Sam Leaps Over The Moon
The sensation of forward motion was all that Sam felt as he went
plunging across the space-time continuum leaving one life and rocketing
toward his next destination. As the forward sensation ceased and Sam's
vision cleared he still felt his senses gently muted. Usually by the time
Sam's sight returned at the beginning of a leap all of his other senses had
sharpened. All Sam saw was a large panel containing an unknown number of
switches, buttons dials and readouts. They appeared somewhat curved
until he realized he was wearing a helmet. And his sensations were muted because
of the thickness of the spacesuit. Sam reached up and put his hands on his
faceplate and saw he was wearing very thick gloves.
"Eighteen, launch control. Flight surgeon reports an elevated pressure reading for Lt. Commander Brook. Do you copy?" said a voice over the headset.
"Launch control, eighteen. We copy. Recycle your instruments. No problem in
Enterprise. Light this stogie, we are A-OK and ready to go," said a voice apparently
next to him.
Cap com (Capsule communicator) continued, "Roger, eighteen. Countdown
is continuing at T-18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8. Ignition sequence starts,
4, 3, 2, 1, 0. Lift-off. (Pause) The tower is clear!"
Eighteen reported, "Roll over commencing. Maximum period of dynamic pressure is
being experienced."
"Garbled!" was reported from eighteen.
"Launch control, eighteen. Say again," inquired the cap com.
Eighteen replied "OH BOY!"
Disorientation is my usual reaction when another leap starts, but this one started
with sheer terror. Growing up in the sixties and being so fascinated with physics,
the American race for the moon was my second greatest love. Shepard, Glenn,
White, Lovell, Borman, Grissom, Chaffee, Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins and Benson
were names that left inedible impressions on my heart and soul. It was the excitement
and danger they felt in the deepest reaches of space that inspired me to reach into
deepest reaches and mysteries of time and quantum physics. Leaping around I found
it could be as dangerous to me and to those who lost their lives trying to expand
the boundaries of human exploration beyond this frail blue warm watery biosphere.
Now I found myself intimately involved in the very thing I so envied when I was
a child. Instead of the childish delight I might have had, all I could do was let out
a silent scream as I flew through the atmosphere.
Quickly it became very apparent to me that this must have been the start of the Apollo
18 flight to the moon. The spacecraft and spacesuit I was wearing matched the
equipment I had put to memory at an early age. I was sitting on top of the most
powerful rocket of it's day, the Saturn 5 giving us a seven and one half million
pound thrust kick into orbit. Luckily they did not seem to need the participation
of the Lunar Module pilot at this point. That was the couch I was sitting in to
the right of the mission commander. I could hear the various readouts of
altitude as we got higher and higher. I did not know what G force we were under, but I
gladly laid back in my form fitting seat while experiencing several times my
normal weight. The first stage noise was not as bad as the vibration that it
produced. Then the engine must have shut down for the vibration ceased.
"Roger cap com. Confirm first stage shutdown," said one of my fellow travelers.
Then a noise and vibration came from in front of us. The sun shone in my
newly uncovered window. I could see the blackness of space above and the
cool blue of the earth below. The stars were so clear, bright and beautiful,
but nothing could match the blue hues of that thin layer of atmosphere and
water that we call home.
"Cap com, confirming release of the escape tower and shroud. We're
on our own now," reported eighteen.
The extra kick of the second stage sent us even higher. I just went along for
the ride as we road our second stage followed by our third stage. The roar
ceased and then there was silence. No G forces. No vibration. No apparent
motion.
"Cap com. S-IVB stage completely shut down. Parking orbit achieved," said
my companion next to me.
"Enterprise, Houston. Confirm 118 by 122 orbit. Orbital velocity is 18,432
miles per hour. Good shooting gentleman," said the Houston cap com.
"Roger, Houston, eighteen. Thanks for ride. Calavicci out," said the mission
commander.
"Al?" asked Sam very confused.
"That was one great jolt wasn't it? Just like being shot off a carrier, but it
goes on forever! Hoo-yah!" said a much younger version of Al.
Whoosh! "That's right Sam. You and me are heading to the moon!"
said Sam's best friend and project observer Al as he poked his head into the
capsule. "You've leaped into the beginning of my Apollo 18 flight.
And 'Oh Boy' do we have our work cut out for us," said Al the observer.
"Boy, Al that's great it really makes us know WHY WE ARE HERE!" said Sam.
"For country, for exploration AND for the fun of it, Ron," said the younger Al.
"Oh, that's good Sam. You can't talk to me directly since everything you
say goes straight to Mission Control. You are Lt. Commander Ronald
"Firefly" Brook, the Lunar Module pilot. You are 36 years old and today's
date is April the 14th, 1973. My guess is you're here to save our Command
Module pilot Lt. Commander Joseph Benson. He was ..uh.. killed during an
EVA on the way home," said Al quietly.
"You are correct, Admiral Calavicci," said Ziggy through his hand link.
"There is a 98 probability of that scenario."
"Thanks, Ziggy. I was hoping that was the reason. Especially since
it was my fault!" said Al.
Sam looked concerned at his friend.
"Well the good news is that these flights are the most documented
trips of exploration in the history of man. We can get every single file
on this flight flown here from Houston so we can help you out,"
explained Al still nervous.
Sam doodled on the control panel "Z-I-G-G-Y?"
"Well, she has tetra quads of general information, but you are going
to have to retrace every single thing Firefly did and said down to the
second. Or none of us may come back. We should have all the data
flown up from NASA within 36 hours. You have three days till you
reach LOI. Ah, lunar orbit insertion. Most of this leap I should be able
to do off he top of my head without Ziggy," explained Al a little happier.
"Admiral. Should I should down for the remainder of this leap?" said
Ziggy over the hand link.
"NO, Ziggy! There is still basic information that I can remember. I
was the mission commander of Apollo 18 LONG before you were
even activated. Ziggy, I'll feed the information to Dr. Beckett and you
keep monitoring any changes in history," said Al trying to sooth her
gigantic ego.
"Understood, Admiral. Forty-five minutes until the SIVB stage is reignited,"
said Ziggy.
"Sit back Sam and enjoy the ride to moon in the most complicated
piece of engineering ever made by man," said Al proudly.
Al passed through the side of the capsule, punched a few buttons on the
hand link and slowly floated to a sitting position on the top of the command
module. He was looking at the earth below and the stars above.
"This is the way to fly in space. Nothing between you and the stars. It feels
like riding down the San Diego Freeway in my Vette with the top down. Moon
above me and the ocean to my left. Of course now it's thousands of miles
below me and the sky is as black as... God, as that isolation cell I was in at
the Hanoi Hilton. I truly miss this serenity of space. To our time leaping
travel agent, I thank you," said Al as he blew smoke into the darkness.
Quantum leaping had opened me to many new experiences and situations, but
nothing compared to watching the earth pass beneath me through the window
from the Enterprise. I watched with the same excitement and same wonder
I had when I was young watching the astronauts orbit the earth and eventually
heading to the moon. The blue water, the white clouds, the translucent thin
layer of atmosphere never were so vivid and so colorful. Photographs never
show the true beauty of our earth from space. While early explorers risked
their lives crossing the Atlantic for weeks, I was watching it pass beneath me
in a matter of minutes. God it was glorious! But was I up to the task ahead of
me with no training and no pilot experience? I was lucky to survive being
Tom Stratton and flying the X-3 because I could eject from the rocket plane.
In space, there was nowhere to go. I could take a little comfort from flying
with my old friend Al, but he didn't know who I was. They made it back
originally and I had faith in him and in a greater being to get me through
this leap.
"Oh Sam. They are going to fire the S IV B stage again. You'll feel about a five G
kick for a couple of minutes. Then it's coasting all the way to the moon. Piece of
cake. Your fun will be flying the lunar module. Landing is no problem. The
younger me will be at the controls. You just need to give him the readouts.
I can help you with that. Then you'll also have to perform the moon walk, which
should be a walk in the park. Moon Park that is. Re-docking will be a bitch,
but Ziggy has some ideas to help you out. You WILL be piloting the Lunar
Module at that point. So sit down and enjoy the ride. Any questions?" asked Al
twirling his cigar.
Sam just looked at him with a dirty expression since he couldn't answer him.
"Hey, don't worry Sam. We're going to set up a whole network of people to review
the transcripts, and data to keep you informed. You will be able to speak all the
words that were originally said. And then before we get to the reason for your leap,
we should have everything ready. The only bad thing is that Ziggy says that you
must wait until you get back to earth before you leap. That's why you leaped in
before Apollo 18 even lifted off. Don't forget. You're Command Module is
code named Enterprise and your Lunar Module is called Constellation. Both
good Navy names. You see we were all naval officers. This was the big naval
Apollo flight as oppose to Apollo 15 that was all Air Force. Anchors
aweigh!" explained Al jokingly
"Hey, Ron. Hand me the trans-lunar orbit check list," asked Commander
Calavicci.
"Lower door on the right. It looks like a baby's first book with big stiff plastic
coated pages. It says trans-lunar orbit check list," said Al touching the door
with his stogie.
Sam found it easily and handed it to the mission commander.
"Thanks, Firefly," he replied. Sam noticed him busily playing with a small
dowel about six inches in length. He twirled it and tapped everything in
the capsule with it.
Sam pointed and looked at Al with for an answer.
"You don't think they let us smoke here do you? That's a 100 oxygen
atmosphere. One little spark and poof, no more Command Module. Remember
the Apollo 1 fire? I needed something to get me through months without my
cigars. So I played with sticks. Childish, but effective," said Al now playing
with his cigar in a similar fashion.
Sam looked at his friend understanding his need and his obsession.
"Still a little nervous, Al?" asked Sam to the younger Al pointing to the
play stick.
"No, naw. Just a little tick. Beth wishes I did it all the time so
I would give them up for good. She said that the house only
smells good when I'm either out on sea duty or in the middle of a space
flight. It's about the only thing I can't really give up for her. But
she takes it in stride. Wonderful woman! Coming up on S IV B restart.
Brace yourself guys," said the younger Al.
"Eighteen, Houston. You are go for trans-lunar insertion," said the cap com.
"Roger, Houston. Keep the coffee warm. We'll be back in two weeks!"
said the younger Al.
Everything that had been floating in the capsule suddenly flew toward us.
This force was not as bad as lift-off, but the change from weightlessness
to five G's was hard on the metabolism.
"Uff!" Sam exclaimed feeling the acceleration hit him.
"Enterprise's speed is 19,500 and climbing," reported the Command
Module pilot.
After five minutes the booster shut down and we were coasting again.
"Houston, Enterprise's speed in 24,120 miles per hour," reported the
younger Al.
"Roger, copy. Eighteen is on it's way," replied the cap com.
"Gentlemen," said the younger Al, "Next stop is the Aristarchus
Crater."
"Coffee and donuts will be served in the club car," said Al the observer.
"Coffee and donuts will be served in the club car," said Al the younger.
"I hated that line. Tomorrow's paper had that line splashed across the
headlines from coast to coast. The PR boys always wanted cute things
for the press to write about. We were having trouble keeping the
public interest that late in the Apollo program. I never really fit in
the white bread image that NASA wanted for all the astronauts, but
I played along so I could get flights like this. It did get me to the moon,"
said Al puffing proudly on his cigar.
Sam smiled at his friend as Apollo 18 headed out from the earth toward
its lunar destination.
After their first sleep period, Al reappeared to help out Sam to pretend
to be an astronaut.
"Morning, Sam," said Al. "We've got the waiting room set up as a
command center and Sammy Jo is coordinating it. If we have to, we'll
pipe the information directly to you. Now more about your mission.
Poor old Drop Kick bought the farm while he was space walking to retrieve
the film from the Scientific Instrument Module in the side of the Service
Module. A random thruster fired jostling the Enterprise throwing him around
and causing his spacesuit to get punctured. You don't last long when exposed
to the environment in space. Damn waste. He and I flew together at Paxtuent,"
lamented Al.
"Drop Kick?" asked Sam.
"Yea, Ron?" asked the Command Module pilot.
"Ah, nothing," said Sam looking frustrated.
"Oh, he was the field goal kicker at the academy, though we all knew it was
due to his luck with the ladies. So many of them. The drop kick. It was his
favorite position when he, well, you know. Now YOU know the REST of
the story. Put me to shame. Anyway, you'll have to keep an eye on the
pressure gauge for that thruster. That might have warned us, but probably
not. You see that was in front of me and I should have been watching it. And that's
why I always blamed myself. I was responsible for watching that gauge. Now
it's all up to you," said Al hopefully.
"I won't let you down," said Sam smiling.
"Hey, we've been through these simulations dozens of times. I have great
faith on you Firefly!" said the younger Al responding to Sam's last comment.
"Firefly?" asked Sam quietly.
"Yea, in Nam he was flying back from bombing near Da Nang. He took a
bad hit in his left engine, but still nursed it all the way back to the Hornet.
Landing at night no less, he looked like a firefly. Or so the landing deck
officer claimed. So Firefly stuck. He hated that name," explained Al.
Looking both ways Sam whispered. "Yours?"
"I hoped you wouldn't ask. Benny. But that wasn't used in the usual
NASA public circles. Julius Caesar, another Italian, wrote "Veni, vidi,
vici. I came, I saw, I conquered. Firefly back at Patuxent caught me one
time with this gorgeous red headed nurse . We were both in the middle
of a spectacular..anyway. Firefly always liked his Latin and said "Veni, vidi,
Calavicci." Which he roughly translated as he came, he saw, he pounced.
And for the next two tours of duty I was Veni vidi Calavicci or Benny
Calavici for short. Actually I kind of liked the name. The Julius of the
nurses set. But as you can see NASA didn't publish that story either.
Sometimes I would be embarrassed about it if the nickname came up in
the wrong company, but the red headed nurse was worth every bit of it.
Whoa!" said Al now smiling from ear to ear.
"Benny?" said Sam himself now smiling.
"Shh!" said the younger Al. He turned off his mike. "Not with 500 million
people listening in!"
"Sorry, COMMANDER!" replied Sam.
"Joe, grab the camera. It's time for the Al, Ron and Joe Show," said Al
the younger.
Several minutes later, the three-crew members of Apollo 18 were on the air.
Even though the press had the TV feed directly from NASA, broadcasting from
the Command Module was stale news. The networks no longer interrupted
programming since they started doing the same thing during the flight of
Apollo 7 six years before. So for the benefit of the press, NASA personnel
and the astronaut's families; on with the show.
"Greetings from the Enterprise. I'm Moe, and these are my partners Larry and
Curly. We're the three stogies. Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, you know,"
announced Al.
"Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk," said Sam very stiffly not quite in the spirit of the
broadcast.
"Hey this is PR," said Al the observer.
"I want to saw hello to my lovely wife Beth. Tell her I won't be needing
the dry cleaning back for another two weeks," said Al the younger.
"Hi, honey. Everything is fine. Hi Sarah, Jimmy, Cathy, Debbie and Susie.
Be good for your Mom and Uncle Bob. Daddy will be home real soon,"
said Joe.
"God, I hope that'll be true. Your wife is Nancy and your son is Ron, Jr.
He's fourteen," said Al the observer.
"Ah, hi? I'd like tell my wife Nancy and my son Ron that I love them," said
Sam.
Then both Al and Joe gave a detailed description of their mission and their
jobs. All Sam got out was, "I fly the moon thingy!"
"Moon thingy? Where were you when all those old flights were on TV?
But then your brain is full of holes we have to go over some basic
terminology. Oh boy. That is the Lunar Module or LEM,"
said Al the observer.
The show ended with them turning the camera on the moon and showing
the audience their destination.
"And with that we say aloha and good night to all of you back on the warm
planet earth. Good night and God bless," said Al the younger.
"And we're off," said Joe watching the connection voltage.
Cap com replied, "Eighteen, thanks for a great show fellows."
"Roger, that cap com. We're going to get into a breakfast mode here. We'll be
ready for the flight schedule update and the course correction data afterwards,"
said Joe.
"Roger, eighteen. The chimps should have all the calculations done by then,"
said the cap com.
"I always wondered what happened to our friends from Mercury. Thanks for
the update. Calavicci out," said Al the younger.
Sam smiled thinking of some of his friends he met on a visit he made so
many leaps ago.
Back at the project headquarters, Sammy Jo had all the Apollo 18 data
organized with three technicians handling the paper shuffling. Most of the
data was still on hard copy after all these years. Al talked Sam through
the basic housekeeping type duties and got him through the use of the space
sextant for the mid-course correction. Of course the data they needed was
all ready known in their historical database. After two days of crash training
and the genius mind of Sam Beckett, Sam was fairly confident he could
complete the Apollo 18 space mission ahead of him.
As the moon filled more of my window with every passing minute, the crew of
Apollo 18 and I were very close to LOI, the point at which we would slow
down and drop into lunar orbit. I would be revolving around the thing that
usually only astronomers and lovers ever took a close look at. And I would be
looking at it very closely. It was Thoreau that said, "The youth gets together
his material to a bridge to the moon...the middle-aged man concludes to build a
wood shed with them." I had climbed that bridge built by the spirit and youth
of the sixties and one reformed middle aged man was showing his youth and
excitement while starring down from the height of a childhood fantasy.
"Roger, cap com. We are twenty seconds from LOS. (Loss of signal). Read outs
tell us that the Service Module engine is A OK. See you on the other side,"
reported Commander Calavicci.
"Roger, Enterprise. Good luck. We'll see you on..(Static)" replied the cap com. .
"It's just you and me guys alone 240,000 miles from earth. Break out the
dancing girls! Scratch that. I could use something a little more stimulating.
Maybe a stripper or a..scratch that. Check the pressure reading for the SM
engine. We have to drop this baby into the slow lane. Forty seconds to ignition,"
said the younger Al.
"Get me away from the mikes and I'll revert back to the Calavicci you know
and love, Sam!" observed the other Al. "I was really thinking about this
little cocktail waitress back in Cocoa Beach with this great set of after burners."
The sensation of gravity only lasted thirty seconds, but after two and a half
days of weightlessness it was especially hard on the arms and lungs. All that
mass had been there but the weight was a shock even though I had dealt with
it every other day of my life until I became an astronaut.
"Beautiful. Beautiful!" said Joe Benson "We have a perfect orbit."
"It's so dark down there," said Sam admiring the backside of the moon.
"No atmosphere, no light. It's about as dark as it can get," said Joe.
"And we are totally alone right now," said Al gazing at the starry sky.
"Hey, how about when you guys are down there. I am all by myself.
3000 miles from another human being," said Joe.
"After eighteen months of solitary confinement in Hanoi, I found solitude
not very comforting. That's why Ron and I are heading for the lunar surface
together," said Al the younger.
"No sweat. This is my ship and I need some time to clean it up all the
peanut shells Ron left here," said Joe.
"Peanut shells?" asked Sam.
"Remember the peanuts you were eating in the T-38 trainer on the way
back from Houston at Christmas time? I stopped suddenly on the runway
and the all the shells flew forward pelting me in the back of the head," said Joe
laughing at the memory.
"Oh, yea. Sorry about that," said Sam confused.
"(Static) Eighteen, Houston, we see your orbit is 53 by 170. You
are go for at least thirty orbits. Welcome back," said the cap com.
"Thanks, Houston. Good to hear an earthly voice. Too many Martians and
misfits up here," said the younger Al kidding.
"Oh stop with he corny remarks. That one about Martians ended up on the
front page of the National Enquirer!" said Al the observer a little peeved at
his younger self.
Sam just sat there smiling thinking about two Calavicci's arguing with
each other.
"Enterprise, Houston. Ready for navigation update and celestial check,"
said the cap com.
"Going to internal navigation mode," reported Joe
"Sam, in a little bit you have to check out the LEM status. I'll walk you
through it. You'll check monitoring the readouts and making sure the
switches are in the right positions. Then you're heading for the lunar surface.
I really envy you," said Al the observer. "But then I WILL be following
you every step of the way."
"But you're coming with me!" said Sam a little worried.
"In about twenty minutes. Keep your shirt on, Firefly. Go into the LEM
if you want to. I'll finish up here," said Al the younger patting him on the
back.
"Go ahead, Sam I'll be right there with you. But I'll really be standing in the Imaging
Chamber and not feeling the movement and vibration of your decent. There's nothing
like it my little Buck Rogers!" said Al the observer.
"Buck who?" asked Sam.
"Don't you remember anything? He was.. Oh forget it. Can't even remember
the greatest Saturday afternoon movie serial of all time. Of course that was
before your time, Swiss cheesed or not. Just don't forget what we went
over the last couple of days. It's not easy to fly, but just follow the checklists.
Sammy Jo and I will get you through it," said Al puffing away. "Ziggy,
center me in the LEM."
Al the younger and Sam, assisted by Al the observer, separated the Lunar
Module Constellation from the Command Module Enterprise.
"Houston, Enterprise. I am reporting a new Constellation on the horizon,"
said Joe now alone in the Enterprise.
"Houston, Constellation. Roger, copy. The Constellation is away and heading
for the moon. Hoo-yah!" said Al the younger.
"Constellation. Houston. Tanks are pressurized and were heading down the
freeway. Looks like traffic is light, today," said Al the younger.
"Houston. Constellation. Traffic copter reports no major backups between
here and Arsitodres. Safe journey," said the cap com.
"Constellation, Enterprise. Good luck and God speed," said Joe who had
passed by them as they slowed down and descended to the lunar surface.
Even though Sam had title of lunar module pilot, he really only monitored
the LEM systems while Al the younger had his had on the joystick.
Nearer the surface Sam, prompted by Al the observer called out the spacecraft
status.
Cap com: Enterprise, Houston. We expect to lose their high gain sometime
during the powered descent. Over.
Joe: Enterprise. Roger.
Sam: Houston, Constellation. How do you read?
Cap com: Five by-five, Constellation. How's your burn? Over.
Sam: Roger. The burn was on the money. The residuals before nulling:
minus 0.1, minus 0.4, minus 0.1.
Cap com: Enterprise, Houston. We've lost Constellation. Have him try
the high gain. Over.
Joe: Constellation, this is Enterprise. Houston lost you again. They're requesting
another try at the high gain.
Sam: Houston, Constellation. We are recycling the high gain protocol. How do
you read?
Cap com: Constellation, Houston. We have you now. Do you read? Over.
Sam: Clear as a bell.
Sam: Houston, we got a 450 alarm early in the program. Sequence recycled and
we are go. Over.
Cap com: Roger. We saw that, Ron. Thank you very much. If you read, you're Go
for powered decent. Over.
Sam: Roger. We are Go for descent. Elevator is going down.
(Sam looks funny at Al, injecting own personal style through Sam.)
Cap com: Initiate descent checklist.
Sam: Roger. Stabilization and Control circuit breakers. DECA Gimbal AC, Closed.
Circuit breaker, On. Command Override, Off. Gimbal Enable. Rate Scale, 25.
Thrust translation, four jets. Balance couple, On. TCA throttle, Minimum. Throttle,
Auto, CDR. Prop button, Reset. Prop button. Okay. Abort/Abort Stage, Reset. Att Control,
three of them to Mode Control. Okay, Mode Control is set. AGS is reading 400 plus 1.
Sequence camera coming on.
Cap com: Constellation, Houston, Checklist complete.
Sam: Roger. Engine Arm, Descent. 40 seconds
Younger Al: Descent armed.
Sam: Proceed. Three, Two, One, Zero.
Younger Al: Ignition.
Older Al: Ariatacheus. Here we come!
Sam: Ignition. Thrust 10 percent. Throttle up looks good.
Cap com: Constellation, Houston We've got you now. It's looking good. Over.
Younger Al: Okay, rate of descent looks good.
Cap com: Constellation, Houston. Our recommendation is that after yaw around, use
pointing angles: S band pitch, minus 9, yaw plus 18.
Sam: Copy, Houston.
Younger Al: Two minutes; going good.
Sam: RCS is good. No flags. DPS pressure is good. Altitude's a little high.
Younger Al: Looks like were down range a little far.
Sam: AGS is showing about 2 feet per second greater descent rate
Younger Al: Altitude rate looks right down the groove.
Capcom: Roger. You are Go to continue powered descent.
Sam: Roger. Attitude, 33,000 feet.
Cap com: 6 plus 25, throttle down.
Sam: Roger. Copy.
Cap com: Roger. Delta H is looking good to us.
Sam: Throttle down.
Cap com: At 7 minutes, you're looking great to us, Constellation.
Younger Al: And I have the window. Looking out the window. 16,000 feet.
Cap com: You're at 7000, (garbled). Looking good at 8:30.
Younger Al: Okay. 5000 feet. 100 feet per second is good. Going to check
my attitude control. Attitude control is good
Sam: 35 degrees. 35 degrees. 750. Coming down at 23 feet per second.
Younger Al: Okay.
Sam: 700 feet, 21 feet per second down, 33 degrees.
Younger Al: Target area in sight.
Sam: 600 feet, down at 19.
Sam: Okay, 400 feet, down at 9 forward.
Younger Al: Right on the money
Sam: 350 feet, down at 4.
Sam: 330, three and a half down.
Sam.: 300 feet, down 3 ½, 47 forward. Slow it up.
Sam: 1 ½ down. Ease her down.
Younger Al: 270. Okay, how's the fuel?
Sam: A OK. Set her down.
Younger Al: Okay. Let's park her over there.
Sam: 250, down at 2 1/2, 19 forward.
Sam: 11 forward. Coming down nicely.
Sam: 200 feet, 4 ½ down.
Sam: 5 ½ down.
Younger Al. Heading for that little knoll.
Sam: 160 feet, 6 ½ down.
Sam: 5 ½ down, 9 forward. You're looking good.
Sam: 120 feet.
Sam: 100 feet, 3 ½ down, 9 forward. Fuel five percent.
Sam: Okay. 75 feet. And it's looking good
Cap com: One minute of fuel.
Sam: 60 feet, down 2 1/2. (Pause) 2 forward. 2 forward. That's good.
Sam: 40 feet, down 2 1/2. Kicking round some dust.
Sam: 30 feet, 2 ½ down.
Sam: 4 forward. 4 forward. Drifting to left. 20 feet, down a half.
Cap com: 30 seconds.
Sam: CONTACT LIGHT!
Younger Al: Shutdown
Sam: Engine Stop. ACT out of Detent.
Cap com: Roger. Landing control indicates contact.
Younger Al: Engine arm is off. Houston, Constellation Station
reporting from Ariatacheus. We're on the Moon!
Sam: We DIDN'T crash.
Cap com: Constellation, Houston. Roger the non-fatal impact mode.
Al the observer: That is not going into the history books under the inspired
first words category. But I know how you feel, fellow. You did great kid.
Al the younger: (Off mike) We didn't crash? Firefly, I never doubled it for a minute!
Sam: Then how come the two dowels?
Al the younger: Double the luck, double the fun, the Volaskey twins for everyone!
(Mike on!) Constellation ready to down load the housekeeping list changes.
On the moon, can you imagine that! And we landed safe and sound. All
thanks to a guardian angel, named Al and the world's biggest and most egoistical
computer to back me up. Now I had to lock everything up, suit up and
then for my stroll on the moon. Feeling great and loving it!
Al finally had enough room to stand up, but he still had to stick out from the
control panel since there was only enough room for two to stand. It seems
due to the limited amount of room, each astronaut had to dress the other one.
"OK Sam. Push that umbilical cord into the blue connection on the front of
my suit. Turn it left till it clicks. Good," said Al looking at his hand link
read out, listening to the technicians in the imaging camber and trying to
remember his training from almost 30 years before.
"You're a little rusty there, Firefly. We're behind our best time by thirty
minutes," said the younger Al.
"Oh, just nervous I guess. Nervous and excited," said Sam.
"I know what you mean. This is the ultimate kick in the pants!" said the younger
Al smiling.
"Houston, Constellation. We are putting on our helmets. Radio check.
How do you read?" asked Al the younger.
"Constellation, Houston. You're five by five. Do you copy?" asked the
cap com.
"Roger Cap com. You're loud and clear," said Al the younger.
"Do a radio check, Sam!" said Al the observer.
"Houston, Constellation, radio check. Do you hear me?" asked Sam.
"Constellation, Houston. You are coming on loud and clear. Do you copy?"
asked the cap com.
"Roger that. I hear you fine!" said Sam.
"Depressurization commencing, Houston," said Al the younger.
"Roger, we have a green light. No we see a warning signal. Check
your EVA suits," said the cap com.
"Sam. Your right glove is not completely tight. Click it closed again,"
said Al the observer.
"Houston, Constellation. I am fixing my glove. How's that?" asked Sam.
"Roger, all lights are green. Continue with decompression," said the
cap com.
When pressure inside the LEM had reach a vacuum, Al Calavicci opened
up the hatch and started down the ladder.
"Boy, it's beautiful out here. No windows to look through now.
The ladder is easy to negotiate. I am opening the equipment bay,"
said Al.
"Your transmission is coming in crystal clear, Constellation," said
the cap com.
"Houston, Calavicci. HI BETH!" said Al as he waved and went to
the base of the ladder.
"It looks a lot like the beach around Hilo near sunset.
I'm going to step off of the LEM footpad now. May what we
learn here take our science further than the distance that we had to travel
to the moon," said Al in a historic moment in the mission.
"Some PR guy back at Marshall Spaceflight Center penned that one.
Hokey, but I'll always be remembered for it," said Al standing next
to Sam in the LEM module.
"The area around Aristarchus is very rocky. We're sitting on about a
Five-degree slope. Moving around is not too hard. I'm going to pick up
the contingency sample, Houston," said Al the younger.
"That's just in case we got attacked by moon men or the LEM was
going to blow up. At least we bring back ONE ROCK! Now we're
going to do this right." Al punched a few buttons on his hand link and
slowly descended to the footpad. Stepping off he said, "God, I wish
the Volaskey twins were here. I wander what it's like in one sixth G?
Now's that's memorable," he said blowing smoke into the darkness of space.
In fact he looked very strange in his orange Armani walking around
on the lunar surface smoking his cigar. "This is even better than sitting
on the outside of the Command Module. I'm really walking on the moon.
No space suit! Neil Armstrong eat your heart out. YES!"
"Constellation, Houston. Ready for the Lunar Module pilot egress," said the cap
com.
"Roger, Houston. Exiting LEM," said Sam.
"OK, Sam. Lower your head, twist to the right. Remember you have 180
pounds on your back, but it only weighs thirty pounds. Good Sam," said
Al the observer.
"Houston, I'm at the foot of the ladder. I find stepping off very easy. Hopping
is much easier than walking," said Sam.
"Look at that crater over there, Firefly," said Al the younger.
"What a soup bowl that would make! " said Sam.
"Reminds me of a sand trap I was in at Pebble Beach. The vice president
and I were playing it and I shot a double birdie even with the trap," said
Al the younger.
"Constellation, Houston. Roger you're in the trap. Recommend a wedge,"
said the cap com.
"Lookie here. I just found Shepard's ball. One hell of a slice ending up
here," said Al the younger.
"Copy. Lost and found will notify Captain Shepard. Proceed with unloading
the LRV," said the cap com.
To my amazement, we unfolded a four-wheeled vehicle from the side
of Constellation. It had wire mesh wheels and two seats made of straps.
A camera was mounted front and center. It had no engine, but a small motor
for each wheel. Commander Calavicci and I made three journeys with the
lunar rover throughout the Aristarchus area visiting both craters and a
valley or canyon that was formed by a collapsed lava flow tube. No where on the
moon would water have made such a canyon. Though not as big as the
Grand Canyon, it was beautiful in the fading light of the long lunar day.
Al was with me all the time the telling me where to go and which
rocks to pick up. The Aristarchus region contained both light and dark
material. We saw extensive evidence of volcanic activity. Al said that this was
all confirmed by the NASA scientists at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory.
Visiting the Aristarchus crater was incredible. It was forty kilometers in
diameter and almost four kilometers deep. That made that crater in Arizona
look like a pothole. NASA had never visited such a large crater before.
It was a beautiful sight.
On the last day we set up the lunar experiment package and the
American flag.
"Sure looks great against the dark sky," said Sam staring at it.
"Old Glory. Long may she wave. And she will sit here on the moon
for a long, long time," said Al the younger.
"About three hundred thousand years, unless we're back before then,"
said Al the observer.
"Constellation, Houston. Data is being received from the Lunar
Experiment Package. Data stream looks good," said the cap com.
"Roger, cap com. We will now take the sun shield off the plaque,"
said Al. "Care to read it, Firefly?"
"Sure. Here men set forth exploring the Aristarchus region. April 1973.
We came in peace and left with knowledge and it has the signatures of
the Apollo 18 astronauts," said Sam.
"Constellation, Houston. Roger, we copy. Thank you. Time to clean up
shop. Move the LRV to it's final resting place," said the cap com.
"Hope I can find a parking place," said Al the younger driving it about
500 feet away,"
We climbed up the ladder for the last time and closed the hatch. After
removing my helmet I said excitedly, "That is one experience I will
never forget."
"Ain't it the truth," said Al the observer poking his head into the LEM.
"Ain't it the truth," said Al the younger.
Al the observer first looked shocked and then replied. "Brilliant observation,
if I do say myself. And I did. Twice!"
Much later they depressurized the LEM to throw out the extra food, waste and
the EVA suits.
"Can you see just leaving that trash on the moon?" said Al the observer.
"But then there's only so much fuel in the LEM ascent stage. It seems
so cruel with the beauty that the moon has had for millions of years,
just to dump your trash. Jeez, it's a shame," said Al shaking his head and
blowing smoke rings into the darkness of space.
"Houston, Constellation. We have one last experiment to do. Aristarchus,
was a Greek mathematician that postulated that the sun was the center of
the solar system centuries before Copernicus. He also fairly accurately
deduced the distance the earth was from the moon by using the diameter
of the moon as a unit of measurement. I mounted a pole with a circle on it on the
Lunar Experiment Package antenna and plan to do the same experiment,"
said Al the younger.
"Roger, Constellation. Commence Aristarchus one," said the cap com.
"I'm lining the disc up with the earth. Using a little logic, a little
Calavicci know-how and a pad of paper," said Al the younger.
"What about the computer?" asked Sam.
"Unless it's has to do with our trajectory, I don't think it will work!" said
Al the younger wondering about his partner.
"SAM! The computer on my watch can do more than that landing
computer. This is 1973. It wasn't designed to do general computations.
By the way, the answer is 475,000 kilometers," said Al the observer.
Sam showed him the answer.
"475,000 miles. Looks like we have a longer trip home, Houston," said Al
the younger.
"Constellation, Houston. We'll send up a rope help pull you down!" said
the cap com.
"I question our scientific method up here. But it's all a tribute to the crater's
namesake. His answer was closer. Those Greeks were pretty smart 3000
years ago. The experiment has been completed, Houston," said Al the
younger.
"Constellation, Houston. Roger. Start check list for lift off," said the
cap com.
Al and I went through the check list and made sure all the dials read properly
and all the switches were set. My holographic friend was not usually nostalgic,
but was really sorry to say good-bye again to the lunar surface.
"God this place is majestic. I wish Beth were here to see it," said Al the observer.
"Admiral, the images will be saved as always. You and Captain Calavicci can
visit it at any time," said Ziggy.
"Thanks, Ziggy," said Al the observer.
"Houston, Constellation. Good luck. You are Go for lift off," said the cap com.
"Roger, Houston, 3.2.1. Lift off!" said Al the younger.
Sam felt very little acceleration in the one-sixth g. As they lifted off the flag
waved in the "breeze" of the exhaust from the ascent stage engine. Over his head set
Sam heard "Anchors Away" in the background. Al the observer had a tear
in his eye.
"Yep. This mission was Navy through and through. Anchors away, Sam," said
Al as they headed for a rendezvous with Enterprise.
"Constellation, Enterprise. You're coming up real fast. It's good to she you,"
said Drop Kick."
"You're one beautiful sight, Enterprise. How about a ride home?" said Al
the younger.
"I'd love the company. Come on board. You are closing at 50 feet per second,"
said Joe.
Sam was very nervous at the controls. This was the job of the Lunar Module
pilot.
"Sam, Ziggy has everything set. We have a bright red light set up as a target.
An arrow will tell you which way to go. No light means you're just on target.
Just like an old video game," said Al the observer.
Sam's eyes brightened while he started playing with the new target.
Al the younger commented, "Don't use so much of the thruster fuel or
we'll run out before docking."
"Right Sam. Easy on the throttle. A little up!" said Al the observer.
Sam eased Constellation up to the Enterprise and they had a hard dock.
"Houston, Constellation. I confirm the hard dock," said Al the younger.
"Houston, Enterprise, Clamps are in place. Soft dock is confirmed,"
said Joe in the Enterprise
"Eighteen, Houston, Copy. Docking is complete," said Sam sighing.
"Good work Sam. You actually brought it in earlier than in the original
flight. You've sure got the 'right stuff'," said Al trying to pat his back with
his hand going though Sam.
We loaded the lunar rocks aboard the Command Module, sealed up the
hatch and sent the ascent stage of the Lunar Module plummeting into the
moon to create an artificial earthquake that was measured by the several
seismic stations left by the various Apollo missions.
"So long Constellation. you were a darn good ship," said Al the
younger.
"Best thing I ever flew," said Sam truthfully.
Apollo eighteen orbited the moon two more times and behind the moon
we fired the Service Module engine to kick us into a return to earth orbit.
While my two faithful traveling companions thought the trip was winding
down, my reason for being there was just beginning.
The next morning after breakfast and housekeeping duties, it
was time for Joe to perform his EVA. Joe had been taking
pictures of the moon for three days while we were on the lunar
surface. Control of the Scientific Instrument Module was
from the Command Module. The film still had to be retrieved
from the Service Module that was to eventually burn up
when we reentered the atmosphere. Since the whole experiment
package was the Command Module pilot's responsibility, Joe
had to walk in space to retrieve the data and film.
Al the observer was getting nervous. As he had told me earlier,
the gauge that indicated the sudden change in pressure in
the wild thruster was on his part of the control panel
and was his responsibility. He didn't want to have the younger
Al make the same mistake twice. His first suggestion was to
get them to perform the EVA earlier.
"Say, Al," Sam said to the younger counterpart. "Let's get
the EVA over with earlier and we can do some stellar photo-
graphy in our free time later. Or you can just goof off a bit."
"I NEVER goof off! Though I do perform some tasks very
leisurely, especially if I want to take it slower," said Al
the younger.
"You mean 'goof off'," said Sam.
"Yea, I guess so. All right. As soon as our chores are done,
I'll OK it with Houston," said Al the younger.
"Great. That should put the flight sixty-five minutes ahead of
schedule. That blasted thruster can fire all it wants and we'll
be safely in the capsule. Great Sam," said Al very relieved.
Unfortunately fate was not with us and Houston had us
checking so many things that all of our extra time was
whittled away. So we put on our pressure suits and
decompressed the Command Module. I kept a very close
eye on the thruster pressure gauge.
"I see some fluctuations in the number two thruster fuel pressure
gauge," said Sam urgently.
"What? Let me thump it," said Al the younger thumping
the gauge, "I don't think there's a problem. Enterprise,
Houston. Do you read any pressure fluctuations on the
number two thruster?"
"Enterprise, Houston. We'll check it," said the cap com
Pause. "Negative on the number two thruster. You are
go for EVA."
"Copy, Houston, EVA is green," said Al the younger.
"Sam, the gyros are near gimbal lock!" said Al the
observer.
"Ah, the gyros are near gimbal lock!" repeated Sam.
"What? Let me see! Nothing. Firefly, are you getting
space happy? Why all the jitters?" asked Al the younger
worried.
"Sorry Sam. I'm getting "space happy!" Oh, boy. That
last suggestion was too off the wall," said Al the observer.
"Sorry, Yea, jitters," said Sam smiling to Al the younger.
"Thirty-three minutes until the accident," said Al the
observer.
Joe crawled out the hatch and slowly worked his
way back to the Scientific Instrument Module. I could
imagine his view was spectacular out there among the stars.
He proceeded very quickly, pulled out the appropriate
cassettes and headed back top the Command Module hatch.
"Five minutes, Sam!" reminded Al the observer.
Sam stood up in the hatch.
"Firefly! Get back in here!" called out Al the
younger.
"I just want to help him back in," said Sam urgently.
"Good Sam. Now crawl out and sit in the hatchway!"
coached Al the observer.
As Sam crawled out of the capsule, Al the younger
yelled at him again. "Ron, get back in here and that's
an ORDER, Commander."
"Firefly, what are you doing out here? This is a one man
exercise," questioned Joe.
"Hand me the cassettes," said Sam.
"One minute," reminded Al the observer.
"Firefly! Houston says to return to the capsule!" said Al the
younger.
"Here you go!" said Joe handing him the cassettes.
Sam leaned over and pushed it in the hatch.
"Give me your hand, Joe," said Sam.
"I've done this twenty-five times in simulation,
Firefly!" said Joe.
"GIVE me you hand," ordered Sam.
"Ok, OK!" joked Joe.
"Al, check the number two pressure gauge!"
asked Sam.
"How can I do what when my whole crew
is riding this capsule sidesaddle. Oh my God."
Houston, Enterprise. We have a 45-psi rise in
the number two thruster. 60. 75..90.." counted up
Al the younger.
"Hold on Sam!" said Al the observer.
"Hold on tight, Joe," explained Sam.
With no air there was not a sound. Gas shot
from the number two thruster away from the two
astronauts. The whole craft pitched violently in
the opposite direction. Sam held on tight to Joe
who was flying at the end of Sam's hand like a rag
doll. Sam grabbed him with his second hand and
held on to the hatch opening with his feet.
"Great Scott!" cried Joe. "Don't let go!"
"Grab my feet, Al!" called out Sam as he was losing
his grip on the capsule.
"You bet. Holy cow! I got you, Firefly. How's Joe?"
asked Al the younger.
"Reeling him in. He's one big fish," said Sam.
"Luckily you're weightless!"
"Enterprise, Houston! What was that motion? Our
accelerometers went off the scale!" said the cap com.
"Stand by Houston!" said Al the younger that was
too busy to respond. He pulled Sam in by the waist
and pulled Joe in headfirst.
"You OK?" asked Al the younger.
"Yep. Thanks to Firefly. Otherwise I might be in permanent
orbit. God bless you!" said Joe.
"Hey, forget it. You can buy me a beer at home!" said Sam.
"Houston, Enterprise. We had an inadvertent thruster fire. The
capsule was subjected to serious gyration. Firefly
grabbed onto Jim and together we pulled him in. Everything
is now normal. Hatch is closed and locked. Enterprise
ready for re-pressurization," reported Al the younger.
"Roger, copy. Begin re-pressurization. We'll look into that
thruster problem. Glad to hear all is well. Good work,"
replied the cap com.
"Roger, Enterprise, out!' said Al the younger.
"Firefly. Not that I'm not grateful, but what prompted you
to change our procedures, stand up in the hatch and be ready
to help me?" asked Jim very relieved.
"Yea, what was all that about?" asked Al the younger.
"Well, you might say I had a premonition," said Sam not too
convincingly.
"Sure glad you did. How about that! The first psychic in
space," said Al the younger.
"SAM. THANK YOU!" said Al poking his head into the closed
hatch door. "You saved me from a lifetime of regret and Jim's
kids won't remember this as the flight their father gave his all. Good
going, SAM," said Al standing there with sweat rolling down
his face.
A man named Al who ran a bar one time told me that my leaps
were going to get harder. At the time it made me think, but I never
realized what lengths I would have to go to. Arranging weddings and
saving people from traffic accidents was nothing compared to the
terror, danger and effort required to keep the three of us alive in the
hazards of space AND save one of my fellow travelers from a death
in the cold dark vacuum of space. But I had done it, I had done it! Not
only was I filled with a great sense of satisfaction, but I had helped out
the one true friend I had along with my journey up and down the space-time
continuum. No one else in the entire world knew about it because history
had been changed and one tragic event in the American space program
had been corrected.
Flying the rest of the way home was literally a walk in the park. A
150,000 mile walk between the earth and the moon! Back at our previous
routine Al was telling me what to do as we flew the Enterprise home and
monitored her systems. As the Apollo 18 Command Module increased in speed
and headed toward the atmosphere, we prepared for splashdown.
"Enterprise, Houston, your velocity is 23,800 miles per hour. You are go
for capsule separation," said the cap com.
"Houston, Enterprise. We copy. Separation in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Separation bolts
ignited," said Al the younger.
"Houston, that was some jolt!" said Sam.
"Report on battery power and attitude," said Al the observer.
"Power is green and attitude vector is 23, 56, 015," said Sam.
"Correcting attitude. Thrusters commencing. Pitch and yaw look
good," said Joe.
"Enterprise, Houston. Attitude is good. Entering atmosphere in ten minutes,"
said the cap com.
Several minutes later Al reported, "Houston, G level is up to three. The fireworks
outside the craft are spectacular!"
"Looks like were right next to the campfire at my old scout camp. Beautiful, just
beautiful!" said Sam.
"Ionosphere building up around the capsule," said Al the younger.
"Roger, eighteen. We will be losing contact in less than..." reported the cap com.
"That's it. We're out of touch again. This gravity feels pretty rough since we
haven't felt this much in two weeks," said Al the younger.
"The extra G's will be over in three minutes according to Ziggy," said
Al the observer.
"Soon it will be over soon," said Sam to Al the younger.
"Not until the shoots open. Then you can relax," said Al the younger.
"You're not scared, chief?" asked Joe.
"Only fools aren't scared. I DO have faith in the design of this capsule!"
said Al the younger reassuring his crew.
"You're about to soil your spacesuit, my little astronaut," said Al the
observer really remembering what happened.
The extra G's lessened as the drogue chute could be seen shooting out of
the top of the capsule.
"Come on, BABY!" cried Al the younger.
Sam said a quick prayer even though he knew they made it. It was
the immediate perception of danger that worried him.
"Floot!" went the sound of the main shoots in bright and colorful white and
red stripes. A sudden pull from the tension of the chute straps gave a momentary
tug sensation inside the capsule and then they slowly lowered the capsule to the
awaiting ocean below. The astronauts could feel the capsule gently rotating from
the massive chutes above.
"Yippee!" cried the three astronauts one at a time.
"Eighteen, eighteen. This is Houston. Do you copy?' said the cap com.
"Roger, Houston. Three beautiful chutes can be seen out the window
and the most glorious blue sky above. It's good to see the underside of the clouds
again," report Al the younger.
"Welcome home, eighteen. The JFK reports you twelve miles off their
port bow!" said the cap com.
And the capsule slowly descended through the deep blue sky.
A final thump was felt as the capsule hit the water at thirty plus miles an hour.
It began to roll and pitch in the ocean.
"OH BOY! That's pretty rough," cried Sam feeling the motion in his stomach.
"Tell me. Great little old spacecraft. LOUSY BOAT! Secure all stations,
cut the power and unstrap yourselves," said Al the younger. "I'll open the hatch."
The salt-water smell was overpowering. Even though I had grown up on a farm
in Indiana, that salt water sure smelled like home compared to the sterile
hospital, sweaty smell of the capsule air.
A frogman poked his head in. "Welcome back, gentlemen. Lieutenant Jonathan
Mathews at your service."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. We could sure use a lift," said Al the younger.
"The Navy is proud and pleased to give it to you. Your raft awaits," said the
navy frogman.
Al stood up in the capsule door, took a deep breath of the salt air. "Ah, the smell
of being at sea. Nothing else like it in the Navy. OK, crew let's bid Enterprise
a fond farewell." He pulled out a fresh cigar kept lovingly in his suit, chomped away on it.
and jumped into the life craft.
The Command Module pilot was out next. He stood up and stretched out his full
length for the first time in two weeks. "God that feels good. Look at that
beautiful copter overhead. Follow me, Firefly."
"Welcome home Jim. You'll never know the difference, but GOD it's good to
see you alive and well," said Al the observer standing on the waves next to the
capsule. Joe joined the younger Al in the life raft.
Next Sam Beckett stood up smiling his broadest smile. He saw Al walking on the
water and laughs. "Any messiah-like tendencies?"
"No. Just our usual leaping miracles, thank you. Joe is still with us and he kept on
being an astronaut well into the space shuttle program. AND since no one died on
this flight, NASA was able to complete the Apollo program with Apollo 19 and 20.
As an astronaut, I thank you again. Your job here is done cowboy. You can leap onto
the sunset," said Al.
"Great! That was one hell of a leap. I could never do it with out you Al," said Sam.
"Same to you, Sam. To a job well done. Bye," said Al as he tipped his cigar and
Sam disappeared from the early morning Pacific sky in a brilliant flash of blue.
THE END