Moon Trip

By Phillip N Hancock, Sr

For years NASA's Shuttle program provided personnel transportation and cargo lifts to and from the International Space Station. A side effect of those missions was the entertainment those launches and trips provided for million of viewers and it was a sad day when NASA announced the end of those flights. This particular story is centered around that time and NASA had begun their downsizing due to the close of that era. A high earth orbiting telescope recorded an anomaly on the dark side of the moon changing everything and caused NASA to extend the Shuttle Program but in an altered version. NASA would now build a large spacecraft in orbit and return to the moon to investigate the anomaly the telescope had recorded. The Space Shuttles would go through numerous flights to provide the material and building crews that would construct this huge craft. Once the craft was deemed ready, all the shuttles themselves would now become a part of that moon bound mammoth's structure. Those astronauts, who flew those final mission to the massive ship would have their shuttle anchored and electronically attached then they would fly that craft on a mission to the moon. Once obit was obtained around the moon, the shuttles and its crews would play an intricate, demanding and unprecedented role in investigating the anomaly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Phillip N Hancock, Sr
• Release date: Mar 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370470754

Phillip N Hancock, Sr

Air Force Enlisted First Sergeant 25 Years of ServiceHydro System Controller for The Central Valley Project in Sacramento, CA 18 Years ServiceRetired, playing golf, working at our ranch and writing fiction

Book preview

Dedication:

This book is dedicated to those men and women who put their lives at risk in space research and space travel, and to those, earth-bound, who can only hold their breath as they watch, wishing they could be with them.

Moon Trip

Preface:

I missed a lot of things during NASA's Space Shuttle days. I left parties early, skipped out on meetings at work, was barely present at some birthday celebrations and almost missed the birth of one of my own children, all due to a launch of one of those Space Shuttles. How I enjoyed those shuttle days and, to me, the day they announced the final voyages of those magnificent birds was one of the saddest days ever. Now it is true, those days of NASA’s shuttle programs are history, but I sometimes wonder. What if, shortly before the close of that program there was an anomaly sighting causing that program to be extended in an altered version. The following is a fictional dreamer’s idea of a possible scenario and the action NASA took to investigate that anomaly.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Dedication

Preface

Before You Go

Chapter 1

The UGGLY

0223 Hrs., UGGLY Control Center, Phoenix, Arizona.

The UGGLY (Universe Galactic Ground Lens Yawl). This high earth orbit telescope is called a Yawl because the (Main Mast) Solar Collector is located up near the bow and a Secondary (Mizzenmast) Solar Collector is located aft. When viewed from the side this telescope, with its solar collectors deployed, resembles a small sailing vessel and its mirrored water reflected image. This particular telescope is only used for viewing the planets and moons in our own Galaxy. Written in Astro Weekly, Issue # 17, Nov 2006, Professor Tasky Simel, EECB, MB, PhD in Astronomy, and CIS was the author.

Jim read the first few lines and then laid the magazine on the console. Jim Watson had completed the normal midnight routine at the center. The daily reports were copied, filed, and sent out to the appropriate agencies. He had just poured his second cup of coffee on this his third mid shift. The steam from the hot brew, momentarily, fogged his photo gray eye glasses. Removing them he grabbed one of the 90-deluxe 3-ply tissue, that were automatically replaced, from the oblong hole in the center of the cardboard Skilcraft box. This brown box was designed after the Kleenex Facial Tissue dispenser boxes found in homes all across America. These particular boxes, however, are generic in color, twice as big and do not have the floral or decorative patterns that are present on the household tissue dispenser boxes.

As Jim cleaned his glasses he absentmindedly read the outside of the tissue dispenser box. NSN 7920-00-965-1709 90-deluxe 3-ply tissue approx. 15.25 X 16.75. The Skilcraft Logo then Skilcraft Quality Blind-Made Products. Along the bottom edge a Logo for Saving Trees was followed by Product and Packaging are made from 100% Recycled Materials. Jim picked up the brown rectangle shape box and turned it to read the end and other side. As he rotated the box it reminded him of the UGGLY Telescope, in orbit, rotating as it was re-aligned to view a different quadrant of our universe. As the box rotated he, without thinking about it, lined the length of the box with the Moon, which was now visible in the east window of the lab. As he sighted down the box and watched the moon, a thought came to his scientifically organized mind. He wonder if the moon had been studied thoroughly enough through the lens of the UGGLY Telescope. He looked at the current schedule for use of the UGGLY, ah ha!, nothing was listed for this weekend. Not only was the UGGLY free this weekend, the moon was in the early stages of libration. The Libration Zone should be unusually visible due to UGGLY's orbit and its distance out from the earth. The actually viewing angle of the large telescope will be monumentally increase and quite a bit more than the normal 50% of the surface of the moon should be viewable, maybe as much as another 20%..

Jim had admired and daydreamed about the moon for as long as he could remember. It held such fascination for him. Daydreaming about it had even cost him a small loss in Grade Point Average while in school. Now looking down the length of this cardboard box gave him the idea that maybe turning the UGGLY Telescope at the moon might bring in details that no one had ever seen before. Sliding the keyboard out from under the control desk while turning pages in the operational manual, Jim’s mind was racing with triangular numbers that would rotate the UGGLY around to point toward the back of the moon. He was sure that the side facing the earth had been examined to the minutest detail and all that could be learned had been learned and written a dozen times. Although the UGGLY is not equipped with Infra Red Censoring, he was sure that a close up view of the back provided from its space location would not require any additional lighting, sunlight reflecting off the earth should be sufficient.

Checking and rechecking the alignment co-ordinations listed in the book, Jim typed in the directions for the re-alignment of the huge apparatus. Watching the alignment monitor as the scope swung into its new direction, Jim could see the edge of the silver crescent as the new moon slid past the alignment camera that was located on the UGGLY’s surrounding structure. The dead non-reflecting rear of the moon slid in front of the camera and, until the camera adjusted from the brightness of the reflected sunlight to the darken backside, nothing was visible. The monitor was blank and dark. Jim turned his back, walked over to the supervisor’s console. He sat down and perused the hourly log from the day and swing shift again while he waited for the equipment to adjust to its new target.

As the lens of the alignment camera open to allow more light in, the picture started to take on some definition and the rough terrain of the large satellite started to take shape. Jim heard the video recording device automatically start recording as it always did, taping any view that was observed through the lens of this expensive equipment. A quick glance assured him of the proper operation of this device. Space also fascinated Jim and he could watch it for hours on end without being aware of any activity surrounding him, however, his occupation required his attention sometimes so he concentrated on the logged information.

A change in the lighting intensity from the moon made the alignment camera picture, bloom and distort. The small camera lens was fully open due to the area being dark and the bright lights caused the lens to partially close. The brightness only lasted for a short length of time and the lens opened again rapidly when the bright lights disappeared. The view was again as it was before, the dark side of the moon’s terrain appeared dull and gray, but visible through the camera.

Jim looking the other way and didn’t know what had happened. The change in brightness from the monitor reflected off the lab’s equipment and surprised him. Any change from the monitor was unusual and unexpected and would usually mean a problem with the monitor. Jim however did not look at the monitor until the light stopped reflecting off the equipment. He now stared at the view on the monitor. The view was steady and the scene was clean and clear and no problems were indicated. Jim watched the picture of the moon for a short time and came to the conclusion that maybe it wasn’t the monitor. The recording device was still going. Actually both were still going. The recording device was two in one with a redundant recording to prevent accidental loss in case the first failed. Jim left the primary recorder running but stopped, removed and replaced the secondary tape with a clean cassette restarting the recording machine. He then placed the used tape in the playback machine and rewound it to see what had been captured by the lens of the UGGLY Telescope. If it wasn’t the monitor, what could it be? Using the remote control, he manipulated the video recording device and prepared to run the playback of this recent event. When the rewind of the video tape was complete, the machine automatically stopped. With only a momentary pause, Jim push the play button on the remote control and watched the monitor as it showed the view of the moon crawl through the lens of the UGGLY. The rotation of the UGGLY just seemed to be slower and take longer to covered the moon's landscape on playback. It was a mind thing and did not take any longer than it did when he watched the alignment camera before. The movement stopped and the self focusing apparatus completed its task. The moon seemed to leap out of the monitor as the picture became clear and minute details became visible. The reflection of the sun off the earth gave sufficient light to the backside of the moon giving some of the larger object shadows. The middle of the large slightly domed protrusion on the backside of the moon was centered in the monitor. Nothing moved and the picture was bland and unexciting. Dull grey was the color of everything.

Suddenly, in the solid center a small light appeared and expanded until the surface area was gone and a bright, lighted, mosaic pattern was visible. The unbelievable view caused Jim a momentary feeling of confusion and hesitation due to the unexpected appearance of this apparent anomaly. It was as if he could look down through an opening into the hollow interior of the moon. Just as suddenly the lighted view shrunk to a pin hole and then was gone. The dull gray solid mass of the moon’s surface was back again. What the Hell? Jim swore out loud as the view changed. He quickly rewound the tape and played it again. He could not believe his eyes, even after the fourth or fifth playing.

For an opening to appear that big, even from the magnification of the UGGLY, it has to be quite an opening, Jim spoke out loud as if trying to convince himself of what he had seen.

Jim made sure that there was no transmission of the view to any agencies outside of the lab. He then shut down all automatic timed communication equipment that kept the rest of the scientific world informed of what was seen through the UGGLY Telescope. Jim checked the On Call Board, picked up the secure phone and pushed the button that automatically dialed the cellular pager labeled B. A moment later three beeps were heard and he punched the labs secure phone number into the hand held instrument. His hands shook and he almost dropped the phone as he hung it up. He had heard the series of beeps that told him the number had been transmitted to the pager. Jim took his cup back to the kitchen for a refill. He assumed this was going to be a very long night and a nap was going to be out of the question. Why me? He mumbled as he returned to the center and saw the lighted call indicator on the secure phone. UGGLY Control, this is Jim, Jim said as he spoke into the telephone. He could hear, through the receiver, someone in the background was complaining about the time and interruption of their sleep.

Just a moment, Jim. The voice was now turned away from the phone and the comments were evidently directed at the complainer. Look, you knew when I took this job that sometimes calls like this would come in. I’ll take it in the other room so your precious sleep won’t be disturbed. Hang this phone up when I get back on, ok? There was a grumble of what sounded like, ok, and in a few seconds the click of another instrument was heard. Ok, I got it. Was spoken into the instrument and a replacing of the other phone was evident. The female voice, the voice of Colleen James, came back on in a more alert and friendly manner. Jim, this is Colleen, is there a problem or situation with the telescope?

There is no problem with the telescope, it seems to be working fine. There, however, has been an unusual observation. I think you had better take a look at the tape. I don’t want to prejudice your view or give some outside listener any information, so I’ll just wait your arrival here. Jim held the receiver to his ear as he heard Colleen’s assurance that she would respond as soon as possible. Jim, then as casually as possible, hung up the phone and stared at the cradle as the line indicator button winked out. He couldn’t understand why Colleen’s old man always gave her such a hard time. He also didn’t understand why a beautiful and smart woman like Colleen could be married to a bastard like Joe. He had met Joe on several occasions and had really tried to like him. Joe was certainly a nice enough person until it came to the way he treated Colleen. He always put her down and belittled her in every situation. Jim felt that Joe had very little self-confidence and Joe knew he was about one third as intelligent as his wife. This seemed to infuriate him and made him attack her at every level. He would then laugh and say he was just kidding, but each episode left Jim with the feeling that he was not.

Jim rechecked the lab to insure all was secure and then he carefully logged the time of the rotation of UGGLY and the time of the occurrence. He couldn’t put down in the log what he had seen, because he didn’t know. By the time he had finished these procedures his coffee had gotten cold. He went to the kitchen and dumped the dark cold liquid into the sink and poured another cup from the pot that sat on the warmer. He then dumped the remainder of the pot into the same sink and proceeded to make a fresh pot for himself and Colleen. He rinsed out the sink and then while drying his hands returned to the control center to wait for his friend and colleague.

It was almost forty minutes before Colleen arrived but to Jim it seemed forever. He had begun to pace back and forth in front of the control center console. He kept an eye on the UGGLY Monitor Screen for any re-occurrence or for anything else unusual. There were no phone calls and no interruption what-so-ever. This in itself made it seem much longer than it was. In the security monitors that covered the secure parking area, Jim saw lights from her car as she arrived. He watched as she parked and he watched her as she entered the building. The control center was located on the third floor and a view of the elevator lobby was on one of the monitors also. He saw her enter and he saw her exit the elevators. He saw her as she used her electronic pass card to enter the center. He came around the console as she entered and greeted her. I’m glad you're here, I need someone to verify what I have seen. Jim then led Colleen over to the playback monitor located on the end of the console. While you look at this, I’ll get you a fresh cup of coffee. Jim then left the center and headed for the kitchen.

Colleen had no idea what she was about to see so she could not prepare herself in advance. This was Jim’s idea. He wanted this view to hit her as hard as it had hit him. Colleen was still thinking about her husband’s lack of understanding of her position here at the center. She had been with this group about five years and had climbed to a level of serious responsibility that paralleled her dedication. She shared the on call duties with four others from the center. They, like her, were very dedicated and held jobs that required unlimited background checks and high security ratings. They were all Top Secret or better. They had all been briefed time and time again on the procedures to use when other than normal situations arose.

Colleen pushed the eject button and the tape was extracted from the front of the machine. She pulled it completely out and saw that it was rewound to the very beginning. She placed it back into the receiving slot and gently pushed it in. The motor drive of the machine pulled the tape in as it placed and wrapped the tape around the rotating magnetic playback head. Once the tape was in place the machine stopped and waited for a selection by the operator. Colleen pushed the play button and watched the monitor. A few lines of static and then the monitor showed movement as the UGGLY swung across the moon from the brightly lit sliver of the sun’s reflected light into the dark back side of the moon. Once completely into the dark area the movement stopped and the view of the moon again clarified and jumped out of the monitor with unbelievable definition of the rough terrain that was the Lunar surface. She searched the screen for some anomaly and was completely unprepared when the opening occurred and the mosaic light pattern was exposed in the center of the view. Holy Shit! She exclaimed as her breath caught in her throat. Jesus Christ, that can’t be real! The scene didn't last long and too soon, with the closing, returned to what was expected. She continued to watch a moment longer until the view was gone and she was now watching the monitor showing nothing as the unused portion of the recording tape continued to play.

Jim touched her on the arm and she jumped. She was so wrapped up in the viewing she did not realize he had returned from the kitchen. Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Here take a sip of this, two sugars and a spoon of non-dairy creamer, is that right? Uh oh, be careful it is very hot, but it is fresh. Jim handed her the cup with the handle out toward her. She took it in a mechanical response without thinking and mumbled a thank you. He could