We have lost contact with the Soyuz. Maybe we can get in touch with a Russian ground station. We can use a little help from them.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Paul replied as he headed back to the shortwave radio.
“Still nothing from Soyuz?” Susan asked Ivan.
“Nothing,” he answered in a tired voice. “What is the time for the rendezvous?”
“We have fifteen minutes before they should come into visual range. If they are still on course.”
“We should get everyone up here looking for them. We are not doing too well ourselves and need to take advantage of whatever we have.”
Susan nodded her head in agreement. She could feel her stomach tighten as the time counted down. “Paul and Jerry, can you come to the flight deck?” she asked over the intercom. To her surprise Jerry came up first followed shortly by Paul.
Ivan explained to them that they needed to visually scan for Soyuz if they hoped to find them. Each person was given an area to scan and report on. “Paul, did you get anywhere on finding more information on MIR from down below?” Ivan asked after he gave Paul his designated area.
“No, the radio was not working right. All I would get was bursts of static that totally wiped out any reception I had,” Paul answered as he slowly scanned his area of the sky.
“Is the radio broken?” Susan asked.
“No, I don’t think it is. It just seemed to be picking up a very strong noise source that pulsed on and off…Oh, shoot!” Without another word Paul immediately made his way back to the radio set.
“Paul, what’s going on!” Susan shouted.
“I just realized that the static was coming in bursts. Organized bursts! Here, listen,” he said as he turned up the audio of the shortwave set so everyone could hear it. “Periodic and organized: Morse code!” Paul said as he began to write down the pattern to decode it. “It’s Soyuz! They are transmitting numbers. Must be their coordinates?”
“What are the numbers?” Susan asked. Paul read them off to her and she immediately entered them into the program on the computer, which displayed the results a second later. Susan frantically entered the new values into the computer to see what Endeavour needed to do to meet with Soyuz. “Come on. Come on,” she said, trying to urge the computer on as if it was a thoroughbred race horse. Finally, the numbers appeared on the display. “Ivan here are the coordinates we have to come to, to meet up with Soyuz. We have two minutes before the course correction. Nothing like last minute timing! After the course correction, we have ten minutes before we should meet with them.”
Ivan made sure that the coordinates were entered properly and that the on-board computer was ready to execute the change. The shuttle made its course correction and everyone breathed a little bit easier. Now all they had to do was visually acquire Soyuz, then Ivan would maneuver the shuttle as close as possible to Soyuz for them to space-walk over. Everyone began searching for the ship in their designated area, just in case the coordinates were wrong. They had no way to communicate with Soyuz to let them know that they received the transmission. It would all be by feel from now on.
Ivan was scanning the sky when a twinkle of light caught his eye to the right and below the shuttle’s path. “There they are!” he shouted pointing out the window. He seized the controls of the shuttle and gently nudged the orbiter in the direction of Soyuz. Slowly the nose of Endeavour came into line with the ship that they all focused their attention on. They could begin to make out more detail on Soyuz. The tattered solar panels stood out from the little ship glistening in the sunlight.
The ships were a hundred feet apart and closing. Susan wondered how the cosmonauts would know that they were there. She could see the windows on the ship appeared white and clouded.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Paul replied as he headed back to the shortwave radio.
“Still nothing from Soyuz?” Susan asked Ivan.
“Nothing,” he answered in a tired voice. “What is the time for the rendezvous?”
“We have fifteen minutes before they should come into visual range. If they are still on course.”
“We should get everyone up here looking for them. We are not doing too well ourselves and need to take advantage of whatever we have.”
Susan nodded her head in agreement. She could feel her stomach tighten as the time counted down. “Paul and Jerry, can you come to the flight deck?” she asked over the intercom. To her surprise Jerry came up first followed shortly by Paul.
Ivan explained to them that they needed to visually scan for Soyuz if they hoped to find them. Each person was given an area to scan and report on. “Paul, did you get anywhere on finding more information on MIR from down below?” Ivan asked after he gave Paul his designated area.
“No, the radio was not working right. All I would get was bursts of static that totally wiped out any reception I had,” Paul answered as he slowly scanned his area of the sky.
“Is the radio broken?” Susan asked.
“No, I don’t think it is. It just seemed to be picking up a very strong noise source that pulsed on and off…Oh, shoot!” Without another word Paul immediately made his way back to the radio set.
“Paul, what’s going on!” Susan shouted.
“I just realized that the static was coming in bursts. Organized bursts! Here, listen,” he said as he turned up the audio of the shortwave set so everyone could hear it. “Periodic and organized: Morse code!” Paul said as he began to write down the pattern to decode it. “It’s Soyuz! They are transmitting numbers. Must be their coordinates?”
“What are the numbers?” Susan asked. Paul read them off to her and she immediately entered them into the program on the computer, which displayed the results a second later. Susan frantically entered the new values into the computer to see what Endeavour needed to do to meet with Soyuz. “Come on. Come on,” she said, trying to urge the computer on as if it was a thoroughbred race horse. Finally, the numbers appeared on the display. “Ivan here are the coordinates we have to come to, to meet up with Soyuz. We have two minutes before the course correction. Nothing like last minute timing! After the course correction, we have ten minutes before we should meet with them.”
Ivan made sure that the coordinates were entered properly and that the on-board computer was ready to execute the change. The shuttle made its course correction and everyone breathed a little bit easier. Now all they had to do was visually acquire Soyuz, then Ivan would maneuver the shuttle as close as possible to Soyuz for them to space-walk over. Everyone began searching for the ship in their designated area, just in case the coordinates were wrong. They had no way to communicate with Soyuz to let them know that they received the transmission. It would all be by feel from now on.
Ivan was scanning the sky when a twinkle of light caught his eye to the right and below the shuttle’s path. “There they are!” he shouted pointing out the window. He seized the controls of the shuttle and gently nudged the orbiter in the direction of Soyuz. Slowly the nose of Endeavour came into line with the ship that they all focused their attention on. They could begin to make out more detail on Soyuz. The tattered solar panels stood out from the little ship glistening in the sunlight.
The ships were a hundred feet apart and closing. Susan wondered how the cosmonauts would know that they were there. She could see the windows on the ship appeared white and clouded.
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