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

one of the
ones in that corner,” says Allison, pointing to what looks like an amalgamation
of stars. “Now, our sun is just another spot in the sky. You can even see what
appears to be one of the spirals of our Milky Way.”
    The astronauts look through the
window with an air of admiration, still trying to see the sun or even Earth, as
they had been able to do earlier, but which is now impossible.
    “We’re not home, anymore. We’re
in Draco. I’ve just confirmed it. The jump was a success. Now, we must continue
with the mission... the first step is to locate the Valkiria star,” concludes
the astronomer.
    “I don’t think that will be
necessary,” says Russell, interrupting Allison as he looks through one of the
windows and points to a red giant star very close to them.
    Impressed by the star, they all
observe in silence. A red giant has taken over the landscape. They have never
seen anything like it, not even in photos. Through the windows, even with the
ship’s filters, they can feel its heat and all the magnificence of its
brightness.

 

    Image 06 – Inside of the Orion-II.
    (credits and details on the final page)

Chapter 7
    Houston was overwhelmed with joy.
But with such added tension, it was a different feeling from any other previous
mission. The images sent by the Communication Module showed the Orion-II
disappearing right in front of their eyes inside a cloud of distortion. Cheers
and applause gave way to congratulations and handshakes. NASA confirmed the
jump had been successful.
    In 1969, NASA had managed to
place the first astronauts on the moon, a feat that had yet to be repeated by
any other nation on Earth. In 1990, the agency had launched the Hubble
telescope, responsible for a large part of humanity’s understanding of the
universe to date. In 1997, it sent the first probe to explore the surface of
Mars, the Pathfinder. A few years later, in 2000, NASA sent the first
astronauts to the recently constructed International Space Station (ISS).
Finally, in 2030, they accomplished the greatest historic feat up until that
point: the first astronauts traveled to Mars.
    People would remember 2036,
however, as the year in which the first human beings went through a wormhole
and arrived in another galaxy. The agency was experiencing a moment of great
achievement.
    Nonetheless, once the jump to
Draco was complete, Houston settled in for a long wait. Since they didn’t have
any type of communication with the ship, the control center had no other choice
but to wait. They monitored the images and data sent by the Communication
Module around the clock. They expected the crew to return in five days.
    After the initial excitement, the
second day of waiting at the control center was more restrained.
    On the third day, that joy was
still evident, but a certain monotony had set in.
    On the fourth day, the tension
came back. By the next day, finally, the five days of waiting were over.
Everyone was on standby, waiting for the three pioneers to return to the solar
system. The module broadcasted live, but there was nothing more than a dark
void. The controllers were distressed, which, in a certain sense, was to be expected.
    But on the sixth, seventh and
eighth days, the situation remained unchanged.
    The mission commander in Houston,
senior director Dr. Terry Jones, woke up every two hours during the night to
receive status updates from the controllers. During the day, he spent hours
staring at the panel which displayed the information sent by the module. He
kept this routine up for one week. Then, he started waking up every four
hours... until he stopped waking up at all.
    It had already been 20 days since
the mission launch. Fifteen days since the jump. The team’s morale and energy
were low after such a long time with no news. The media pressured everyone from
the director of NASA to the President of the United States, but there was
little to be said. The agency just kept waiting for them to return.
    The end of