Because of all the scattered clouds over the earth, it took Peter awhile to figure out exactly where he was, but soon a big smile came across his face when he realized he was slowly passing over Texas. Breathtaking anvil tops of thunderclouds jutted up, like jagged rocks protruding upward, each casting large shadows over the clouds below. Fortunately they were in West Texas, away from Houston and his mother.
She had no idea he was in space, let alone floating above her. She also had no idea she would never see her son again. Knowing he was above her gave him a sense of closeness. I hope someday you’ll understand why I am doing this, Mom. Peter flashed back to his mom’s description of the horror and fear she experienced when his dad had his heart attack. He was doing the right thing. We owe it to Dad to clear his good name and prove he is a hero! Please forgive me… and know I love you! He took a few sips of water from the small tube by his mouth before taking one last panoramic look. Re-energized, he turned back to the Soyuz. Let’s finish this crap.
BOTH MEN WERE PUSHING THE LIMIT of their oxygen supply. They were already past the eight and half hour mark for their spacewalk and Boris had been hounding them to get back to the airlock. The last thing he needed was two dead astronauts floating outside his space station. Peter had finished attaching the booster to the back of the Soyuz with the explosive bolts. He had connected all the bolts’ wires to one lead wire that he was going to attach to the wire Viktor would supply from the Soyuz so they could initiate the firing of the bolts by a switch in the cockpit. Viktor was handling all of the wiring inside the Soyuz since he was the expert on the machine. He planned on hooking the wires to system switches they did not need, such as those needed for returning back to earth.
Boris’s intensity in his voice increased as he now was ordering the men back to the airlock, informing them they were dangerously low on oxygen, but Peter continued to ignore the request, stating they were too close to stop now. If they didn’t finish, they would have to wait until the following day for their second spacewalk, extending their stay up to three days at the station. Considering the jump they needed to get on China, this was too risky. Peter was determined to finish now.
Peter looked at the monitor of his main oxygen supply—he was already in the red. Damn it, I can’t quit now! “Viktor, I’ve finished the wiring, how are you doing?”
Viktor, breathing heavily said, “I need few more minutes.”
“Well, I’m already in the red on my oxygen level.”
“I already switch to SOP.”
Adrenaline shot through Peter. SOP was the astronaut’s secondary oxygen supply and offered around thirty minutes of oxygen. It was to be used only in emergency situations, not as an additional oxygen supply. Any other astronaut would have long warned Mission Control of their low oxygen level and would be in the airlock by now. Travel back to the airlock would take fifteen minutes, and they needed another fifteen minutes to pressurize it. “Viktor, why didn’t you tell me? We need to get going now!”
“We almost done—we can’t wait till tomorrow. Let’s finish!”
“How long have you been on SOP?”
Victor paused. “Couple minutes.”
Suddenly Boris came over the radio. “Damn it, Viktor, you need to get to the airlock now or suffocate!”
“Just few more minutes,” stressed Viktor as he kept working.
Peter floated around from the back of the Soyuz, holding the wire he connected to the explosive bolts. He grabbed a handrail on the side of the Soyuz and waited for Viktor, who was moving as quickly as he could. Peter agreed they needed to finish, but not at the risk of his partner running out of oxygen. Viktor was needed for the mission. While nervously waiting, Peter saw the end of the robotic arm floating next to him and got an idea, “Boris, can Todd transfer Viktor to the airlock by the ISS arm? That should save ten minutes.”
The radio was quiet for a moment. “What about you?”
“Once Viktor hands me his wire, I’ll only need a few minutes to connect the two. I’ll fly over on my SAFER and probably beat Viktor over there.”
Peter saw Viktor floating toward him, his gloved hand extended with the wire. As soon as Viktor reached him, Peter snatched it and proceeded to connect the two wires. While working he told Viktor, “Get on the arm and get over to the airlock!”
“Roger,” said Viktor as he grabbed a hold of the robotic arm. After attaching his tether line he radioed in an exhausted voice, “On arm.”
“Roger, hold on,” said Boris. Soon the arm slowly swung Viktor to the airlock.
Peter finished connecting the wires and hoped they had done everything right. Unfortunately, he did not have time to review their work. He hoped for the best.
It had been years since Peter had trained on how to operate the SAFER, and he’d had very little review at SpaceQuest. He hoped he remembered what to do. He hurriedly swung down both arms of the contraption so they extended out at a 90 degree angle in their locked position. Placing one arm on each he mentally reviewed the procedures for operation. He looked out toward the Quest Airlock and saw Viktor already getting off the arm and climbing in. Figuring he didn’t have any more time to waste, he pushed off the Soyuz. Oh fuck it… I’ll figure it out! While floating he turned the switch to “on,” activating the machine, and the small control panel on his left lit up. He lightly pressed the miniature joystick forward with his right gloved hand, firing small thrusters that propelled him forward. He was flying toward the airlock. Wow… this baby works… cool!
Viktor said, “Peter, I in airlock.”
“Roger… Johnny Quest on the way,” said Peter with excitement in his voice. “Yahoo!”
The SAFER was working perfectly. Peter sailed along under the station in a straight shot to the airlock. As he approached, he pulled back on the joystick to slow down, but the reaction time of the thrusters was longer than he had expected. He was going too fast. He was going to hit. “Oh, shit!” said Peter over the radio as he braced for impact. This is going to hurt!
29
AGAINST ORDERS
Though his helmet didn’t rotate, he still turned his head. Bam! He slammed right into the side of the metal module.
Viktor, in a surprised voice asked, “What was that?”
Peter, half dazed and holding on to the airlock said, “Just some bird smashing into a windshield.”
“Oh, you bird. You okay?”
“Little sore, but okay. Working my way down. Boris, I should be in the airlock in one minute.”
“Roger. I hope you didn’t damage the airlock with your little stunt,” said Boris with some concern in his voice.
“Your ship’s okay. I think I took the brunt of the impact.”
Both Peter and Viktor were exhausted after their long, hard spacewalk. Peter was stoked they had finished all their tasks within the single spacewalk, a miracle in itself, while overcoming Viktor’s low oxygen problem. They even set a record for the longest spacewalk ever. He entered the Galileo to radio the good news to SpaceQuest.
“California, this is Galileo, do you read me?” Nothing. He tried again. “California, this is Galileo, do you read me?”
The radio squawked. “Hello, Galileo, this is California. Read you loud and clear.”
“California, we finished all tasks today. We’re all clear for the final stage tomorrow.” He couldn’t be too specific in case China was listening.