REAL DEAL
“Houston, we have a problem here.”
HOUSTON CONTROL: “Good morning, Eagle. Houston Control here. What’s your problem, this, your last day in that tin can. You must be tired. Mission’s nearly over.”
EAGLE SHUTTLE: “Affirmative, Houston. Commander Busch here in the left hand seat. We have been up and about for more than an hour. And you can turn down that loud bluegrass music now. We’re up. We have started the re-entry checklist and countdown as we speak. The board was evergreen until just now. In the last few minutes I got a yellow on my heads up board and damn it, it just turned red as we speak.
HOUSTON: Whoa! What? What’s the problem? Say again. Go ahead, Eagle. We read you.”
EAGLE: “Seems we have an aft bay sensor showing a significant sudden rise in temperature. Just now got the red light on my board. I’ll give you a heads up when I know more.”
HOUSTON: “How long has it been on?”
EAGLE: “It just came on. I’m sending Mike Quinn, the flight engineer, back to check it out. Thermo shows a temp of ninety five at this time, so I shouldn’t have a red alert but there it is. Quinn is checking it out now. The aft bay is where we had the optics for the Hubble stored on our way up. Now all we have back there is some debris we’re storing till we land.”
HOUSTON: “What have you done about the warning light thus far?”
EAGLE: “I was about to punch the snuffer when the red light came on but am waiting to hear what Quinn has to say before I flood the aft bay with fluorocarbon gas. The ozone hole is big enough without us contributing to it. The problem could be just a sensor malfunction. There is nothing active back there that could start a fire. It may not be real. As yet I have taken no action.”
HOUSTON: “Roger that, Eagle. Good decision. Keep us apprised of the situation. I don’t show anything but green on our board here in Houston.”
EAGLE: “Oh, oh. Damn it. Houston, the temp on my board now shows one niner zero. It’s going up fast. No word from Quinn yet. This looks real.”
OVER THE SHUTTLE INTERCOM: Cap. Quinn here. I’m at the aft bay. The hatch feels very warm. The thermo in the bay indicates two hundred fifty degrees at the bulkhead. The gaskets are getting soft around the hatch but they are holding. I’m afraid to open the hatch, considering. I’m starting to sweat and it’s getting hot back here. I think we have a real problem. You better punch the snuffer.”
COMMANDER BUSCH: “Roger that, Quinn. Stay there and monitor the aft bay thermo at the hatch. I’m hitting the snuffer now. Okay. Done. Give it a minute.”
OVER THE INTERCOM: “Attention, All Crew, we have a problem. Probable fire in the aft bay. Better don your EVA gear and stay alert. I’m using the snuffer to douse it now.”
COMMANDER BUSCH: Quinn, any change back there? Still hot?”
QUINN: I heard the pop and the hiss as the gas flooded into the bay but the hatch now feels even hotter and the gasket is starting to leak some smoke into the mid bay crew compartment. I don’t think the snuffer worked its magic. I might be opening the gates of Hades if I open the aft bay hatch now. No question it’s warmer back here than up front.”
EAGLE: “Did you get that transmission Houston? Apparently, there’s a real fire in the aft bay. Damn, now my board has altered again and is presently showing all green and the red warning light has gone out. The thermo digital now shows only eighty five degrees but Quinn says the gaskets are leaking smoke and the hatch feels even hotter. I’m afraid we now have a temperature sensor malfunction here as well as a real fire.”
HOUSTON: “Roger, that Eagle. Our board is still shamrock green. You may be right about a sensor malfunction. Wiring could have been damaged by the heat.”
EAGLE: “Hell yes, I’m right about the sensor defect, but we also have a real fire up here in the aft bay. I sure as the devil trust Quinn’s report of the leaking gasket and the hot hatch more than some low bidder’s electronic sensor. We’re beginning to get smoke in the mid bay crew compartment. You had better come up with a contingency plan quickly or we’re gonna’ have a problem with re-entry. Get a move on, now.”
HOUSTON: “Ease up, Commander. We’ve got some time. Re-entry in twenty-five minutes. We’re re-routing some sensor pathways to bypass the electronic glitch and see if we can come up with a plan. In the meantime, try opening the aft bay hatch and see if that will snuff out the fire.”
EAGLE: “I’ll give it a try. You do know we are only two minutes away from re-entry; not twenty-five. We will have atmosphere to contend with soon. Those open bay doors may spoil our contour as we re-enter. Remember the Challenger. She had only an eighteen-inch hole in the wing yet she crashed and burned when she tried re-entry with only a minor wing contour irregularity. Those open aft bay doors may cause enough buffeting to tear off the tail section as the atmosphere gets thicker on re-entry and we begin to heat up.”
HOUSTON: “Re-entry imminent? No way, Eagle. Can’t be. Eagle, at present we show you almost twenty-four minutes from re-entry on our computers.”
EAGLE: “I think our computers are out of sync. We show only two minutes till entry. Our nose heat shield tiles are already beginning to glow. We are less than one minutes away from entering the troposphere.”
HOUSTON: “Commander, for God’s sake, don’t open the aft bay doors under any circumstances at this time. You’ll tear off the tail if the bay doors are open as you come in.”
EAGLE: “I know that Houston, damn it. Have you come up with a plan about how I’m going to get this bird down with a fire on board? Things are getting hairy up here and fast. We’ve got a real problem.”
HOUSTON: “You can’t re-enter with a fire burning in the aft bay. You almost certainly will lose control of the electronics and hydraulics as both of those conduits are routed along the overhead in the aft bay. The conduits will melt before touchdown and you’ll crash and burn. Those experimental thrust engines on Eagle will explode, leaving a radioactive contrail hundreds of miles long that will cause substantial pollution world wide. Their energy source is radioactive Cesium 137 with a half-life of thirty-three years. That is unacceptable and we cannot let you come in with the high risk of a crash and burn. You’ll have to pull up till we figure out how to send a rescue vehicle up to you.”
EAGLE: “Come on Houston, get real. If we pull up now we will ricochet off the troposphere, and we’ll fall into the sun before you can launch a rescue vehicle.”
HOUSTON: “That’s true Commander, but you know the drill. ‘The greater good for the world and all that. Sacrifice the few to save the many.’ We’re not giving up on a rescue, but for now, you can’t come in hot with a potential crash and burn. It is just too risky and you’re just too hot. Do you understand? Hold on till we do some calculations.”
EAGLE: “Affirmative Houston. We’re changing our re-entry angle and pulling up. Will await your instructions about a contingency plan.”
HOUSTON: “Have you polled your crew about your decision?”
EAGLE: No polling. This is my decision, Houston. This isn’t a democracy up here. I’m the commander and captain and responsible for what happens aboard this ship. The buck stops here with me.”
HOUSTON: “Understand, Commander. Good decision and appropriate answer. Stand by.
And Eagle crew, Good luck. Houston out.”
* * *
The simulator’s hatch popped open with a rush of stale air and a wisp of smoke.
“How do they do the smoke and the heat Cap? It was so authentic I actually thought the fire was for real. I was sweating,” said Flight Engineer Mike Quinn to Commander Busch as they and the rest of the crew climbed down the simulator ladder to the hanger deck.
The NASA “techi” helped them down the simulator’s platform and said, “this way team. Your six days in that tin can are finally over. Follow me to the MOD for debrief and then you can get some rest. We put you through the wringer, didn’t we? I hear you did real well.
Your last practice run. Next time it’ll be the Real Deal.”
Posted in Short Stories
Pushcart Prize Nominee Reilly Maginn's debut novel, BIO, a medical action thriller is a truly frightening tale of Jihadist bioterrorism. A story of weapons of mass destruction that could happen here in the US. Set in the south Pacific, a volunteer American physician/surgeon faces off against not only a deadly virus, but also the radical Muslim terrorists who developed it. There is a fittingly appropriate conclusion.
