After jumping off Galaxy, as Tom slowly tumbled in space toward the Saturn V third stage, he was starting to question his bright idea. Space was just as Tom remembered; unforgiving and tough to conquer. His body was turning so that he had to crane his neck uncomfortably to see where he was headed. He was still on course to miss the panel and hit his target, the outside rim of the third stage. Even though his body continued to rotate, he held off reaching for his umbilical cord for fear he could alter his course. “I’m ten feet away.”
Watching from Galaxy’s window, Kirk responded with a dash of envy in his voice, “Roger, ten feet out.”
Luckily Tom’s body was going to be in a position where he could reach the outer ring, which was now just five feet away. Piece of cake. Just before impact Tom extended both arms to act as shock absorbers. He easily snagged the rim before his body continued into the dark crevice between the booster shell and the LM. He stopped his downward movement, transferring his momentum into a swinging motion, swaying into the rocket’s internal metal skin. The impact was hardly noticeable. That was fun.
Tom pulled himself up so he could peer over the rocket’s edge at Galaxy, floating about twenty feet away, his umbilical cord slithering in the darkness between the two ships. Both his crewmates’ faces were pressed up against the window. Tom shot them a thumbs-up. “Confirm safely on target.”
Houston answered, “Roger, Tom.”
Tom was pleased to hear David’s voice at CAPCOM.
The panel was dangling about a quarter of the way around the booster’s rim. Tom inspected the rim’s surface to determine if the area was clear of dangerous debris or jagged edges. The last thing he needed was a punctured glove. Confident all was good, Tom started to shimmy along the edge as his legs swayed out behind him. He glanced up at the quarter moon. Don’t worry, baby, we’ll be there soon.
Once Tom reached the panel, he studied the location where it was caught. It appeared a good swift kick would do the trick. “Houston, the problem looks minimal. I will attempt to dislodge the panel.”
“Roger. Take it slow.”
“Copy that.” From his struggles on Gemini, Tom knew he would need a good grip or he’d be the one flying away. He noticed some metal supports inside the rocket. He turned over so he was lying facedown, his feet toward the panel. When he reached for the supports, it dawned on him he hadn’t clearly thought out his plan. He couldn’t see behind him. He blindly moved his foot until he touched something solid above the rim. There you are. He slowly pulled his foot up, ready to give the panel a strong kick. Tom pushed down his leg as hard as he could. As his leg straightened out, his upper body moved forward, causing him to twist slightly. Considering how easy his follow-through was, he assumed he had missed the target. Eventually, his momentum swung his body around, and he was pleased to see the panel was no longer attached. He smiled as the sheet of metal tumbled away. He proclaimed proudly, “Houston, the panel has been cut loose.”
A wild cheer echoed in Tom’s headset before David called out excitedly. “Roger, Tom. Panel is released. Great job!”
Tom’s lower body suddenly changed direction, which was against all laws of motion. He looked down and was horrified to see gas venting from the bottom of his leg. He turned his leg over and winced in fear at the sight of a five-inch gash in his suit.
The cold, terrifying fact was he would be dead in less than two minutes.
Tom fought the impulse to panic as he said bluntly, “David, I ripped my suit.”
“Say again?”
Tom repeated more firmly, “My suit has been cut!”
“Your suit has been breached?”
A hollow moan echoed in Tom’s helmet. “That’s affirmative.”
“Can you manually seal the leak?”
There was no way Tom could reach the tear. “Negative.”
“Roger, you need to get back to Galaxy immediately.”
Staying composed, Tom expressed what the frank reality was. “Why? I’m dead in a few minutes. I’d rather spend my last moments talking to Anne. Is she in the VIP room?”
After some muffled sounds, David desperately answered back, “No, she didn’t make it in today.”
Disappointed, Tom leaned over the booster’s rim. He looked longingly down at the colorful planet slowly rotating below. His one and only true love was down there, and he wanted one last hug. An odd sensation began to overtake him, as if he could feel her presence. He was convinced she was thinking of him at that very moment. As his blood began to boil due to being exposed to the vacuum of space, Tom had to relay his feelings before his symptoms prevented him from speaking. “David, it’s as if Anne is here with me right now.”
“Copy that. I know how much she loves you, and I am sure she is there in spirit.”
His breathing was becoming labored. “I want you to give Anne the biggest hug you have ever given anyone and tell her it’s from me. Tell her I love her more than life itself, and I will be waiting for her in heaven.”
“Roger.”
Tears started to float in Tom’s helmet. With his throat tightening up, he was struggling to breathe. He had to convey one last point. He practically had to cough out his final words. “Bbbuut tell her I..I..don’t want to… see her too soon. I..I… want her to…to enjoy our grandkids.”
“Roger that, buddy.”
“…wake up, Anne, wake up.”
The voice startled Anne. She shot up like a dart, gasping for air, and turned with wide, anxious eyes. Standing next to her bed was Tom’s sister, Virginia, holding a tray with a cup of coffee, a donut, and the newspaper. Though Anne was relieved to have been awakened from the nightmare, she was afraid something was wrong. Still groggy, she stumbled on her words as she quizzed Virginia in a panicky voice. “What…what’s the matter? Is Tom okay?”
Her sister-in-law calmly set the tray on the bed. “Everything’s fine. You were exhausted, so I let you sleep in.” Virginia walked over to the curtains and pulled the cord, allowing a splash of bright sunshine to flow into the room. “Were you having a bad dream? You were shaking.”
Anne sat up in the bed. “I had a nightmare that something bad happened to Tom.”
Sitting on the bed, Virginia handed over the coffee. “I’m sorry to hear that. Well, everything’s fine.”
Anne looked at the clock. Her eyes got big again. She started to get out of bed. “Today’s Monday—Peter needs to get to school.”
Virginia stopped Anne with a calming hand on her shoulder. “That’s all been taken care of. I walked him to the bus stop earlier.”
Anne relaxed back in bed. She set her coffee down on the nightstand and turned up the volume on the squawk box, allowing her to keep track of the communications between Apollo 16 and mission control. She grabbed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. “Thank you so much.”
“No problem. Also my dad called. He and mom will be here for the landing.”
“Great. Peter loves his Oma and Opa.”
Virginia picked up the newspaper and waved it around. “Guess who’s on the front page of the newspaper?”
Smiling, Anne reached for the paper. “Your handsome brother?”
Virginia grinned. “Nope.”
Anne opened the paper and was shocked to see a big picture of her and Chris together, his arm draped around her. “Oh my God.” She read the caption, Anne Novak celebrates the successful launch of her husband’s rocket with astronaut Chris Riddick.