Eyes darting from the clock on the computer screen to the flight plan sitting in front of me. People are yelling numbers and orders in my ears. Their words no longer have any meaning. Time is running out and the people around me know that too.
"Capcom, they need to do their RCS manoeuvre and major mode change in order to dock with the ISS." Her voice full of nerves as she barks orders to be relayed. "Capcom." No one responds to her calls and she cries as she sees we are almost out of time. "Can someone please get Alyssa? We have two minutes left before docking."
As I hear people screaming orders in panic tones I find myself watching the screens intently. I watch as Bailey slowly gets back into his chair with Paddy, not far behind him. Both boys completely unaware of the situation and the short time frame they have left before they potentially crash. My eyes wander the room, looking at all the people yelling in their headsets, barking orders at one another, trying to resolve the issue and avoid the crash which has become inevitable.
There are nine people's lives in the hands of two young boys now frantically flicking through the pages of their check lists and flicking switches as quickly as they can. Tension rises as the orbiter grows incredibly close to the ISS, in the completely wrong position. Every single person sitting in this room with me grows more frustrated and stressed by the second.
I watch the five people on the ISS. They are completely unaware of what is happening. They are just floating around completing their checklists as the orbiter grows closer and closer.
Time is up, the orbiter is still horizontal. The front rams straight into the side of the ISS, killing everyone on board, almost instantly due to the impact. As it continues through the ISS, oxygen begins leaking and pressure rises. The crew on the orbiter don't last much longer than those on the ISS. They are all dead. They will never return to earth. They died in space. Everyone in mission control falls silent. Heads fall into hands in utter despair. We failed them, we failed our mission, we were part of the reason nine people are now "dead".
As we continue our mourning we suddenly hear a deep, chirpy voice in our ears.
"Okay so everyone is dead, good job guys. Now if I can get you all outside by the benches we can discuss bringing you all back to life. I believe it is time for a dance battle with Von Braun. Get your dancing shoes on Korolev."
With that we were on our feet, laughing at the outcome of the first half of our simulation, hopefully the second half will be more successful.
