"Space-Ex" by Jason Gong
Introduction
This document is a transcription of the Fornax 2 flight crew communications as recorded on the command module (CM) data storage equipment (DSE), and subsequently transmitted (dumped) to Manned Flight Network stations upon the shuttle’s exiting of Earth’s orbit. Magnetic tapes containing dumped voice and onboard-recorded ground elapsed time were forwarded to Space-Z Manned Spacecraft Center, Miles, Ohio.
The Fornax 2 space mission was flown April 23, 2030. Following the successful Mars settlement mission, Fornax 1, Fornax 2 was the first attempt at flying two humans to Mars for permanent relocation and potential reproduction. Several missions to introduce more humans to the Mars colony were to follow. The mission was flown by a volunteer couple selected after completing several applications, winning a lottery among all qualified applicants, and passing rigorous aeronautical training.
This transcription has been edited largely to remove classified information.
Speakers in the transcript are identified as follows*:
Spacecraft:
CMP Command module pilot Charles A. Brooks
LMP Lunar module pilot Megan P. Goodman
*Asterisk identifies non-verbal communication from pilots.
Day 1
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Day 2
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Day 3
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Day 4
H M S S
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12 17 01 LMP Thrusters ignited, we have motion again.
12 17 04 CMP Skyrocket’s in flight, how about a little afternoon delight?
12 17 08 LMP Charles, we need to talk.
12 17 30 CMP Oh, okay? What’s up?
12 17 35 LMP Charles, I’m not sure how to say this but I think we should see other people.
12 17 42 * Laughter
12 18 10 CMP That’s a good one.
12 18 14 LMP I’m serious.
12 18 20 CMP Wait, what?
12 18 28 LMP I think that we should see other people.
12 18 37 CMP There are no other people. We’re alone on a spaceship.
12 18 45 LMP There will be other people eventually.
12 18 50 CMP This is a twenty-three year flight.
12 18 54 LMP There will be people after that.
12 19 00 CMP The follow up crew doesn’t launch until two years after us.
12 19 08 LMP Okay, I’ll see people when they arrive on Mars.
12 19 13 CMP You’ll be 51.
12 19 19 LMP I’ll be the first woman on Mars, I don’t think lining up dates will be an issue.
12 19 32 CMP Hold on…
12 19 34 LMP But we should still be friends. And you’ll find someone too.
12 19 45 CMP Slow down, where is this coming from?
12 19 51 LMP I just… I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, honestly. Did you
really not feel something off between us?
12 20 15 CMP No. I mean, I was mostly focused on training for this mission. To space.
12 20 29 LMP I was focused on the mission too, but I still found time to focus on us.
And whenever I did… I just knew.
12 20 41 CMP Well, Christ, couldn’t you have said that before we got on this spaceship?
12 20 55 LMP I didn’t know what to say.
12 21 09 CMP Why would you go on a twenty-three year space mission with me if you
wanted to break up?
12 21 21 LMP I kept telling myself we could make this work. But honestly, when the shuttle
launched, and I saw the Earth getting further and further away, it put
everything into perspective. It finally gave me to courage to admit to myself
that I wasn’t happy.
12 21 50 CMP But what did I do wrong? Why are you dumping me?
12 22 02 LMP You didn’t do anything wrong. I just need some time to figure things out, and
that means a little distance between us.
12 22 23 CMP So what you’re saying is you just need some… space?
12 22 29 LMP This is why I’m dumping you.
12 22 33 CMP Come on, that was funny.
12 22 37 LMP It was okay.
12 22 45 CMP It was good.
12 22 48 LMP To be honest, I’ve always found your humor to be a little pedestrian.
12 22 58 CMP Pedestrian? What does that even mean?
12 23 10 LMP It means most of your jokes are easy wordplay or repackaged memes from
the front page of Reddit.
12 23 21 CMP So you’ve never liked my jokes?
12 23 26 LMP They’re mildly amusing.
12 23 30 CMP But you always laugh at them.
12 23 37 LMP I said they were mildly amusing. And I like memes from the front page of
Reddit, everyone does.
12 23 49 * Sobbing
12 24 30 LMP Oh, Charles, please don’t, it will be okay.
12 24 35 CMP It’s just not fair!
12 24 50 LMP You know I still care about you. And I always will. Please stop crying.
12 25 04 * Sobbing increases
12 26 00 LMP Please stop… wait, keep crying.
12 26 07 CMP W- what?
12 26 10 LMP Charles look!
12 26 14 * Sniffling
12 26 30 CMP Oh.
12 26 40 LMP It’s kind of beautiful isn’t it? The way they just float around?
12 26 50 CMP Tears in Space… that would be a good band name.
12 27 01 * Heavy sighing.
12 27 30 LMP You know what. It would be, Charles. It sure would be.
Day 5
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