Shattered Legacy Read Online Free PDF Page B

Advanced carbon-fiber material comprised the majority of the orbiter's airframe, allowing it a payload capacity nearly twice that of any NASA-legacy space shuttle. The craft was rated to lift a payload of up to fifty-five tons into low earth orbit.
    The Naiad's first official mission was a freight haul of thirty tons of supplies and replacement equipment to the International Space Station. The payload included a new solar array to replace one that had recently malfunctioned and had forced the station to shut down two service modules. The mission was a critical one. With the cutback in NASA launches, Templar Enterprises had been able to negotiate a contract with the government. While NASA brass had downplayed the overall importance of the flight, Templar saw the opportunity to prove that American private industry was ready to permanently supply and maintain the space station.
    Warning alarms sounded throughout the spaceport. The few remaining blue-suited technicians scattered away from the orbiter to head back to the Vehicle Assembly Building.
    Directly behind the Naiad , hydraulic pistons slowly raised a massive blast shield from under the runway. Heavily reinforced with steel girders and ablative plating, the shield was designed to provide resistance to the orbiter’s initial engine thrust. It took twenty seconds for the barrier to lock itself into place.
    ***
    “Ninety seconds to ignition.”
    The cockpit section of the Naiad was open and spacious. The main digital control panels were displayed through multiple touch screens, giving the crew easy access to two and three-dimensional color graphic and video information. Nearly every square edge of the crew section was rounded off and padded. Sound-reducing material covered the floor, ceiling, and available wall space. The astronauts were strapped into their seats, wearing white pressurized suits and helmets. Commander Roland McManus sat in the front right seat. Pilot Elliot Schwartz sat to his left, with Payload Specialist Todd Boynton situated behind and between them.
    “You set, Todd?” Schwartz asked as he gripped the controls.
    “All set,” Boynton replied with a grin. “Now that we’re carrying a real payload, I’ll finally have some work to do.”
    Schwartz grinned. “About time you earned your paycheck.” He looked over at McManus, who was checking his readouts. “How are we doing there, Commander?”
    McManus tapped the display screen above him. “Computer shows green across the board. Primary fuel pumps are online and tertiary systems one through nine are a go.”
    ***
    Fifty seconds to ignition.
    Standing behind his station in the Launch Control Tower, Noah Gettleman's nerves were on fire. He swept a hand across the sweaty nape of his neck, wondering if the astronauts inside the orbiter were feeling the same wrenching nausea. He always felt sick before a launch. At any time, something could go wrong. Any mission was always just an instant from disaster. Gettleman licked his lips and spoke into his headset. “Orbiter Naiad . We'll begin countdown at the thirty second mark.”
    “Let's light ’er up already,” replied the Naiad's commander.
    Gettleman tightened his jaw and grunted. Roland McManus always sounded painfully cheerful, no matter the situation. Of the three astronauts, Gettleman was closest to McManus. They had become friends during the astronaut-training program. Gettleman attended many weekend barbecues with the McManus family. Since he didn’t have a wife or girlfriend, time at the McManus home pretty much constituted his entire social life.
    “Hey, Noah, are you coming over Sunday? We’re having a big party to celebrate the mission. Everyone’s invited, you know. Even you clowns in the Control Tower.”
    Gettleman smiled. It was as if McManus had read his mind. “Sounds good to me.”
    “Hey, my sister’s flying in from New York. You know - the single one...”
    “Yeah,” Gettleman said, ignoring amused glances from the others