Paul Gillebaard - USSR Hoax

Because of the strict timeline, Tom knew at this point in their orbit they were flying directly over Texas. He was disappointed he couldn’t clearly see the Earth. Regardless, he still raised his gloved pinky and did a small wave toward his family.

“Everything okay, Tom?”

Sam’s voice was finally coming in clear. Tom flew by the cockpit and was unable to see his friend through his distorted faceplate. “All is fine. This machine works like a charm.”

“Roger. Good to hear.”

Tom positioned himself at the nose of the spacecraft, facing Sam. He flipped up his sun visor to look for the small hook into which he was to slip one end of his 125-foot tether line. He relied more on feel, searching for the hold. Finally finding it with his gloved hand, he secured the line, insuring it wouldn’t get tangled on anything extending off the ship. He then lightly pushed off the nose of the craft, before blindly waving in the direction of his commander. “This is fun. You should try it, Sam.”

“I think Houston wants me to stay in the spacecraft. Maybe next time.”

“Copy that.”

An unexpected concern colored Sam’s voice. “Do you have a good view out there, Tom?”

Sam was obviously addressing Tom’s fogged-up visor, doing it in such a way as to not alarm Houston. Tom appreciated his commander being coy in checking on the problem. Tom needed to give the assurance everything was okay so he could continue with the test. He said with unmistakable confidence in his voice, “It’s probably the best view anyone can have.”

“Roger.”

Flying the AMU in a face forward position, toward the Gemini spacecraft, was probably Tom’s safest bet, considering his limited visibility. He pulled back on the left controller and started zipping away backward in a straight line deeper into space. “Wow, this is some ride.”

Tom’s AMU flight plan was to fly a figure-four-maneuver. He flew back about eighty feet from the ship in a direction away from Earth, then brought the contraption to a stop, placing the machine in its automatic stabilizing mode. Different than when he was out of control wrestling with his umbilical cord at the beginning of his EVA, he was now sitting comfortably on this amazing throne, high above the world. With his feet dangling below, he peered through the small window on his visor that had been gradually getting bigger. “Sam, this view is simply incredible. Getting more remarkable every second.”

The sun was starting to warm up Tom’s faceplate, and with his reduced heart rate, the condensation was slowly evaporating. As he continued to stare down at Earth, he found it tough to tell exactly where he was looking, especially with the cloud cover. The image in his mind of his planet was defined by the many maps and globes he had seen, with countries differentiated by colors. But at this moment, he saw Earth as a place without borders. Aware of the many wars and conflicts currently happening below, he wished all humans could experience this incredible sight, changing their outlook to make the world a more harmonious place. He raised his arm and gave a big wave.

Sam radioed, “Who are you waving at?”

Tom smiled. “Our home.”

Sam was all business. “We’ll be there soon. How are you feeling?”

“Amazing.” It was time to get back to work. Tom adeptly operated the controls, turning the jet pack 90 degrees, so it was at a right angle to the ship. He flew backwards another 80 feet. With his visor practically clear, he could easily see his ship down below him. He felt comfortable flying forward. He rotated the AMU 45 degrees away from the ship before flying forward another 70 feet. At the peak of the figure-four maneuver, he pulled back on the controls. He rotated so he was aimed directly at the Gemini spacecraft. He estimated he was floating well over 100 feet out. “How do I look, Sam?”

“Marvelous. I need to get some pictures. Sit tight.”

Hearing rumblings over the radio, Tom assumed his commander was probably retrieving the camera. Tom took the opportunity to take a quick look at deep space behind him. He slowly rotated the AMU so he faced the infinite void surrounding him. He was in awe. It was just him and God. He shook his head as he took in the inspirational moment. He pitched the machine slightly up to get a good look at the bright moon, proudly glimmering in the starry black sky. That was his ultimate destination. The celestial body seemed to be teasing him. Tom winked in its direction. Someday, my friend, someday.

A sudden jerk on his tether caught Tom off guard, spinning him dangerously. Knowing he didn’t move the controls, his initial thought was a faulty thruster was firing. Before he could figure out the problem, he was jerked again in a different direction.

Tom’s radio crackled with Sam’s voice, laced with a tinge of panic. “Tom, there’s a problem. The ship is pitching over.”

Unable to see the spinning ship, Tom did his best to stay composed. “I’m being pulled by my tether. What’s happening?”

“I don’t know. I was in platform mode and when I grabbed the camera, thruster six stopped operating.”

In the platform mode, all thrusters occasionally fired to keep the ship stable. If one wasn’t operating, then the craft would go into an unstable spin. Tom assumed the spacecraft was tumbling end over end, and that monster was pulling him along. His fear was the tether line wrapping around the ship and being cut by those jagged edges on the ship’s back end. “Can you stop it?”

“We’re in LOS. Trying to troubleshoot the situation without Houston’s help. Hang on.” In Loss of Signal and unable to speak to mission control, Sam needed to solve the problem on his own and he needed to do it fast. LOS happened between tracking stations and could last as long as eleven minutes.

Tom decided he needed to get control of his situation and fly the AMU. He started to fight the constant jerking motions when suddenly they stopped. Still tumbling in space and disorientated, Tom called out in relief, “Did you get the ship under control?”

Sam spoke impatiently through sharp breaths. “Still working the problem.”

If the spacecraft was still spinning and Tom wasn’t being pulled, his worst nightmare could be coming true. A sudden chill ran through his body at the thought of his tether being cut. Tom quickly scrambled to work, applying his expertise to regain control of the AMU and pull himself out of his spin. After a few intense moments working the controls, he was able to stabilize the machine. He cringed at the sight in front of him; his tether line floating loose aimlessly as the Gemini spacecraft tumbled away. He fought the impulse to panic. “Sam, my tether line is cut.”

“Roger, getting ship under control.”

The Gemini spacecraft’s rotation started to slow until it was finally stable.

Sam said directly, but in an apologetic tone, “I must have knocked that damn breaker reaching for the camera. I got it back in place. You okay?”

As the ship floated farther away, Tom’s concern was whether or not there was enough fuel to save him. Sam had used most of the ship’s fuel practicing rendezvous exercises the previous day. With less than ten percent left, attempting a rescue would probably be too risky. “I’m fine.”

“Tom, we’re still in LOS. I’m going to fly over and get you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Stay in platform mode.”

Marveling at Sam’s coolness, Tom heaved a deep sigh of relief, pleased his commander wasn’t waiting for Houston’s approval. “Roger.” Tom stayed off the AMU controls as instructed. Changing position would only complicate the task of being chased down.

Sam swung into action, moving the ship decisively, quickly covering the distance to reach Tom. The commander showed off his expert rendezvous skills, positioning the ship within feet of Tom. Sam cockily radioed, “Somebody need a ride?”