«It’s a matter of days by now» Kelley replied.
«After such a trip… Humanly speaking, I can’t do but hope for the best for their health. And that they survive the reentry.»
«You’re right. Also, after living for years on a planet with a lower gravity than here, they’ve spent six more months in a microgravity environment. We know well how much it damages muscles and bones.»
Reynolds sighed.
«Will they continue the mission, afterwards?» he asked almost to himself. «I mean, will they go back to Mars? Will they take the colonization forward?»
«This will be up to them» Dennis replied seriously, «We won’t choose for them. Not again.»
They didn’t speak further, the hall fell to silence. The silence was occasionally interrupted by thoughtful sighs. Just when Dennis was about to decide to get back to her office, the door burst open and the three turned to it at the same time. A pale, distressed man who had taken part at the briefing shortly before, seemed on the verge of fainting.
«Ma’am» he addressed Dennis, trying (in vain) to hide the torment that quivered within him. «The Odysseus’ main antenna has been damaged. There’s no way to communicate with the kids.»
* * *
Odysseus Spaceship
Jordan couldn’t take his eyes off of it anymore. The truth was he had never seen anything so beautiful before. The Earth was always closer, bigger, more real. The photographs he had seen gave just a weak idea of what was in front of him. It wasn’t a dream, a mystery, a word or an image. He felt like he could touch it if he had reached out. It had begun like a far blue dot that eventually grew, approached, particularized. By now they could make out the shapes and the colours of the big continents floating on that incredible amount of blue water. Every sol they observed the clouds, white and grayish masses in continuous change of shape and disposition, as if they danced harmoniously and frantically, grazing the surface. In the sunlight they observed the blue shades of the seas, clearer next to the shores, more intense in the middle of oceans. By night they witnessed the magnificence of the greenish auroras swaying towards the North Pole. Since a few weeks the two of them were spending the majority of their sols observing that breathtaking spectacle. There was nothing more beautiful.
Luckily they hadn’t encountered other problems during the trip. When they had begun to see the Earth they felt a little less alone, but still it was hard. The continuous atmosphere of tension played tricks on their nerves and Jordan happened to hear Anna burst into tears a couple of times and he never knew whether to leave her alone, try to comfort her or cry with her. But in the end no, he would never cry. They decided to talk, to tell each other anything that crossed their minds because they found out that talking made them feel better. The majority of their confessions were about the fact that they were tired of being far away from any security, far away from the Aresland, from Yan. They wanted to have something solid under their feet again. They were nostalgic for their safe rooms, their warm and soft beds, the familiar faces of the members of the bases. They had taken the habit to communicate with Mars once a month, sending messages where they reported their health status and they assured a good progression of the trip. For a few weeks though they had received no message, but it didn’t seem to worry them too much. They were sure they would get a new message soon. A really long time had passed and, even if they were used to it, every sol was a new struggle. But they had to resist. They knew they were almost there. For better or worse.
That sol, on Mars as well as on the Odysseus, was sol martius 12 Dhanus 240. Jordan and Anna had just finished their dinner and were sprawled in the donut, next to some empty food cans and bags. They were playing at making a ball bounce on the ceiling as it would return back to them slowly and then always quicker, under the pull of the artificial gravity. At the moment it was the most interesting activity they had found.
«Is there something of Earth you would like to see in particular?» Jordan asked at a certain point, to make conversation.
«Everything, I guess» the girl replied.
«But something in particular?»
She sighed thoughtfully.
«Maybe the sea. Because I can’t even imagine how could it be to see so much water all at once right in front of me.»
«Mmm, I agree.»
«What about you?»
«Cats.»
«Cats?»
«Cats. It seems they’re capable of supernatural activities.»
«Ah, really? For example?»
«Being dead and alive at the same time, but only when you’re not looking at them.»
The girl burst out laughing.
«What?»
The girl continued to laugh, incapable of keeping herself.
«What, why would you laugh? Stop it.»
She almost had tears in her eyes.
«Cats have no supernatural power» Anna explained as she got a grip on herself, «Erwin Schrödinger just wanted to demonstrate that quantum mechanics applied to macroscopic physical systems provides paradoxical results. No living being can be also dead at the same time.»
«Clear» Jordan replied with a disappointed tone, «Then, I don’t know. Maybe the rain… Water falling from the sky, can you believe it? These terrestrials have water everywhere and in any form while we… well, apart from the ice we have to recycle everything.»
«Some people on Earth die of thirst.»
«Good one.»
«I’m not joking, I read it.»
«Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Earth covered in water for the seventy percent? I mean, we basically don’t have it apart from the poles but it’s iced! And yet we live decently.»
«Honestly I don’t know what to say. We still have a lot to learn.»
The silence was suddenly broken by a notification alarm, similar to the one that informed them about a new message, but this time it didn’t stop after just a couple of trills. Jordan and Anna looked at each other.
«It must be Yan» Anna assumed before standing up, not too sure of her words. «A little more than a month has passed since the last time, isn’t it?»
Jordan did the same.
«Yes, but it didn’t ring like that… What if it’s not Yan? What if something happened?»
The girl didn’t answer, Jordan noticed a worried twinkle in her eyes. They clung onto a rope descending from one of the four gaps and, with a jump, they flew back up until they came out in the orbital module. They passed in front of the window, next to the sleeping bags and slipped into the descent module where the alarm came from. They took their usual seats and observed the screen, dominated by a flashing red symbol.
Anna went pale, immediately realizing.
A line, that Jordan imagined was representing their trajectory, curved around a circle and then continued forward.
«What does it mean?» he asked frowning, but he received no answer.
Then he moved his gaze above the flashing figure.
«And what’s that count-down? What’s going to happen in two hours?»
He felt his mouth going dry. Whatever it was, it was no good.
The girl passed her hands in her hair, it seemed she was holding her breath while her eyes were fixed on that flashing image, as if she was lost in deep thoughts and measurements.
Suddenly, just like that, she began to open all the drawers under the computers, frantically looking for something in that confusion of papers, instructions and manuals. Jordan was crossed by a shiver.
«Are you going to answer me?!» Jordan raised his tone and Anna stopped frozen, as if waking up from a nightmare.
She raised her gaze to look at him in the eyes, considering whether to speak, then she resumed her search.
«You don’t want to know» she said simply in a low voice.
Jordan grabbed her arm before she could open another drawer and she returned to look at him.
«You tell me what’s going on. Now» his tone was resolute and didn’t admit replies.
&nb
sp; Anna swallowed.
«We… we are fastly approaching Earth» Anna explained trying to keep her voice firm as much as she could. «Too fastly. We risk a flyby.»
Jordan continued to look at her in the eyes while cold sweat formed on his forehead. The girl continued to speak.
«Flyby means that we’re too fast for the planet’s gravity to keep us in orbit around it» she glanced briefly at the count-down, «If we go on like this, in two hours we’ll be lost in deep space.»
Jordan forgot how to breathe. He hid his face in his hands and cursed silently, letting himself lean against the back of the seat.
«Maybe I can avoid it» Anna resumed, giving up her search in the drawers and moving her hair away from her face. Jordan gave her his full attention. «We need to hurry, we have to stop the rotation and get ready for the descent. There’s a manoeuvre that might allow us to land, but I can’t find any document with written steps and… Holy Olympus, alright… I studied it, I know it. I can do it, or rather, I have to. It’s our only way to try and make it alive.»
«Keep calm» Jordan said softly seeing how his friend began to fidget her hands. Staying calm in such a situation was paradoxical, but that just wasn’t the right time to panic. «So. What is it all about?»
* * *
NASA Johnson Space Center
«How much longer?» Torres asked with urgency.
«Fifteen minutes» Coleman replied from his position, «Fifteen minutes and we’re ready for the transmission.»
«It’s too much, too much!» Torres repeated, «In any case, it will be too late!»
«John, we have no alternatives» James Walker intervened to calm him down, «We’ll use the whole power of the retrorockets and with a trajectory closer to Earth they’ll also be hindered by the atmosphere.»
«It’s not going to work!» Torres concluded stubbornly, bringing his hands to his head and turning back.
Given the impossibility to communicate with the ship through the long-rage antenna, NASA had come to choose the most drastic and safe solution: the huge radiotelescope of Arecibo in the island of Puerto Rico. The power of its signal was going to be sufficient to send any kind of message to the Odysseus, which would have received through the smaller short-range antennas. The problem with the radiotelescope was that it was set to receive messages though, not to send them. Computer scientists from all around the world got to work together to reprogram it, all the ongoing scientific experiments at the Arecibo were suspended and dozens of physicists studied the alignment of the radiotelescope with the ship on dangerous approach. All of that had taken about three days and a half of intense day and night work in order to reduce the timeframes to the minimum and everything was almost ready.
It was now a matter of minutes, the alignment was almost completed, the tension was palpable inside NASA’s buildings as well as at the Arecibo and in the entire world. When suddenly the silence was broken by a voice.
«Stop everything!» it was almost a shout coming from Agatha Quinn, sitting in front of another computer on the opposite side of the room. «Walker, Torres, come here! Quick!»
The two didn’t hesitate to rush.
«What’s the matter?» Walker asked observing the computer showing a simulation of the path the ship was on.
«I’ve registered a slight change in the Odysseus trajectory, they’ve modified the orbital trajectory» she underlined.
«The rotation stopped!» another technician said aloud.
«It seems…» Quinn continued, observing the computer screen intently, «It seems they’re coming straight for our atmosphere… »
All the murmurs in the hall died down as everyone’s attention turned to the woman. Quinn raised her gaze on Walker and Torres, furrowing her eyebrows, demanding answers.
«My God» Torres whispered at a certain point, still focused on the screen. «They must have realized the danger they’re in and… I know what they’re going to do.»
In that moment Dennis entered the room.
«I can’t believe they know this manoeuvre, it was used at the time of Apollo» he continued, «It’s called boost-glide, but it’s also known as skip entry. The descent capsule arrives at full speed into the atmosphere and uses it to slow down. It bounces on it like a flat rock on the surface of a lake before dive-bombing into it. It is… the most complicated and dangerous reentry manoeuvre in the history of spaceflight.»
«The alignment is complete, we’re ready for transmission» Coleman spoke up.
«As I recall, the Odysseus wasn’t projected for a boost-glide» Dennis intervened.
«No» Torres agreed, «This isn’t how it was supposed to land. But the shape of the reentry capsule might allow it anyway.»
«If that’s true, then it means that there’s no instruction to perform it onboard. And if they miss the angle of attack it would be fatal.»
Torres pursed his lips and nodded.
«Yes» he said, then addressed Coleman. «That’s why we have the biggest radiotelescope in the world! Change of plan, forget the retrorockets and send all the data to perform a boost-glide!»
«Can you believe it?» Kelley whispered to Reynolds, «I’ve never managed to make a rock bounce on the surface of a lake and those kids are about to make a damn spaceship bounce on the atmosphere!» he passed a hand on his forehead.
«Of course» Reynolds smirked. «This isn’t their problem. They’re Martians. Maybe they don’t even know what a lake is.»
* * *
Odysseus Spaceship – few minutes before
Something was different in the air. There was that tension that precedes something important, upsetting. It was too late to back out by now, they could only go straight for their unknown destiny. The truth was they didn’t have much to bring with them in the descent module. The books, the games or food served for the trip and now they didn’t feel like they needed to save them. The only thing that really mattered to Jordan was the photograph with his mother. He had guarded it carefully, as if it was a piece of crystal, until that moment.
Anna and he had spent few minutes rushing from one module to another in the ship, evaluating quickly what was important to be kept and kind of saying goodbye to those areas where they had been living for one hundred and seventy-five sols. They had just finished the tour and they had stopped to observe the capsule onboard of which they were going to precipitate to the ground with no way to escape. Jordan felt his stomach twisting as he observed Anna’s distressed yet determined expression, but he didn’t show it. He only wanted it to happen soon and quick. The wait felt more frustrating and painful than the landing itself.
«Shall we wear the suits?» he suggested with a firm tone.
Anna moved her unquiet gaze on him. Jordan saw his feelings reflected into her eyes and could tell the girl noticed it too. She swallowed.
«Yes, we must. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to adjust the course.»
Jordan clenched his teeth and nodded rigidly.
The ship’s clock struck midnight, officially starting the one hundred and seventy-sixth sol of trip. The last one. Yet time, by now, seemed to have stopped. Anna was carefully sealing Jordan’s suit, just like he had done with her few moments before. Fulminous and precise movements, attentive and cautious, in silence. They were in front of the window showing planet Earth in all her majesty. The night was advancing on the surface, hiding in the murk every colour, shape, ocean, dragging the lights of the big cities that turned on one after the other, slowly.
«Too tight?» the girl asked at a certain point, with a low voice, as if she was afraid to disturb that calm.
«No, no, it’s fine» Jordan replied.
He turned to completely face the Earth outside the window, his eyes scrutinizing it all for one last time. He perceived Anna moving at his side next to the window and doing the same.
«What… what risks are we running? I mean, what can go wrong?» Jordan asked cautiously, without moving his gaze away.
He heard a long sigh and psychol
ogically prepared himself to the worst.
«Principally we’re running two risks. The first: mistaking the atmospheric entry and therefore exploding. The second: failing the so called rebound and therefore being shot out of orbit and being lost forever in space.»
Jordan stood silent for several moments, letting that information sink in.
«Tell me the truth» the boy swallowed hard, «How many probabilities do we have to make it?»
The following silence did nothing but increase the tension in the air.
«Few. Very few» her voice came out weak, «Actually… the success is almost impossible.»
Jordan’s stomach twisted and his mouth went dry. He perceived his eyes tingling, but he would allow not a tear to escape.
«You’ve always known, haven’t you?» his voice broke in the end, but he tried to hide it, «Since the very beginning.»
«I was aware of the risks as were you» she replied firmly.
«And you’ve insisted to come nonetheless… You shouldn’t have–»
«Stop it now!» she cut him off, «Get this argument out of your head, I had my own reasons!»
«I’ve got my mother on Earth, but you? What reason could you ever have to risk your life at this point?» Jordan raised his tone as well.
«It’s… I…»
«You shouldn’t have come!»
«I came because of you!» she snapped all of a sudden.
Only then he turned to really look at her and met her gaze, his heart pounding as he wondered if he had heard well.
«What?» it came out almost inaudible.
She had her scarlet hair gathered up with a scrunchie so that it wouldn’t float wildly in microgravity, but some locks escaped anyways. She had a spray of freckles on her little nose. Her eyes were as blue as some shades of the ocean Jordan had seen next to the shores. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever met, she was as beautiful as the Earth, full of the same light, of its apparently peaceful air, but with a spirit as devastating as the Earth’s hurricanes. He thought it openly. He couldn’t hold that thought, that feeling back anymore. It was too strong. Anna turned again to look outside the window, as if she was unable to hold his stare.
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