Chapter 27• In other words
*Still Day 13 of Origenes Crisis*
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In all honesty, in the grand 'moon mission overview' that I had been replaying in my head, I had momentarily left out the Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) maneuver.
Yet, our third rotation around the Earth was underway.
We were told to stay in the cockpit and not remove our suits until they said it was safe to do so.
Weston had closed the hatches back up and the pressures were normal. Visors were once again lowered.
Arlo and the White Team were going through their own casual back-and-forths, a complete departure from the rigid structure that we'd seen at launch.
We were preparing to exit our low circular parking orbit into a "highly eccentric orbit" around the Earth. Once Cygnus hit its lunar transfer arc, its trajectory systems would calculate an elliptical orbit around the Earth with an apogee near to the radius of the Moon's orbit. If done right, it would match the projections that the NASA team had already set.
According to the White Team, the tracking and data relay satellites were keeping up with us.
This next part was as vital to our success as launch was, so I was surprised at myself that I'd let the understandably overwhelming first phase of the mission overshadow what came next.
TLI wasn't exactly one of the flashier maneuvers you'd see on a mission, but it was one we couldn't afford to mess up.
"Engines are once again warm, waiting on you", Arlo said.
"Cygnus, copy- all systems looking nominal here, just about 20 seconds now", came the reply.
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15
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10
….
5
….
"Congratulations, Cygnus, you are Go for TLI!"
"Copy that…. there's ignition", Arlo said.
Unlike the Apollo missions that required a transposition and docking separation between two vehicles, our combined module's primary engine fired for a second time. It was just as smooth as it had been, but this burn lasted more than five minutes, pushing our speed from about 17,400 miles per hour (28002.6 km/hr.) to 24,226 miles per hour (38987.9 km/hr.).
Our rapid acceleration broke us from the bonds of Earth's gravity, almost like a child letting go of a supporting hand to coast freely as they learned to ride a bike.
My first experience in that department was on a skateboard, and it took me three or four tries before I was ready for Ryder to let me go back then.
The spacecraft shuddered in a similar manner to our earlier "turbulence."
It took a few minutes to notice our change in direction. However, we slowly began to pull away from everything we ever knew.
"Apogee looks good, attitude is en-route for hyperbolic lunar swingby", came Dr. Everette's voice.
"Good stuff, the hard part's over, huh?", Arlo said.
"I'll leave that up for you all to decide", she replied.
It was hard to tell if she said this with a giggle or not, as she spoke in a way that was naturally 'laughy'.
She was one of the first people I decided I wanted to meet, in-person, once the mission was done.
The TLI burn was fundamentally designed to target a "free return trajectory", so Cygnus could just loop around behind the Moon and return to Earth without need for further propulsive maneuvers in the event that Origenes was beyond repair. But, bringing the telescope back with us would require a whole host of maneuvers on the part of our vehicle.
We once again left our seats, now officially becoming the first mission to the moon since the Apollo 17 mission closed out the Apollo program December 7 – 19, 1972.
We had time to look out of the small windows to our left and could see the Earth receding from us while we broke away. It churned like a massive machine but did so in blissful silence.
Although it looked like we were escaping it, our planet's gravity was still putting up a fight to keep us close. Its influence was gradually decreasing our velocity even though our engine was firing at full blast.
At that moment, the danger level elevated considerably, and not just because we wouldn't have anything to revolve around until we reached the moon on Day 17.
The present danger came from our haven planet itself.
NASA's Explorer1 spacecraft made a startling discovery about our planet's atmospheric conditions in 1958. The Earth was surrounded by a region of charged particles originating from solar winds trapped by the Earth's magnetic field called the Van Allen radiation belts. After the Apollo 8 mission proved that humans could pass through them safely, the remaining Apollo missions disregarded their risk thereafter.
The radiation levels in the Van Allen belts are high, about 1000 times higher than normal space. We would be the first dogs to go through them.
And unless we stayed in them, the potential for any ill health effects was negligible (according to the NASA higher-ups).
It wasn't like it felt like anything, but knowing it was going on was an eerie thought to say the least.
Our zero-Gravity indicator cube was still floating about nearest to Weston when Arlo said, "Cutoff", and the burn ended.
Arlo deployed the spacecraft's high gain antenna soon after. It sprung up from the base of the Service Module, ensuring we'd be in clear contact with Mission Control.
From there, we placed Cygnus into Passive Thermal Control mode (sometimes referred to as 'barbecue mode') and it began to slowly rotate on its longitudinal axis to evenly distribute space's extreme temperatures.
Even placing my paws on the glass gave me an idea before Arlo started the TLI burn.
The far windows were bitterly freezing, holding back the infinite dark of the rest of the universe; while the near windows were searing hot due to the exposure to the sun's unabated heat.
The spacecraft would complete one rotation on its axis every hour- perfectly in-check.
And with that, all major activities were behind us and we were finally allowed to change out of our spacesuits and eat our first meal of the flight.
It was exactly what you'd expect, oversized pouches of dehydrated sludge. It didn't taste bad though.
With our suits all packed away, every single one of my hairs stood on end in the weightless state.
My responsibilities at that point were to stay focused and help where I was needed.
Arlo had said that we could "goof off" as much as we wanted, but Weston recommended sleep.
"That's not a bad idea actually", I said as I stretched and yawned.
"Well, if you're first to retire, we need to talk about who's sleeping next", Weston said.
"I think we should be fine to all sleep at once", Arlo said.
Weston made a face, "That sounds like a recipe for disaster. Protocol may not call for it, but I think there should always be at least one of us awake and ready just in case Houston calls."
"Well, I can do this all night. You just sleep and I'll wake someone if I feel sleepy- probably you Weston, since our newbie looks like he's about to pass out."
"Are you not tired?", I asked.
"Trust me, I slept plenty before today. I'm a stockpile sleeper- and no, I didn't make that up", Arlo said.
Weston made another face, but I was convinced.
My little sleeping compartment looked as welcoming as a padded shelf could, I suppose.
I hadn't truly realized how tired I actually was at that point.
As exhausting as NASA training was, it felt like it had already been days since we lifted off of the pad.
I drew the tiny curtain and laid down, another covering that acted as a tethered blanket held me down.
This sleeping "bag" was rigid, meant to supply light pressure on my back.
I closed my eyes, almost wishing I could feel something; A distant hum of traffic, the light patter of rain, the gentle Ebb and flow of waves below a deck.
But there was nothing.
I shuddered.
This was what I asked for- Space travel.
Just a slow spin that I couldn't feel.
Silent, cold, and dark.
***End of Ch. 27***