Rocket Girls: The Last Planet

by Housuke Nojiri

  The booster was aided in this by the fact that as it used fuel, the booster got lighter, adding to its acceleration. By the time they were out of fuel, they would be pushing back into their seats under 8 G of pressure—the fastest point in the launch sequence. That moment would be Akane’s first real test.

  They got out of the Humvee off to one side of the launch pad. There they stood for a moment, looking up at the rocket towering over them. The three of them got into the elevator. The air had been perfectly calm at ground level, but twenty meters up, there was a light breeze. A thin walkway extended from the elevator door to the orbiter.

  “How do you feel?” Satsuki asked.

  “Right as rain.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Okay then. Good luck.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Here goes!”

  Together, Yukari and Akane crossed the boarding bridge. They opened the orbiter hatch and sat down inside, bodies facing upward toward the sky, Yukari on the left and Akane on the right. The seats had been molded to each of their bodies, making for perfect fits.

  They attached cables to the connectors on their space suits and fastened eight-point harnesses to their shoulders, chests, waists, and knees. Now the only things they could move were their heads and arms.

  Yukari scanned the control panel, reviewed all of the key switches, then flipped the master power switch.

  Air conditioning on. Cabin lights on.

  When the hatch closed, cutting off their view of the outside, it was like they had taken their first step into space. The two girls’ eyes met.

  “This is it.”

  “Yep.”

  Her voice was quiet, but Yukari could tell that Akane was ready to go. The other girl took a deep breath, set her jaw, and turned her gaze to the instrument panel.

  “Whew, it’s the same,” she whispered. Then more loudly, “It’s all the same as in the procedure simulation.”

  “Yep. The acceleration feels just like the centrifuge, the view’s the same, and all the communications are the same. If you want to know what’s different—”

  “I’ll find out when we start moving?”

  “That’s right. Gives you something to look forward to.”

  Yukari flipped on the communicator switch. “Solomon Mission Control? This is Mangosteen. You read me?”

  “Hoi, Yukari! Loud and clear!” Matsuri’s voice came over their speakers. Contact with base was, as a rule, handled by the backup astronaut. Since they went through the same training they knew best how the other astronauts thought, which made communication easier.

  As flamboyant as she could sometimes be, Matsuri did her job well, and Yukari had great faith in her. She had to be exceptionally intelligent as well, considering that she went from living among her tribe to manning a solo space flight in the space of three months.

  The event clock showed T minus one hour fifty-four minutes.

  Ballpoint pen in hand, Yukari began to read off her pre-launch checklist.

  “One, pyrotechnics safety switch.”

  Akane checked and responded, “Locked.”

  “Two, attitude control handle.”

  “Locked.”

  “Three, abort handle.”

  “Locked.”

  And so on down the list. It was rumored that the entire purpose of the checklist was to keep the astronauts from getting bored, but Yukari always made sure to follow it to the letter.

  It was always better to check for yourself instead of trusting someone else. Though the number of things one could check inside the cockpit was limited, if you did all you could, then you could at least sign off on that portion of the checklist. After that, you waited for fate to decide—at least that was how Yukari liked to think about it. It helped control the fear.

  Even though this was Yukari’s fifth launch, she still felt that familiar fear gnawing at her stomach. Just three meters beneath them were explosives equal in power to a tactical nuke, enough to accelerate them up to Mach 26 in the space of several minutes. Two girls who couldn’t even legally drive scooters would be accelerating faster than a military fighter pilot. Of course it was frightening.

  Yukari occasionally looked up to check on how Akane was doing. The other girl was marking off each item as she read aloud carefully.

  Thatta girl.

  Of course, in a sense, Akane had it easy. Every SSA rocket previous to Yukari’s first flight had exploded moments after launch.

  T minus thirty-five minutes. A large clanging sound rang from outside the orbiter. Akane sat up straight in her seat, pricking up her ears. “What was that?”

  “The movable tower just disengaged. It means we’re on schedule.”

  “Oh, right. It caught me off-guard.”

  “That’s one thing the simulator lacks: the sounds.” Yukari began to explain all the noises Akane would hear while on the ship. “The high-pitched buzzing sound is the electrical inverter. The light sloshing sound is the liquid oxygen tank. The low temperature system makes a dong sound every once in a while, but that’s normal too. And the sound from the ventilation is just a fan.”

  Akane nodded, taking it all in.

  “Just before we take off they’ll repressurize the liquid oxygen tank. The noise is a little shocking. Sounds like things ripping apart, so get ready for it.”

  “You’re very observant, aren’t you, Yukari,” Akane said, looking up at the other girl with respect in her eyes.

  “That has nothing to do with it. You’ll hear everything yourself whether you want to or not.”

  T minus fifteen minutes.

  The countdown was proceeding apace. Pretty soon that ripping sound Yukari had warned Akane about filled the cabin.

  “LOX tank, pressure normal.”

  “All systems are looking good, Yukari. How are you doing, Akane?”

  “I’m doing great, Matsuri. A little excited, maybe.”

  “That’s the way to be! Keep a bright heart, and the evil spirits won’t want to have anything to do with you.”

  “I’ll remember that, thanks.”

  T minus five minutes. In five minutes, they’d be shooting into space. Nearly every device in the cockpit was active and whirring now, the various sounds blending into one steady hum. The two girls lowered the airtight visors on their helmets and talked over their intercoms. The time for chitchat was over.

  “Flight control data, check.”

  “Control data, check.”

  “Clock operation, check.”

  “Clock is functional.”

  “APU standby switch, on.”

  “APU standby switch, on.”

  T minus three minutes.

  “Access arm stowed. Begin filling launch pad—intercom volume, plus two.”

  “Intercom volume, plus two.”

  This was to prepare for the roar of liftoff. They could hear water splashing like a waterfall down onto the launchpad.

  “Looks like we’re really going. Usually if we make it this far, we’re set,” Yukari explained.

  Akane only nodded in reply.

  “Oxygen release valve closed. Liftoff pressure.”

  “Mangosteen, all systems are functional.”

  T minus sixty seconds.

  “Switch to internal electrical power. Orbiter voltage, check.”

  “Voltage is normal.”

  T minus twenty seconds.

  “Solid boosters, APU start.”

  “APU start. I can hear them.”

  T minus fourteen seconds.

  “All systems go! Get ready!”

  “Yukari, Akane, we have a green light for takeoff. T minus ten, nine, eight, seven—main booster ignition—four, three, two—solid boosters ignition.”

  The entire orbiter shook as the shock wave from the solid boosters made the craft vibrate like a drum. The anchoring bolts on the launch pad flew off, and the rocket was free.

  Akane felt her body sink into her chair.

  “Launch site clear—Mangosteen is a
irborne,” Matsuri announced as though she were giving the weather.

  Yukari made her first report. “This is Mangosteen. We’re climbing steadily. Akane, we’re on our way.”

  “Uh-huh,” Akane managed in a hoarse whisper.

  Outside their window was only sky.

  Their speed climbed violently. With only a tenth of the space shuttle’s weight, SSA rockets took off like ballistic missiles.

  Inside the cockpit, the vibrations grew steadily worse. Though from space the earth’s atmosphere looked paper-thin, this was where rockets had to pass their first hurdle—the struggle against air resistance. Just before and after the point of maximum dynamic pressure—the point called “max Q”—the rocket shook like it was being pelted with hail. That came around T plus sixty seconds, at an altitude just below ten thousand meters.

  “Yukari, Akane? Get ready for max Q.”

  “A-all systems operational,” Yukari said through clenched teeth. “You h-hanging in there, Akane?”

  “Y-yeah.”

  “The G’s pretty bad but the sh-shaking’s going to stop soon.”

  “O-okay.”

  After about a minute, the vibrations died down.

  “Through max Q. All systems operational.”

  “Great stuff!”

  Don’t jinx us, Yukari thought. She checked the altimeter. They were already over thirty kilometers up, flying at an angle of forty-five degrees with their heads pointing toward the ground. You didn’t feel like you were upside down, though. You just saw the earth above you.

  “You can see the ocean out the window now.”

  “Hey, you’re right. It’s so blue.”

  “Still hanging in there?”

  “So far.”

  T plus 140 seconds. They were at an altitude of sixty-eight kilometers now. With a ringing thud, the solid boosters separated and fell away.

  “SRB separation lamps on.”

  “Hnnk.” Akane grunted. The Gs climbed rapidly immediately after the solid boosters dropped.

  Matsuri’s voice came over the transceiver again. “Solid booster separation went great.”

  Stop saying that, you’ll jinx us!

  “Akane, this next part is the toughest.”

  She must have heard her grunt over the radio.

  “I-I know,” Akane managed to squeeze out the words. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly.

  “Matsuri,” Yukari cut in, “don’t talk to her for a bit.”

  “Hoi! My bad!”

  The emergency escape rocket attached to the tip of the orbiter fell away.

  T plus 260 seconds. They were now at an altitude of 170 kilometers.

  The pressure climbed to over 4 G. Yukari felt her limbs pressing down into her chair. Now all she could do was look at the instrument panels and wait. She wasn’t even obligated to report.

  4.5 G… 5 G… 6 G… 7 G…

  “Just a little more.”

  They hit 8 G and then, like that, they were floating.

  “Main booster burn finished.”

  There was a crisp sound as the main booster separated. On the booster, small retro-rockets fired to pull it farther away from the orbiter.

  “MB separation light.”

  “Main booster separated. Nice job, you two!”

  “Yeah. Mangosteen’s systems are all operational. Uh—signing off for a second.”

  Yukari switched her transmitter from ALWAYS ON TO PUSH TO TALK. Once she was sure they couldn’t hear her on the ground, she said, “Akane! We made it!”

  No answer.

  Yukari undid her harness and looked over at Akane’s helmet.

  Sleeping like an angel.

  Figures…

  She opened Akane’s visor and patted her on the cheek.

  “Akane. Akane, wake up.”

  “Huh…Yukari?” Her eyes fluttered open.

  “Rise and shine, Akane. You’re in space.”

  She stuck her hands out in front of her face. They floated. Akane’s face lifted and she looked out the window. “The ocean! And clouds…look, the edges are rainbow colored—that must be a storm! Wow…”

  She was like a child riding a train for the first time.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “This is amazing, Yukari. It is beautiful. The earth is beautiful!” Akane’s eyes shone.

  “Did I tell you or what!” Yukari beamed. I’m so glad you came, Akane. To the SSA, and on this mission.

  Up here, Nellis Academy felt very far away indeed. She might have cursed the place once, but that had been enough.

  “The most amazing part is when you do a spacewalk. But let’s contact mission control, shall we?”

  “Oh, right.”

  “Careful, whatever you say will stay in the log, so you don’t have to mention that you fainted. Not that you’ll be able to hide the medical monitor record.”

  “Oh…” Akane frowned. “So I did faint.”

  “Hey, it’s okay. You were still in training, after all. So, give your first report.”

  “Right.” Akane nodded and pressed the talk button. “Solomon Mission Control, can you read me? This is Akane on the Mangosteen.”

  “Hoi, Akane! How is it up there?”

  “I saw a rainbow. It was gorgeous!”

  “That’s great. Lucky you!”

  “Thanks, Matsuri. And thank everyone on the base for me.”

  Yukari cut in. “All right, we’re preparing to adjust our orbit. Signing off.”

  “Hoi, we’ll send you our program as soon as it’s ready.”

  This was the moment of truth—the first of several, actually. Yukari carefully began a check on every system. Getting into space didn’t mean you could just float around, doing nothing. The space shuttle and Mangosteen had to orbit the earth at a speed of over seven kilometers a second or they would fall back down to Earth. Mangosteen was currently in orbit at an altitude of two hundred kilometers—a full hundred kilometers below the space shuttle.

  Picture a drawing of two concentric circles. The small circle is Mangosteen’s orbit, the large circle is the space shuttle’s. Now, draw an ellipsis connecting the six o’clock position on the small circle with the twelve o’clock position on the larger circle. What they had to do next was take that elliptical route from their current six o’clock position to the shuttle’s twelve o’clock position, ascending the hundred-kilometer gap as they completed a half orbit of the earth.

  In order to increase the altitude of their orbits, they would have to put on speed. This meant firing their thrusters just the right amount at the six o’clock position. It also meant firing their thrusters again when they reached the shuttle’s twelve o’clock position, because if they didn’t, they would descend on their new elliptical orbit.

  The trick was to put on just enough speed to match that of the shuttle. Of course, the shuttle needed to be there at that exact time too, or the two spacecraft would never meet.

  A successful rendezvous depended on two accurate thrusts at exactly the right time, landing position, speed, and direction with fantastic precision. The technology involved was an entire magnitude more complex than that required just to get into space. Miss the timing just once, and they would fall back to Earth. Yukari didn’t care so much about the SSA’s reputation, but she didn’t want to look like a fool. Particularly because of the attention she got and the rumors that she was window dressing and all the tough work was being done by computers.

  “It’s my own bad luck for looking so good.”

  “What was that?” Akane asked.

  “Nothing. You mind checking the antenna system? I’ve got the engine.”

  “Right.”

  The heat resistant shields on the rear of the orbiter were open, allowing the nozzles for the OMS engine they used to adjust their course while in orbit to stick out. For fuel, they used mono-methyl hydrazine and nitric quadroxide. Helium gas was used to keep pressure on the fuels and push them together when the time came.

  All tha
t was required for thrust was for the two fuels to touch, making for very accurate operation. In the end, the entire engine was controlled by a series of valves. Yukari liked to think of this job as resembling that of operating a waterworks.

  A small parabolic antenna was attached to the bottom of the ship, pointing toward a TDRS, one of NASA’s stationary communications satellites. By tapping into the satellite communications network, they could stay in touch with the ground no matter where they were in their orbit.

  “I have confirmed a data link with the TDRS.”

  “Great. That should get us through to the guys on the shuttle.”

  “I should think so. Want to say anything to them?”

  “Let’s talk after we’re on our elliptical orbit. I don’t want to show off only to stick our feet in our mouths.”

  Akane chuckled nervously. “Good point.”

  [ACT 6]

  “THERE—THAT’S THEM! It really only took them two hours after takeoff to get here,” Luis remarked. He was looking through an observation window in the ceiling with binoculars. “Their orbiter looks exactly like that old Gemini module. Japan’s made some progress.”

  “It might look the same, but that orbiter’s designed to be reused even after reentry,” the captain said. “It can lose a heatshield tile and still have no problem when it hits the ocean. Don’t take them lightly. They’re using next-gen technology compared to us.” He called to Norman who was waiting in the air lock. “Mangosteen is three klicks below us. You finish your breathing?”

  “I’m ready to go whenever.”

  “Well don’t until they grab hold of our RMA. You don’t want to take a blast from a thruster.”

  “I know, I know.”

  Just then, a childlike voice came in over the transmitter. It was a girl, speaking English with a Japanese accent.

  “Space shuttle Atlantis, this is SSA orbiter Mangosteen. We have visual contact with your ship, over.”

  “Mangosteen, this is Atlantis. We read you loud and clear. Make your approach whenever you’re ready.”

  “Roger. We should be finished with our rendezvous sequence in four minutes.”

  When they finished their apogee thrust, the two ships were in stable orbit a kilometer apart from each other.

  “Sequence complete. Looks like I was only about a hundred meters or so off.”