Space Pyrotechnics

Blank outer space.

The spacecraft was nearing the satellite V-2. Bharathwajan peeped through the side-glass-window. Earth was down below. The magnificent ball was on it's ceaseless revolving journey as ever.. As it rotated, the day and night portions were alternating into view just like colors were changing on a canvas. The land and oceans appeared as if seen on a drawn world map.

He shifted his gaze from down below into the outer space. Here was satellite V-2. He parked the spacecraft at a considerable distance away from the satellite.

He failed to notice that the space craft was parked 2 degrees away from the estimated parking space. If only he had noticed he would have averted what was to ensue.

In outer space thousands of man-made satellites were circling the Earth. Television, telephone, telecommunication computers incorporated commercial satellites,weather satellites, special telescope-equipped astronomical satellites, spy-satellites, laster weapons carrying fighter satellites- myriad number of satellites for scores of assigned multi-tasks and exclusive task were on their journey round the earth. V-2 was one of them.

V-2 was not that healthy now.The signals coming down to Earth from it were getting feeble. The problem was in the communication transponder as estimated by scientists. He had come to fix that problem.

He clamped the jet-motor onto his back.Inserted the spares box containing repairing tools and checked his space-suit one last time. He opened the space-craft's door and came out.

He switched on the jet-motor on his back.It whirred into action, gained speed propelling him  like a vehicle and reached V-2.

Reducing the jet-motor's speed and switching it off, he latched on to a protruding support on V-2, opened the communication transponder unit and had a look. Input, multiplexer, output amplifier ....he checked methodically one after the other ....after few minutes he zeroed in on the problem. The problem was in ouput amplifier . He fixed it with the tools he brought and came to the antenna area to check the outbound signals. The signals were robust now.

Then he checked the propulsion unit. Fuel was down considerably. He returned to the space-craft, took the fuel-tank with him and reached V-2 once more. He carefully fed the fuel into the propulsion for the fuel will explode if he made the slightest error. After injecting the fuel and checking all other system, he was about to turn back to the space-craft when that happened.

A laser beam came charging up from  a satellite stationed below and attacked the space-craft! In the outer space even a tiny debris is capable of puncturing the space-craft. What would happen if a powerful-knife-like laser hit it?

Bharathwajan froze near V-2 and looked dazed at the attacked space-craft. MY God!Two more powerful beams swept up from the satellite below! It must have scored a hit on the fuel-tank itself. BANG! The space-craft exploded into tens of thousands of pieces.

Fortunately, as the space-craft was parked well away from V-2 and as it slid down further on laser-impact,the explosion-remnants didnt reach V-2. Yet two bigger sized pieces flew one each on the left and right of V-2.As the exploded debris began to disperse and float around a bigger remnant was pulled by the Earth's gravity and plunged head-long towards the Earth at lightning speed.He could see it burning on entering the earth's atmosphere below. If some remnant remained even after burning one can't be sure whether it was going to fall into ocean, desert or  on a crowded place on to someone's head.

If only the space-craft was parked nearer to the repaired satellite V-2, he would have been a part of the explosion along with V-2!

Slowly recovering from the shock, he held on to the support in the satellite and contemplated his options. V-2 was alright now. Only his condition had deteriorated! How could he return to Earth without his space-craft?

He opened the rest room inside the satellite V-2 and sat down. Such provisions were provided in all satellites launched these days. Whether to ask for a rescue space-craft? No. The moment he returned to the Earth, the blame of incurring the wrath of a super power's spy satellite will fall on him.

An idea flashed through him. Ah! Space Colony! How he could have forgotten it? There would be space-crafts in the recently established space colony too.Why not go there and ask for a drop back to Earth?

He had the communication frequency of the space colony. He contacted it.

"Space colony. This is an emergency. I am stranded near satellite V-2"

In the next ten minutes after his message, a space-craft came and pulled up beside V-2. Taking him aboard it moved towards the space colony.

Space colony. A massive air-filled, zero-g-withstanding pressurised multi-layered unit.He was taken to the visitor's section on arrival.

He was subjected to a rigorous physical check-up to look for any illness. After making sure he had no space-related illness he was given food. They gathered from him about the happenings in his V-2 mission.

"Where you have go to on Earth?"

"Drop me in some jungle"

"Why. You don't want to go to your residence?"

"No. If I go now the blame of losing the space-craft will fall on me.

Therefore I want to stay in hiding for some time and go back"

"Why you have to go to a jungle as if fearing a world war? We give you a plan"

"What is it?'

"We will inform the earth that your space-craft exploded itself and you were rescued by us. Then the Earth will ask you send you back to Earth"

"What happens to the news of a super-power's spy satellite suspecting and hitting V-2?"

"It wont come out. The superpower responsible for the attack must have come to know that the space-craft meant for satellite-repair mission was shot at erraneously.If the matter leaks out it would bring bad name to the super power so it will keep mum as if nothing happened"

"So?"

"Stay here for some days. Here we have all amenities. After informing the Earth about you they will come themselves with a rescue space-craft.You can leave then"

"Ok" He agreed. What else he could do?

The space-craft being parked little away from the proposed position was a trivial matter. But how that snow-balled into a mammoth issue? Having come on a satellite-repairing mission now he has landed in space colony. All because of the space-weapons' race. Who paid heed to the advice of no war in space?

The victims of the war is always innocents. He was a victim in the latest space pyrotechnics! Luckily he was physically safe. That will do for now.

-Mohan Sanjeevan