Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine.
And yeah, its hands look like Rocky’s hands, broadly speaking. Three fingers. About the same size as Rocky’s hands. Probably controlled with a Nintendo Power Glove kind of thing inside the ship. Man, I’m old.
I’m a botanist and mechanical engineer; basically, the mission’s fix-it man who played with plants. The mechanical engineering might save my life if something breaks.
There’s plenty of heat, thanks to the RTG. I just needed to get it evenly spread out. For once, entropy was on my side.
I’m Canadian, by the way. But don’t worry! I’m not one of those anti-American Canadians. I think you guys are alright.
Jesus Christ, I’d give anything for a five-minute conversation with anyone. Anyone, anywhere. About anything.
Deimos is a little piece of crap that’s no good to anyone.
I think I can work this out.
Maybe it’s just the childish optimist in me, but humanity can be pretty impressive when we put our minds to it.
What the fudge is going on?! Fudge? Seriously? Maybe I have young kids. Or I’m deeply religious.
But I would have gotten away with it.
25 kph, the rover’s top speed.
DO YOU believe in God, Venkat?” Mitch asked. “Sure, lots of ’em,” Venkat said. “I’m Hindu.” “Ask ’em all for help with this launch.” “Will do.
I’m sure it’ll turn out to be a little hole somewhere, then NASA will have four hours of meetings before telling me to cover it with duct tape.
Goodness me! DuBois appears to be black! I’m surprised you allowed it! Aren’t you afraid he’ll ruin the mission with talk of rap music and basketball?
You never get diodes right on the first try.
Mechanical suffocation, it’s called. It’s how boa constrictors kill their prey. What an odd thing to think as my last thought.
Half the people who studied botany were hippies who thought they could return to some natural world system. Somehow feeding seven billion people through pure gathering. They spent most of their time working out better ways to grow pot. I didn’t like them.
I’m not the right guy for this job. I’m a last-second replacement because the actually qualified people blew up. But I’m here. I may not have all the answers, but I’m here.
I start to hyperventilate. “We’re dead in space. We’re stuck here forever.” “Not forever,” Rocky says. I perk up. “No?” “No. Orbit decay soon. Then we die.