Sam decided to raise his hand.
Dorothy said, “Sam, feel free to ask whatever you want.”
Sam looked at everyone. They were all fixated on him, listening intently.
“Who is controlling the shuttle today? Are we going to test it with pilots? Don’t we need feedback from a pilot who can report on how the shuttle is flying or make a course correction, if necessary, with the shuttle controls?”
Carson jumped in, “That is an excellent question. After we have successfully tested an unmanned flight, we will test it again with live pilots. Today we are controlling the shuttle from a panel we have set up here. This is similar to what we have on Imagine. We have been training ten different pilots who will be joining us when we leave Earth. We have been running flight simulations on computers for three months and have created various situations for the pilots to respond to. Unfortunately, there is no way we can predict every possible situation and every possible response. Sometimes you just have to rely on the experience of those involved in what is taking place.”
Dorothy asked Sam, “Does that information answer your question?”
“Yes, it does. I can’t wait to see the shuttle in action.”
“Neither can we,” said Carson.
Everybody moved back to the half-mile perimeter set up to observe the shuttle.
Tom put his arm around Sam’s shoulders and said, “I hope this works. We really need a good shuttle in space.”
Sam nodded back and gave Jose a high-five. Everyone was indeed in a positive mood, expecting a perfect flight.
Dorothy and Carson told the crew controlling the shuttle to begin. After about five minutes, the shuttle took off. Suddenly, it seemed like there was too much fire underneath the shuttle, but the people observing and controlling the flight did not know if this was an error or not.
After five more seconds, the shuttle rose to a height of about 200 feet. Everyone watched in awe as it departed. Suddenly, it blew up in a mortifying ball of fire and immediately crashed into hundreds of pieces. An emergency fire crew rushed to the scene to put the flames out as Dorothy and Carson looked at the wreckage in disbelief. The looks on everyone’s face said it all.
Tom looked at everyone and immediately assumed a leadership role. He moved quickly to get everyone’s attention.
“Obviously, this is not what all of us were expecting to happen today. It looks like we have suffered a total failure. I am sure that Dorothy and Carson will begin investigating what went wrong, why it went wrong, and make the corrections needed so that we do not have a repeat of this crash again. While I am disappointed in today’s results, I know well enough to know that mistakes happen when we are developing new devices, especially in space travel. The mistakes found will be corrected, and we will be successful with the next shuttle test. One positive result of this is that we did not have any live humans on board when the crash happened. Our team will note precautions that need to be taken to save lives in the future.
“Dorothy and Carson, I am sure you will get to the bottom of this problem, and it will be solved. Please be sure to share your results with the other three spaceships. They may also be having similar problems or may have a solution to what happened. As soon as you have corrected the issues on board the shuttle, we will test it again. We must and will have a working shuttle to be successful in space. Everyone is dismissed. Please get back to work on your specific assignments and be as positive as you can be.”
After the accident, Jose and Sam went back to the ship with Tom. Tom seemed to take it all in stride. Sam gaped at his father.
Tom could see the look of confusion spread across his son’s face and although he himself wondered how he could be so calm at the moment, the moment of looking at each other communicated everything he needed to Sam. Panic was not in his veins, especially with all of these people depending on him, and he wasn’t going to let anyone lose hope in their missions. He was going to get the job done regardless of how many mistakes were made.
The main thing was no lives were lost.
A few hours later Tom sat down in his office on the ship and poured himself a beer. He put on a “Do not disturb” message outside his door. He needed to reflect on the day’s events. Despite all his calmness in going about his job, he was having serious doubts about what he was trying to accomplish or if it could be accomplished at all. Tom was a perfectionist. He was not used to facing failure, and this attempt at flying the shuttle was, for the moment, a huge failure. He expected minor setbacks, but this was not minor at all. They needed an operational shuttle they could depend on if they were to launch the Imagine. If they could not build a shuttle correctly, how could they possibly build the main spaceship? If anyone had been on that shuttle, he would have had to inform their family and prepare for a funeral service for someone who was probably burnt so badly they would not even be recognized.
This led to worse thoughts. What would happen if the Imagine blew up on the launch? He then would be responsible for a thousand deaths, including his own family. Perhaps it was better to ditch the whole project. Yes, some of the people on board would be disappointed or upset, but they would be able to live a normal life. Yes, the environment would become worse, but hopefully everyone would get to live to a ripe old age. He and his family could probably move back into their home and get a dog. Sam could be an Air Force Pilot and perhaps attend the Air Force Academy. Maybe that was the best path to follow. It sure would be a lot safer.
Tom sat there looking out the window and began drinking his second beer. This was the first time he had drank alcohol since he began working on the project, which had basically consumed his life.
As he sat there contemplating his life and failures, his friend Bob walked into the room. If Tom was going to spill his guts to anyone, it would be Bob. He was a great man who could understand all the emotions that Tom was feeling. Yet at this moment, Tom did not want to speak to anyone. He preferred to be miserable by himself. Tom asked Bob to leave, but Bob sensed the depression and sat down next to Tom anyway. He also grabbed a beer and put his feet up on the desk.
They sat together silently with their beers in their hands, taking a sip every few seconds.
Finally, Bob spoke. “I guess it was sort of a rough day today. I can see you are very disappointed over the shuttle failure. Care to talk about it? You can ask me to leave or you can tell me what you are thinking. Of course, if you ask me to leave, I will refuse, so your only option is to talk to me. I will be a good listener and punching bag if necessary.”
Tom looked at Bob’s face and said, “You have been my closest friend for many years. We have served our country together in war and peace and have been through many harrowing experiences. We’ve seen a lot. This is different. I am asking a group of totally innocent people to come with me on a mission in which, just like the shuttle today, could be over in one instant. There are also three other spaceships that are depending on me. Those on board are looking to me to help them travel to an unknown planet, set up a new life, and have confidence that I make the right decisions all the time. Well, Bob, perhaps I am not that man. I could not even launch a shuttle that would carry six to eight people for a short time period successfully. I am going to be responsible for the deaths of four thousand people. I do not think I can live with that result, nor would I want to live with that.