Space
Travel
industry was hit hard by economic depression. In order to attract
new customers, the air lines started to invest in second-hand space
shuttles. Within a few weeks the air fields were crowded with old
space ships abandoned by NASA.
I
walked with Sari near the airport, marvelling at the giant shuttles,
when our attention was directed to a cockpit of a shuttle. The pilot
opened a window and shouted at us. Noticing that we couldn't hear
his words, he disappeared for a moment in order to reappear again
through the ship's entrance. Brochures in his hands, he walked towards
us and started his marketing routine. He said we should come aboard
his ship since, unlike others, his shuttle was ready for boarding
and the price was very reasonable.
I
startled realizing that I knew this man; he had worked as a project
manager in my work place. I had hardly made this observation, when
he explained that the 3rd generation mobile market hadn't had the
kind of success as the market analysts predicted. Instead, the future
was now in space, and the opportunity was here for us to grasp.
After
a short negotiation we were seated in the passanger area of the shuttle.
The interior was simple but comfortable: grey walls, metallic chairs
and tables. The cockpit was separated from us, so we couldn't see
the pilot as he started the engines.
Sari
and I were the only passengers. I calculated that the business was
hardly profitable if the ships were operated as empty as this. I concluded,
however, that it was important for the public image that flights were
not cancelled. Then again the painting of the shuttle could have been
more sleek; the original black-and-white colours were still there,
but a number of spots would have required a new layer of paint.
The
engines made a lot of noise and the ship rattled as we slowly got
off the ground. The direction was straight up. We observed how the
earth and the buildings below moved downwards and became smaller.
The speed did not rise too high, so we could follow the movement comfortably.
I took notice of several details: the roofs of the high-rise buildings,
the top of a water tower, neon lights, the general city plan. I expected
the direction to continue upwards but the speed slowed down until
our angle had dropped to mere 45 degrees. It was as if there wasn't
enough power in the engines.
Instead
of vertical direction, our journey continued horizontally. We were
not in space yet. I could still see trees and buildings below. The
movement slowed down even further, and we almost stopped. Yet the
gravity was not strong enough to pull us down. The engines were still.
There
were no sounds to be heard from the cockpit. It was very quiet. Sari
and I looked at each other. Was this a typical phase in a space flight?
Would we continue our journey soon? Or had something gone wrong?
I
took some water from the tap. The water would last for a week but
hardly longer than that. We could spend a couple of days here, but
then we'd be starving. I knocked on the walls. No reaction. I put
a tape in the cassette player and pressed PLAY. At least we could
listen to music.
Sari
stood by a window and waved her arms as if to shout, "Look up!
We're here!" We were not noticed; nobody watched the skies. There
would be no one to hear our shouting.
A
paper note emerged from beneath the cockpit door. It was a one-page
letter where the pilot apologized the turn of events. "I did
participate the necessary training," it said. "I have been
to the moon. I even took my parents there."
The
tape had stopped although the music was only half-way through. Apparently
there were problems with electricity. Could this relate to the stopping
of the engines? I pressed PLAY. The music started again and at the
same time there was the rattle of the engines. I failed to see the
connection between the tape player and the engine room but something
must have happened since the engines were running again.
I
took my mobile phone from my pocket. I wasn't sure if there was any
coverage so high up but it seemed so. I called my sister in Helsinki
and asked her to look up to the skies. I said we were stuck in space
but would be able to continue soon. At that moment there was a voice
from the loud speakers. The pilot said, "We had some technical
problems, but now the situation is back to normal. We will return
to earth in a short while."
I
continued my phone call. "If everything goes well, then we'll
be back soon. But if not, do say greetings to everyone."
"Nonsense! Have a safe flight!"
