Chapter 56
Space Launch Complex 3E
Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Tuesday
9:01 p.m. Pacific Time
Wednesday
12:01 a.m. Eastern Time
“Still on scheduled hold showing crew and complement fully boarded,” the X-37D flight controller said. Captain Shelly Ames wiggled a bit in her suit, getting comfortable in her pilot’s seat. She checked the view from her screens and had camera shots of each of the crew and Task Force. The last access hatch was closing and being buttoned up. They were very close to launching.
“Copy, Flight. Hot Eagle One is locked and loaded,” she said. “Any further word on Moscow?”
“Very little, HE1. What we are getting is that the EMP has created massive blackouts across the western portion of the country. Moscow is blacked out also.”
“Thanks, Flight.”
Captain Ames checked each seat view to make certain the crew were not freaking out on her. Dugan and Thompson seemed alert and their heart rates were nominal if a little elevated. McKagan sat beside Alvarez and she couldn’t tell if both of them were actually asleep or just playing opossum as some sort of bravado thing. Captain Stevens sat beside the Engineer. He seemed calm enough.
“Okay, HE1, initiate onboard life support monitor and internal vehicle health status dashboard.”
“Roger that. LSM and IVHS dashboard is on and we have a green light on the circuit breaker menu,” Shelly said.
“Copilot, what is the status of the transfer line chill-down?”
“Status is green, Flight.”
“Copy that status is green. Preparing for LOX flow-down on Centaur upper stage.”
“Uh, roger Flight. Copilot is showing flow-down on upper stage.”
“Commander, please inform us when the fast-fill light goes from red to green on the Hydrogen tank.”
“Roger, Flight. Pilot will inform. Breaker current status is red.” Ames held calm and continued to follow the checks and the cryogenic fast tank fill light for the hydrogen fuel of the upper stage flashed green. “Flight, be advised the fast-fill fuel light is green.”
“Copy that, Commander. Fast-fill is green.”
There was a fairly loud snoring suddenly through her headset that jarred her train of thought. Shelly quickly toggled through the menu, looking and listening to each of the seat cameras. Both Alvarez and McKagan were sound asleep and both of them were snoring. She turned their mics down with a chuckle. She knew they had been going around the clock. For the next almost two hours, there was nothing for them to do. Seasoned combat soldiers knew to sleep when they could. Now was as good a time as any.
“HE1 countdown restart in three, two, one…T-minus one hour forty minutes and counting.”
“Copy, Flight.”
* * *
“Jesus Christ!” Frank said through gritted teeth.
The Atlas V rocket’s first stage fired the RD-180s shaking him about like he’d never been shaken before. Frank thought the teeth would rattle from his head. Then he was pushed into his seat with three times the force of gravity or more and it felt like a giant rock was lying against his chest. He focused on his breathing and just prayed that Captain Ames knew what she was doing. Then he prayed that all the scientists, engineers, and technicians in Decatur, Alabama, who had built the rocket knew what they were doing. He had no idea the motors were built in Russia or he would have prayed for them too.
“I hope this wasn’t a really bad idea,” McKagan said quietly, looking over at him through a slight turn of his head.
“Me too, Mac.”
* * *
“HE1, Flight. We’re showing MECO and staging burn.”
“Copy, Flight. Main Engine Cut-Off. We have second stage ignition.”
* * *
“HE1 we show you circularized at fifty-one point six degrees inclination. Phasing burns being calculated now.”
“Copy, Flight. How long to intercept?”
“Give us a minute on that one, HE1.” There was a bit of delay and then Mission Control responded. “We show intercept in four hours, thirty-seven minutes.”