Stellarium (Origins): A Space-Time Adventure to the Ends of our Universe by Fabricio Simoes Read Free Book Online

we’re still in the same
place. We didn’t jump,” confirmed Frank, spotting the Communication Module
through the window.
    “Orion-II, this is Houston.
Status?”
    “Houston, this is Orion-II. All
good in here. Spacecraft structure intact. Systems running smoothly. Jump
procedure executed. Confirmed that wormhole was not created,” reported Russell.
    “Correction, Orion-II,” said
Houston, “the wormhole was created. However, the probability of failure has
been confirmed. Prepare for second attempt.”
    “Yes, Russell,” said Allison,
“that’s one of the first things you learned in training. In fact, that was the
training I gave, remember?” she asked, while Russell nodded his head.
    Every time the accelerator is
activated, gravity increases exponentially until the ship literally turns into
a black hole. The wormhole is created, space is bent, and, for fractions of a
second, the ship is connected with another galaxy. However, when the system
turns off and stops concentrating gravity, when the wormholes ceases to exist,
there is a 50% chance of the ship being on one side, but also a 50% chance of
it being on the other side. There is no way of knowing whether the wormhole
will close and leave the ship where it is, or leave it on the other side of the
hole. The quantum physics of this process were completely unknown.
    Russell knew all of this.
Allison’s question was unnecessary. He was, however, hopeful that something had
actually gone wrong. The commander was confused. His gut told him not to
continue, despite all of the data and equipment readings on the Orion-II
indicating that everything was going according to plan.
    He continued to feel conflicted,
unable to tell whether what he felt was really his gut, or just fear.
Meanwhile, the commander responded:
    “Yes, Dr. Scheffer. I remember.
Let's initiate the second attempt,” he commanded, while Frank activated the
accelerator again.
    “Countdown commenced,” said
Frank, “10 minutes to the jump.
    Once again, the gravity around
them starts to increase. The clock ticks, and the crew remains tense. With less
than a minute left before the jump, the lights outside the ship start to become
distorted again. The counter shows the final seconds before the actuation...
three... two... one... a green light appears on the panel, announcing that the
process has been executed. The light from the stars immediately ceases to look
distorted. Their eyes move to the panel, and they realize that the image
captured by the Communication Module is no longer there. Frank looks out the
window and doesn’t see the module. The gravity sensor doesn’t show any
readings, confirming that it is not receiving data from the neighboring module.
    “Houston, this is Orion-II. Do
you copy?”
    There is no response on the other
end, leaving Russell surprised to think that they might have actually performed
the jump.
    “Houston, this is Commander Scott
Russell, Orion-II. Do you copy?” the astronaut repeats, to no response.
    “Initiating reading from cameras
one, three and five. Activating telescope,” informs Allison.
    “Okay, it looks like it worked,
it looks like we really jumped,” says Frank. “The Communication Module isn’t
there anymore. Houston isn’t responding... and, before the jump, I could see
the sun out of the corner of that window,” he said, pointing to the left. “The
sun isn’t there anymore. So, the way I see it, there are two possibilities:
either we’re all dead,” he says with an easy-going tone, “or we jumped through
the wormhole and we’re at a different point in the universe.”
    “You’re right, but you’re also
wrong,” exclaims Allison, looking at the images. “We are indeed at another
point in the universe, but you’re wrong in saying that the sun isn’t there
anymore. It is there, in the same place as before.”
    “But I can only see stars there
now... are you saying that the sun is one of them?” asks Frank.
    “Yes, it’s probably