Captain John Montgomery checked the control panel on the sleeve of his spacesuit for the third time. All his system indicator lights, with the exception of life support, glowed red when they should have been green. He was in a jam and he knew it.
Moments earlier, Captain Montgomery had taken his first steps outside the safety of the space shuttle as it glided silently in Earth’s orbit. His instructions had been clear:
1. Exit the spacecraft and secure himself to the shuttle using a tether.
2. Float or “spacewalk” to the end of the tether.
3. Detach from tether.
4. Engage the space-suit built-in jet pack and return to shuttle.
Steps 1, 2 and 3 had been carried out flawlessly. No issues. But now, he was in trouble. The built-in jets needed to propel him back the safety of the shuttle stubbornly refused to fire. And now, their failure to operate was causing him some concern.
He pressed his intercom button. “Houston, we have a problem. I am showing multiple spacesuit system failures. This includes my jet-pack. Do you copy?”
A distant voice in his headphones replied. “We copy that, Monty. We see your system failures down here and are working on a solution. Standby.”
“Standing by” Monty replied. What else can I do? He thought.
As he waited for Mission Control to respond with a solution, Monty stared at the shuttle. Normally, he loved the vastness and solitude of space but now, for the first time in his career, he was scared. To look away from the shuttle, from safety, from rescue, from life, could mean he never set eyes on it again, and his fate would be sealed. He locked his eyes on the shuttle’s crew entry airlock and tried to control his breathing.
A crackle in his ears. “Monty. This is Houston.”
“Receiving. Go ahead.”
“Ok John, our top engineers have come up with a workaround we need you to try. Power down all your systems. We know this includes life support, and reboot. Hurry John. You don’t have much time.”
Montgomery raised an eyebrow and thought, “Switch it off and on again? Really? And these guys claim to be rocket scientists!”
He looked at the power switch on his suit. Reluctantly, hesitantly, his hand moved to turn off his life support system, when suddenly his helmet filled with a blinding light and a deafening sound.
“Houston. I fear I’m too late. The Space Dragon has found me”.
“John. What are you doing? I’ve been calling you for the past 10 minutes. Your tea is ready and on the table.” John’s Mum had entered his bedroom, switched on the light and was shouting.
“I was just about to fix my spacesuit jet-pack and return to my shuttle.”
“Well, you can return to your shuttle after you’ve had your tea. And don’t forget to do your homework.”
Captain John Montgomery made one last call. “Houston. Can rocket scientists help with sums?”
Moments earlier, Captain Montgomery had taken his first steps outside the safety of the space shuttle as it glided silently in Earth’s orbit. His instructions had been clear:
1. Exit the spacecraft and secure himself to the shuttle using a tether.
2. Float or “spacewalk” to the end of the tether.
3. Detach from tether.
4. Engage the space-suit built-in jet pack and return to shuttle.
Steps 1, 2 and 3 had been carried out flawlessly. No issues. But now, he was in trouble. The built-in jets needed to propel him back the safety of the shuttle stubbornly refused to fire. And now, their failure to operate was causing him some concern.
He pressed his intercom button. “Houston, we have a problem. I am showing multiple spacesuit system failures. This includes my jet-pack. Do you copy?”
A distant voice in his headphones replied. “We copy that, Monty. We see your system failures down here and are working on a solution. Standby.”
“Standing by” Monty replied. What else can I do? He thought.
As he waited for Mission Control to respond with a solution, Monty stared at the shuttle. Normally, he loved the vastness and solitude of space but now, for the first time in his career, he was scared. To look away from the shuttle, from safety, from rescue, from life, could mean he never set eyes on it again, and his fate would be sealed. He locked his eyes on the shuttle’s crew entry airlock and tried to control his breathing.
A crackle in his ears. “Monty. This is Houston.”
“Receiving. Go ahead.”
“Ok John, our top engineers have come up with a workaround we need you to try. Power down all your systems. We know this includes life support, and reboot. Hurry John. You don’t have much time.”
Montgomery raised an eyebrow and thought, “Switch it off and on again? Really? And these guys claim to be rocket scientists!”
He looked at the power switch on his suit. Reluctantly, hesitantly, his hand moved to turn off his life support system, when suddenly his helmet filled with a blinding light and a deafening sound.
“Houston. I fear I’m too late. The Space Dragon has found me”.
“John. What are you doing? I’ve been calling you for the past 10 minutes. Your tea is ready and on the table.” John’s Mum had entered his bedroom, switched on the light and was shouting.
“I was just about to fix my spacesuit jet-pack and return to my shuttle.”
“Well, you can return to your shuttle after you’ve had your tea. And don’t forget to do your homework.”
Captain John Montgomery made one last call. “Houston. Can rocket scientists help with sums?”
