Lucifer's Hammer: Chapter 1

Pad 39A
June 5, 2023
Cape Canaveral, Florida

Somewhere in the blackness of space, beyond the edge of the solar system something was moving. It couldn’t be seen, but it was there all the same. Somewhere in the hostile, sterile desert between the stars, something was coming ever closer. It couldn’t be heard, but it came anyways, silent and relentless, a prisoner of physics and gravity, drawn ever closer by the relentless tug of the sun’s gravity- well. These were the thoughts that were prominent in the mind of Major Will Benson.

Will was standing on the catwalk one level below the White Room on Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre. He was dressed in a bright orange space suit, called a pumpkin suit by the astronauts. He had come down here because the pad techs didn’t want too many people in the White Room while they readied the rocket for launch and helped the crew into their custom moulded couches in preparation for launch. He had also wanted a few minutes alone with his thoughts.

Somewhere out there right now was the asteroid that the press had dubbed Lucifer’s Hammer. The name had been coined by popular and controversial televangelists Palmer Rankin, who had said that God had not deflected the asteroid away from Earth because man had sinned and God was punishing the human race. This was over 15 years ago when the asteroid had been discovered and astronomers had learned that it was on a collision course with Earth. Not long after that Project Messiah had been conceived. The plan was simple. They would rendezvous with their spacecraft, Hercules, which was waiting in orbit and intercept Lucifer’s Hammer. The voyage out to Lucifer’s Hammer would take two years. It had been shortened from a projected five thanks to advances in nuclear propulsion that had occurred while the project was still on the drawing board. Once they arrived at the asteroid, they would deploy a gravity tractor that would create a small alteration in the asteroid’s gravity field, which would pull the Bullet out of its current orbit and into one that would set it on a collision course with Jupiter. If the gravity tractor failed to work Hercules was also equipped with a supply of nuclear weapons that could be used to vaporize the asteroid.

Will stood with his eyes closed for a long moment. He listened to the hiss of the hyper-cold fluids moving through the pipes all around him as they flowed into the rocket’s fuel tanks. He listened to the crashing surf on the beach in the distance. He heard the cry of sea birds and the buzzing of helicopters as the circled that launch pad. He wanted to savour all these things. He wanted to savour these things because this mission would be dangerous and it was entirely possible that none of them would ever see Earth again. It was also possible that they would fail. If they did their choices would be to race the asteroid home to Earth to die along with the rest of the human race or to turn their backs on the solar system and die in the emptiness of interstellar space. It was a choice that Will didn’t like to think about and one he hoped that they wouldn’t have to make.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the catwalk behind him. He turned. It was one of the pad techs. The man was dressed in a spotless white jumpsuit and matching gloves

“What is it?” asked Will.

“We’re ready for you upstairs Major,” said the pad tech.

“Fine,” said Will. “Let’s go”

Will walked with the man back to the elevator. They got in and rode up to the crew access catwalk, which lead to the White Room and the spacecraft. The ride only lasted a few minutes, but it seemed to talk forever to Will. The elevator door opened and they walked into the White Room. The White Room was where the astronauts boarded the spacecraft. It was also possibly the cleanest place on Earth because the smallest speck of dust or dirt could come between a switch and a contact point and prevent a vital operation of the spacecraft from occurring. Thus, the White Room was kept surgically clean at all times.

Waiting for Will in the White Room were two other pad techs. One placed his helmet on the metal collar around his neck and attacked the two together with a click. The second removed the special spark preventing shoes from the boots of his space suit, while the one who had gone down to fetch him disconnected the air conditioning unit that was keeping his space suit cool. Beyond them he could see the open spacecraft hatch. The pad techs completed their ministrations and stepped aside. Will got down on all fours and crawled through the hatch into the spacecraft.

The spacecraft, which was to ferry them to the far larger Hercules was small and cramped. The only empty couch was Will’s and he carefully began to crawl under the couches of the others, across the cabin and into his seat. When he was in position one of the pad techs crawled in and began to fasten Will’s safety restraints. The man tightened them and even through thick material of his space suit, Will could feel the straps cut into his shoulders. He then plugged Will’s oxygen hoses and his com line which would allow him to speak to Houston and the Kennedy Block House. He could also hear the pad crew in the back ground.

“Launch Control, this is Pad Leader. Crew ingress procedure is complete.”

Will was able to hear the clipped Russian accent of the capsule communicator or Capcom, Andrey Bagdonovich, as he replied, “Understood, Pad Leader, you are cleared for hatch close out”

“Understood, cleared for hatch close out.”

Somewhere behind him, Will could hear the whir of an electric motor and servo motors as a robotic arm lowered the hatch into place. Next came a grinding sound as the arm’s wrist joint began to rotate and screw the hatch into place. It locked with a thunk and loud hiss as the cabin pressurized. Will felt his ears pop. He pinched his nose and swallowed. His ears returned to normal with another pop. He could hear Bagdonovich talking to the pad crew over his com line.
Pad, this is Launch Control. Can you confirm a hard seal?”

“Roger, Launch Control we show a hard seal.”