Chapter 5 Chapter 4 Mission Documents

To: Captain Tantiana (Tanya) Oleva, Spaceship Alex Leonov (reg. 08/342) From: National Aerospace Council, Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington Committee on Outer Space, Russian Scientific Association Korolev Exploration Station, Moscow mission target Your mission objectives, in order of priority, are as follows: 1.Reach the Jupiter system and rendezvous with the American spacecraft Discovery (registration number 01/283). 2.Land on the ship and get all the information related to its last mission. 3.Restarts Discovery's onboard systems and, if its thrusters are sufficiently fueled, enters orbital parameters for return to Earth into the ship.

4.Locate the unknown man-made objects encountered by the "Discovery", and use remote sensors to detect them as much as possible. 5.If it appears harmless, it may be rendezvoused for further observation with the consent of ground control. 6.Without conflicting with the points above, make an exploration of Jupiter and its moons. It may be possible to change the priorities, or it may even be impossible to achieve the above goals.Note: The purpose of rendezvous with the Discovery spacecraft is to obtain information on unidentified man-made objects, and this objective takes precedence over any other objective, including rescue operations.

Staffing The crew of the spaceship Alex Leonov included: Captain Tantiana Oleva (Propulsion Systems Engineering) Dr. Vasily Olov (responsible for space navigation) Dr. Maxim Brerowski (responsible for structural engineering) Dr. Alexander Kovalev (in charge of communication engineering) Dr. Nikolai Ternovsky (Responsible for Control Systems Engineering) Medical Commander Katerina Rudenko (in charge of life and health care) Dr. Irina Yakunina (Nutrition Specialist) In addition, the National Committee of Astronomers will provide the following three experts: Heywood Floyd put down the memo and leaned back in his chair.Everything is settled and there is no going back.Even if he is willing to turn back, time cannot be turned back.

He glanced at Caroline, who was at the edge of the pool with two-year-old Chris.The boy spent more time in the water than on the surface at home, and he was able to dive for long periods of time that often frightened visiting guests.Although he can't speak human language very well, he seems to be able to communicate with dolphins proficiently. One of Christopher's friends swam in from the Pacific Ocean, exposing his back for them to pet.You too are a wanderer, Freud mused, and also in a boundless ocean; and how small your Pacific looks compared to the infinity I am about to face! Caroline felt his gaze and stood up.She looked at him sullenly, but she didn't get angry; everything had exploded in the past few days.She even managed to force a smile as she got closer.

"I found the poem I wanted," she said. "It started like this: You abandoned your woman, And the warm fire and the countryside of my hometown, To the old gray road of no return. " "Sorry—I don't quite get it. Who's the point of no return?" "It's not who—or what. It's the sea. It's a Viking woman's lament, written by Ludia Kipling a hundred years ago." Floyd took his wife's hand; she didn't respond, but she didn't refuse either. "Well, I don't feel like a Viking. I haven't raided, and I least want to take risks."

"Then why—no, I'm not going to argue with you again. But it would help both of us if you really understood your motives." "I wish I could give you a good reason. It's just, for me it's a lot of little motivations that add up, but in the end they lead to a decision that I can't argue with — trust me." "I believe you. But are you sure you're not deceiving yourself?" "Maybe. But many people believe I should, too. Among them, you should recall, is the President of the United States." "I haven't forgotten. But come to think of it - just a guess - if he hadn't asked, would you have volunteered?"

"I can answer with absolute honesty: No. I would never. President Mordecai's phone call was the most shocking thing that ever happened to me. But when I thought about it, I think he was right. You know, I'm not Fake modesty. I'm the perfect man for the job at this moment. And, you know, I've been in great shape." That made him see the smile he wanted to see. "Sometimes I wonder if that was your own suggestion." He did have the thought; but he could answer honestly. "I wouldn't do it without talking to you." "It's a good thing you didn't. If you discussed it with me, I don't know what I would say."

"I can still give up." "Now you're lying, and you know it. Even if you give up, you'll hate me for the rest of your life—and never forgive yourself. Your sense of responsibility is too strong, which is probably why I married you one of the reasons." responsibility!Yes, this is the key, and how rich it is.He has a responsibility to himself, to his family, to the university, to his past job (even though he has sadly left it), to his country—to humanity.It's not easy to decide which takes precedence; sometimes they conflict with each other. There are many valid reasons why he should accept the assignment -- and there are also many valid reasons, as many of his colleagues have pointed out, that he should not.Perhaps in the final analysis, his choice was determined by his heart, not his head.But in the heart, emotions are also torn between the poles.

Curiosity, guilt, the determination to get a job done, all mixed together -- became what drove him to Jupiter, no matter what was waiting for him there.Fear, on the other hand—and he can honestly admit it—and love for his family kept him on Earth.Yet he made up his mind at once, and dismissed all Caroline's objections as gently as he could. But there is one consoling thing he didn't tell his wife.Although he will go for two and a half years, except for the fifty days after arriving at Jupiter, he will spend the rest of the time in hibernation.By the time he returns, the age gap between them will have narrowed by more than two years.

He is willing to sacrifice this moment in order to share a longer future with her.