are you ready to earn your space wings?” Susan asked.

“As ready as I’m ever going to be.  Do it just like in the sims, right?”

“Yeah, except for those things that will go wrong. You know, the ones they
didn’t
think up to throw at you in the simulations,” Jerry said as he fished a small piece of egg out of his food packet.  “It’s always those problems that show what you’re made of.”

Susan shot Jerry a quick look of disapproval.  “You’re going to do fine, Jill.  This should be easier than the sims.  You’re going to be weightless and not dealing with the pull of gravity like you had in the water tank.  The important thing to remember is to just relax, enjoy the view and don’t sweat the small stuff.”

“Yes, and remember,” Ivan offered, “Jerry has the harder job, he has to capture SCIEXSAT.  You just have to do the service procedure.”

“Don’t worry about me.  You’ll have the satellite in the bay to work on—just don’t make me look bad,” Jerry said, ignoring Susan’s glare.  “I always deliver!”

Jill blushed.  Deep down she was not totally confident in herself and her abilities.  As a mission specialist she trained for the mission and eventually became quite proficient with the tasks assigned her, but she didn’t have the confidence Jerry had and felt intimidated by him.  Jill opened her mouth to speak but Susan cut her off.

“Yes, Jerry, we know, you always deliver.  You’re coated in Teflon and nothing sticks.  We’ve heard it before.  Just do your job and Jill will do hers.  We’re a team, remember?” Susan’s glare spoke more than her words and Jerry finally relented.  Jerry was one of those people who happened to be very good at whatever they did.  The problem is, he knew it and made no attempt to be modest about it.  He also expected everyone he worked with to be at the same level and would not give any slack.  Unfortunately, Jill was the recipient of most of Jerry’s scorn and Susan had to intercede on more than one occasion.

“Yeah, we’re a team.  I remember,” Jerry mumbled.

Ivan seized the moment to redirect the conversation.  “So, while Susan and Jerry help me with the rendezvous, Paul and Jill will be preparing for your EVA.” He looked at Susan and smiled.  He was rewarded as her expression softened and she smiled back.

“Time is getting close and we should begin.  Anyway, Jill, I’ll be out there working on the piggyback experiments so you’ll have an extra set of hands if needed,” Susan said as she started to gather the empty food packets for disposal.  Her stomach ached in anticipation of the EVA.  The thought of being out in the cargo bay only made her feel more ill at ease.  She did not have the confidence that all would go smoothly.  She couldn’t isolate the reason for it and was surprised because before launch she was looking forward to the EVA.  Mission Control ended her self-analysis.

“Endeavour, this is Mission Control.  We show T-minus 120 minutes and counting for final orbital maneuver to rendezvous with SCIEXSAT.  Do you concur?”

“Mission Control, this is Endeavour, we concur—120 minutes and counting.  We are beginning the final preparations for the maneuver.” Susan replied, feeling a bit better now that she had something to focus on. 

“Roger that, Endeavour.”

“Come on, Ivan, we’ve got some work for you,” Susan said.

“I always knew you needed me!” Ivan responded with a wink to Jerry. “Sometimes I feel like a chauffeur—shall I get your door, madam?” he said to Susan as he bowed and waved his arms toward the hatch to the shuttle flight deck.

“Remind me to tip you after we get home.  I left my change in my other suit!” she said as she floated past Ivan and Jerry through the access port to the flight deck.  Jerry, Paul and Jill remained on the middeck and began to set up the gear and equipment needed for the EVA that Jill and Susan would conduct after capturing SCIEXSAT.

The repetitious training that every shuttle crew undergoes day in and day out on earth only makes it easier when the real show is about to begin.  Everything is by the book and step by step.  This process built confidence among the crew, even more so with the numerous “malfunctions” that the mission trainers had thrown at them to condition the crew to work as one and by reflex action, not measured thought.  The crew had melded into a smoothly functioning unit despite the issues with Jerry and Jill.  Susan and Ivan’s previous shuttle experience helped the rookies as they acclimated to life in space.  Paul being the oldest astronaut on the crew seemed to take on the role of big brother to the younger astronauts, including Susan.  Yet, as mission specialist he had none of the responsibility that Susan had as commander or Ivan as pilot.  It was his friendly, down-home nature, which combined with his soft voice, slightly tinged with a Texas accent, helped one feel comfortable around him.

Susan took her position in the commander’s seat and pulled up the checklist for the satellite rendezvous on her display.  She briefly glanced at the display then looked out the cockpit windows into the black void that surrounded them, trying to ignore the sun’s glare coming off the earth below.  She reached over and adjusted the control for the cockpit lighting to reduce the reflection coming from the internal lights on the windows.  Now content that she was able to see more stars, she stared deeply at them.  She didn’t know what she was searching for but knew to her very core that her fear was tied to something out there.  Ivan drifted up from the middeck, settled into the pilot’s seat and began to prepare for the rendezvous.  Looking around he noticed the dim lights. “Mood lighting?” he asked.

“No, I just wanted a clearer view outside.  You can turn them up if you want.”

“No, that is okay.  It will be better when we approach the satellite.  Are you ready to go through the checklist?”

Susan was so engrossed in the view out of the shuttle that she had almost forgotten why she was there. “Oh, yeah, sure.  Go ahead.”

Ivan eyed her for a moment and then started to call off the items on the list, which Susan echoed, as she made sure the proper conditions were met.  She found herself half listening to Ivan as her gaze drifted out of the cockpit’s windows.  Ivan looked up from his checklist at Susan.  He followed her gaze out of the shuttle into the blackness of space but saw nothing of interest.  Just as he was about to comment on that, Susan jumped.

“Did you see that?” She asked Ivan as she moved closer to the window. 

“See what?”

“I thought I saw that star flicker off and on.”

“I did not see anything, but I was not looking either.  It is probably a reflection off the window, or maybe just your imagination running wild again.”

“No!  I saw it.  Well, at least I am pretty sure I saw it blink.” Susan’s voice trailed off as she realized that the ache in her stomach had returned with a vengeance.  The only thing that distracted her from the pain was the overwhelming sense of apprehension she was now feeling: it was worse than this morning.

Ivan noticed the look in Susan’s face.  “Are you all right?  You look like you did this morning, only worse.”

“I’m okay.” Susan debated whether to confide in Ivan and tell him of her dream and the feelings she was fighting with now.  It just did not seem like the way a commander of a shuttle mission should carry on, especially when it is your first time as commander.  No, she would not say anything.  She decided that it was just a case of nerves and she was not going to give in to it.  Clenching her fists tightly and then relaxing them she answered Ivan.  “I’m okay, it must have been just an optical illusion or a tiny piece of space junk that passed in the line of view.  You know, a one in a billion chance.  I wish I were as lucky with the lottery.”

She glanced at the display and was surprised that the checklist was completed for this phase—she didn’t remember finishing it.  Quickly, she scanned up the list until she saw the last item she remembered and then surveyed the control panels to make sure that everything was set according to the rest of the list.  “Looks like we’re at a breakpoint here.  I’ll go down and check on the preparations for the EVA and bring Jerry up as we get closer to the capture.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ivan said, watching Susan as she levitated out of her seat.