The small problem

“Houston we have a problem.”

A quote I thought I’d say for something like this. But I will begin a few days earlier. “Mr. Lane you should really shave your mustache.”

Said one of the doctors, in the N.A.S.A. medical examination room.  “I will not.”

I said, “Why should I?”

“It could cause irritation in your helmet.”

He said,

“What like my nose will itch.” I laughed.

“Fine I will not make you, but don’t blame me if it’s a problem.”

Maybe I should start back a little further. I was born in Scotland and moved here because of a United Nations idea to have different countries to combine their space programs since nobody is able to do it alone. So I’m here in America to help N.A.S.A in their new plan to put a permanent structure on the moon. I thought this is great I’ll be setting up the first structure on the moon, but nope I go before that mission to find where to put the base. But it’s still great to help with this achievement.

It’s a bit different here than in Scotland its hotter here and there’s a lot more people, but I won’t be here long after I’m done. It’s kind of like they give me a check and I leave to go home. Anyway I’m here and we’re doing the last checks on all the equipment then we will be launching into space to go to the moon. Everything was ready so they started the countdown was from sixty to one. It was an eternity to go from sixty to ten but once it hit ten everything seemed to almost stop completely it kept getting slower then I heard 5………..4………….3……………2……………..1 liftoff.

We shot straight back into our seats. N.A.S.A. developed systems that should reduce the jolt and pressure but the systems don’t take away all off it. The two assistants were scared speechless and I was paralyzed by wonder. I haven’t actually been into space before but I have had a lot of training. This was my first mission out of the atmosphere. This was also the first multi-nation space expedition to the moon since our countries agreed to start this mission.

One of the assistants was from Canada. The other was from France since the Canadian spoke both English and French he was kind of a translator.  The French assistant spoke some English but nowhere nearly enough to speak complex sentences that where needed to explain if something went wrong. His name is Piear which everyone thought was stereotypical and funny that that was his actual name his last name is unpronounceable the Canadian could say it but I haven’t the slightest clue how it’s said. The space shuttle was interesting the new design is really different from the old one I haven’t been able to familiarize myself completely with the new design but it is a bit easier to remember every one I has a panel in front of them that locks in to place each panel controls a different system on the shuttle and has a display on all the systems in case someone misses something we can tell them to fix it. The two assistants sat behind Alan and I. Alan was the main pilot, he is an American from N.A.S.A I guess they wanted one of their own astronauts in charge because they have the most on the line for this mission. The front window was slim and long it went half way around this part of the shuttle.  The front is pointed and curved and gets wider the farther back in the shuttle you are the wider it the widest part is where the equipment is. There are all kinds of equipment in that room but all we really need is a flat space and the foundation. The foundation is the first part of the structure to go on the moon its fairly large is about a hundred meters by fifty meters and is made of meter by meter squares the whole thing is white and is in pieces. Which we have to assemble somehow the directions are in French since the French designed it but it would probably help if we had a copy in English, but it is not my job, so I try not to worry about it. The thing is surprisingly light it weighs about twenty kilos but up here it almost weightless there are other kinds of equipment to sensors to see if the ground is flat, ones that see if the ground is stable, don’t want to put the foundation down and the ground collapse from under us. Position sensors they look like a small satellite dish I guess that they want to know exactly where we are down to the millimeter. There are also communication tools to help boost signals they basically look like a big pool with a dish on top. If we lose communication we put it in the ground and plug in our comm. station that sends the messages wirelessly to our helmets, instead of the regular system of them sending the signal straight the shuttle to an intercom set throughout the shuttle. But if we are far from the ship and they cannot get a signal to our helmets then the communication tools are the only way we can speak to the rest of the team up here and back on earth. Last there are tools for changing the surface if we have to. They look like a smaller version on construction vehicles since there is less gravity they have to lift less weight so they can be smaller and weigh less, which makes them easy to move. If we wanted to we could lift them up they are made of a carbon fiber synthetic that is very light weight and strong enough to lift several hundred pounds. I think we don’t need all this junk but they gave us it any ways.

We really only need a flat area to set up all gear we are going to leave here. Which it is my job to find a flat area to set up. Then I have to fix any imperfections in the land then we set up the foundation and some sensors to tell N.A.S.A where we are. Then they can plan When and where the next launch will be to set up the rest of the building they are doing up here. They will also be sending up chemically altered plants that are small and change carbon dioxide into oxygen at a fast rate and they don’t require much water. They are pretty small and are not that great looking but they need to be small and their look does not matter as long as they serve their purpose. They really will help in case the systems that change carbon dioxide to oxygen fail or if they run low on oxygen. Eventually those little ugly plants will replace the oxygen systems altogether I’m not sure I trust my life to a two foot tree but I hope I can come back when this whole project is over and done with then we can think how to expand the base how to make it more cost efficient, wouldn’t want to have to shut it down after we’ve put it up. Then they would have to design a new shuttle that can carry large amounts of people number of times. And how to get water up here it may not seem like it but water is very heavy, and would cost a lot to get up here.

We where almost at the moon we all had to go sit back down in our control seats to monitor the systems. Everything seemed to go surprisingly well which was unexpected. Everyone thought something would go wrong with something. But only one thing went wrong and that was Pier’s monitor went to English for a bit but we fixed that.

The landing was bumpy at first but smoothed out. The new ship design curves force from our landing back down to stabilize the shuttle. The down side is we have to land with the correct side down or we might damage a wing.

There are four wings the two on sides are much larger than the two on the top. The ones on top are a bit higher than the bigger wing they send some of the force down that hits the top and stabilizes the whole shuttle. We were about to land when I hear

“no no no no no NO.” Alan yelled. I asked

“What are the wings broken, are we losing oxygen. Is then engine on fire, are we about to explode, what is it?”

“I can’t find my boot.” He said

“You mean that boot on foot right there?” I said

He looked down and then face palmed. Then he had a red mark the whole time we took for the landing. I started to laugh when we landed. He asked if I was laughing because where on the moon. In truth that was part of it but that red mark was still on his head. We landed and my mission began I put on my gear it was a basic suit with some extra surveying tools. And there is a little camera on my shoulder, so everyone can see where I’m at. I’m going off alone for this part to find a spot. I have been walking okay it’s more like skipping but if I try to walk its really awkward there is a little hill up a head I hope to get a  bit of a view to find somewhere to set up.

I walked on top of the hill and saw a great spot so I set up a the position and ground check gear everything was perfect no hollow spots all flat, so I was started to walk back when I felt like I had to sneeze but I couldn’t sneeze. My nose was itching.

“WHY!?” I screamed in to the microphone. “What the problem” Huston asked. 

“My nose itches” I said. He said

“Really that’s the problem? Just wait for it to pass.”But it didn’t It was horrible to skip all the way back to the shuttle. By skip I mean jump float forward a few feet for two seconds off the ground. In other words It is going to be a while to get back to the shuttle. Every hill I hoped I would be here but it took an hour but to me it seemed an eternity every step it was worse, the fact that I can’t fix it is the worst part of it. I was really thinking about sliding my visor up for just a second, but I would die from the pressure difference. I almost gave up when I saw a dull glimmer in the distance it was the top wing of the ship I was instantly refilled with joy I ran okay skipped awkwardly as fast as I could as soon as I got there Alan said something about how fast I got back but I rushed past him to fast to hear I rushed into the shuttle and took of my helmet and started to scratch my face as fast as I could. Then I said why did that doctor have to be right my nose really did itch. Really that’s too much irony to bare. Then I hear on the microphone “I told you so.” I didn’t need to ask who said that I was certain it was that doctor. My job was done so I just waited in the shuttle until we had to leave the moon going back was faster because we left behind all that gear and equipment and landing was easier we had 70% of the world to aim for. This shuttle floats too we waited twenty minutes floating in the shuttle. Piar got sea sick and was puke in the laboratory. I’m not sure if he was being melodramatic or if he was really sick. When the U.S. ships showed up they had a crane lift the whole shuttle on top of it. The ship was massive but I didn’t see much of it. I’m sure the boat is military but there are no cannons mounted on the deck. It must be an aircraft carrier I thought before I fell asleep. We slept in the shuttle because we needed to make sure the shuttle didn’t take any damage in the landing or pickup. We got back to Shore when I woke up the next day