Mission To Mars

Mission to Mars

by Robert Taylor

DAY 1

APRIL 2, 2037

ENTRY 1

13:52:35

I cannot believe my luck. I am the first person to travel to Mars and back. I was told that they had developed a new engine that will make me go faster than any person from Earth had ever gone. I should make it to Mars in about a month, circle it a couple of times and then be back here in time for the 4^th of July. Won't that be great! The problem will be I will miss Easter. It is little Laurie's first one and I would really love to be there to share it with her but I should be far from Earth by the time Easter comes along. I left her a recording on the computer where I told her how much I love her and how much I miss her. I just hope that her mom will read it to her. Well, it is almost time to launch so I have things to do. I do hope that this goes well.

ENTRY 2

17:23:01

Lift off went as expected. They can simulate all they want but there is nothing that will train you for the stress and the sounds of lift off. I am now in orbit 564 miles from Earth and traveling at roughly 18,000 miles per hour. Great Britain, Germany, Russia and China have flown by the window in the last 20 minutes. No one who doesn't come up here will believe how beautiful our planet is. I have two days to orbit Earth before I start the trip to Mars. God, I hope I can see my house when I fly over it. I know that I can't but it is nice to imagine that I can.

DAY 4

APRIL 4, 2037

05:15:45

ENTRY 1

Today is the day. I just got off a talk with Mission Control. Everything is going fine and the burn is set to take place at 05: 45:12. That gives me a half hour to get my last looks at Earth for some time to come. I can see a hurricane starting up in the Atlantic. I sure hope that it doesn't hit Florida too hard. This will be the first one that they will go through without me there to protect them.

ENTRY 2

06:02:15

The 60 second burn took place right on schedule. I am on my way to Mars. Honestly, I can't believe it...I was chosen. Now all I can do is look back and watch the Earth disappear behind me. Believe me it is hard to see but this mission has to be done.

DAY 31

MAY 3, 2037

ENTRY 1

08:35:12

God, it is so lonely out here. Yeah, I get messages from Earth but nothing else. I would love to have a call from Steph but having a conversation is next to impossible because of the distance. I never realized how important Laurie and Steph are to me. They are so far away. No one has ever been this far away before. They surely don't know how to train you for this. Next week is Easter. I hope that Laurie gets something good. I brought a chocolate egg with me so I can imagine that I am here eating candy with her. I wonder...did Steph play that tape I made for Laurie. I know she won't understand but it was more for me than it was for her. I close my eyes and I can see her smile...I can see her smile.

DAY 28

May 4, 2037

ENTRY 1

20:56:38

I am here at last. I am the first human being to see Mars this close. It is amazing...it really it. There are mountains and valleys, things that look like rivers flowing down from the polar areas. God, it is beautiful. I can see faint clouds, red clouds but clouds none the less, floating across the surface. That was something that no one ever saw from Earth. I am scheduled for ten orbits. I'm going to take as many pictures as I can before I leave. They are not going to believe this at home!

ENTRY 2

21:30:15

The rocket just fired and I am finally out of Martian orbit. God, it was so beautiful. I took more than 100 pictures. I cannot wait to show them to Steph...she is going to be so happy. I miss them so much. I have never been away from her for so long. I look out the front window and I can see the Earth, It is just a small blue dot in space but it is home. I can't wait to feel grass again. Yeah, I am suffering from major cabin fever but I can't go outside to cure it and the sun isn't giving me enough light to get rid of the feeling of loneliness. If I could hear her voice or see a picture of how much Laurie has changed it would help but I don't think mission control is going to go for that. Dammit, I should have brought a picture with me but we hadn't taken one yet. God, I am a freaking idiot. Oh well, 30 more days and I will be holding her again.

DAY 39

May 29, 2037

ENTRY 1

11:23:56

I am well on my way home. I heard something strange this morning. There was a loud bang that came from the back of the ship and I saw some metal fragments fly passed the window. I don't know what it was but the Earth is still in front of me. Radar says that I am traveling at more than 155,000 miles an hour. The way I figure it I am still about 115 million kilometers from earth it is very possible that I should be home on time. I wonder if Laurie remembers me? It has been so long since I have seen her. I know that I am low on fuel. I am not sure how much I have left. I hope it is enough to make it back home....I can just hope. That is all I have left.

ENTRY 2

18:35:45

Whatever that was it damaged the ship. I still have power and life support but I have been knocked off course by 10 degrees. With the distance I have yet to travel I may miss Earth entirely. I will try some maneuvering thrusters to see if I can get back on course. A five minute burn should get back on course. If it doesn't burn long enough I will miss Earth and if it burns too long I will crash, most likely in the Pacific. I know one thing...it would not be good to strike the ocean at the speed I am traveling. I can only hope that. I have to do everything just right.

ENTRY 3

19:21:00

Just received a message from Mission Control. They said that I was struck by a micrometeor that ruptured the skin of the ship. They also said that their computers show that I have enough fuel for one try at correcting my course after that I am at the mercy of space. I am so glad that I am them only one on this mission. I could not stand myself if there were others on board. Yeah, I have been lonely and I do miss my family but if things don't work...I am the only one to give up my life.

ENTRY 4

19:35:21

I just did the burn. I was going to run it for 5 minutes. That was what the computer said that I had to do to correct my course. The burn only lasted for 1:30...not near enough to make the correction. I am going to try to release oxygen through the vents to try and turn the ship. I doubt that it will work but I have to try.

ENTRY 5

20:01:45

It worked just a little. Still a few degrees off course. I am hoping that Mission Control can come up with something up to correct this. The good news is that I still have enough air to make it home.

DAY 64

JUNE 6, 2035

ENTRY 1

08:27:00

I am getting more and more anxious. Mission Control hasn't come up with anything yet. They said that they may send a mission to rescue me but I doubt that it would work. I am going faster than anything they have setting around. It is going to be so close. I can see the Earth coming toward my ship. It is so beautiful and blue. Even the storms over the Atlantic are making my heart beat stronger. I want to go home. I want to kiss Steph and I want to hold Laurie. Why did I volunteer to take this mission. I didn't land. I took pictures. A fucking robot could have done the same thing. What am I going to do?

ENTRY 2

12:45:15

I got a message today. Mission Control let me talk to Stephanie. It was only for 5 minutes but for me it was forever. I love her so much. How could this be happening to me. I looked out the window and the Earth is so close I could reach out and touch it...I could reach out and touch Steph.

DAY 65

JUNE 7, 2037

ENTRY 1

13:45:01

I am watching the Earth fly by me. The corrections didn't work that well. The computer's telling me that I am still 125,000 from Earth. The funny thing is...the Earth is on my right and the moon is on my left and I can't land on either one of them. My family is so close and I can't see them...I can't hold them...but I can love them and I always will.

ENTRY 2

18:51:42

I am going to shoot this record out of one of the vents. I hope that someone someday finds this and if they do soon enough I pray that they will they will make a copy and give it to Laurie to listen to when she gets old enough. Laurie, I love you and I always will. You were just a baby when I left but please know that you will always be in my heart. Tell your mom that I love her. I just have one more thing before I open the hatch. This path will take me past the Earth and into the inner planets. I would rather die in the light of my home than on some deserted ball of rock. I miss my family and I miss my planet. Good bye to all. I am opening the hatch so I have one second to say....

© Robert Taylor 2012