next to him is our psychologist and linguist Anastasia Gradeckaya.
Anastasia smiled sweetly and also waved her hand at the camera.
TERRY TAYLOR
– Jase, look at the porthole, we are flying over the Himalayas.
Jase cautiously flew up to the porthole and pointed the camera lens at the mountain range.
JASE ADESENYA
– Now from the side of the shuttle I am observing a mountain system called the Himalayas with a length of 2330 kilometers and a width of 1335 kilometers, with a total area of more than one million kilometers. There are 10 eight-thousanders – peaks more than 8000 meters above sea level, of which I have conquered all 10. The five highest peaks are Cho-oyu, Makalu, Lhotse, Kanchenjunga, and the largest peak on planet Earth reaches a height of 8848 meters. This is Mount Chomolungma, or Everest, which means «the Divine Mother of vital energy».
The team continued to relax and enjoy all the charms of weightlessness in the cockpit. A bag with the inscription FilPC was mounted near the aft control panel and controls.
Igor Vladimirovich flew up to the bag and pulled out a bulky frameless all-in-one PC. By pressing the side button, he turned it on. The computer began to load its operating system. After a few seconds, a desktop appeared on the screen with the icons «music», «video», «games» and shortcuts with office applications. At the bottom of the screen appeared a funny fluffy yellowish animal resembling a meerkat. He was wearing a stylish tight-fitting red suit. Igor Vladimirovich turned the monitor towards the amusing crew members.
IGOR VLADIMIROVICH
– Friends, welcome our intellectual assistant FilPC.
FilPC smiled and waved a paw to the astronauts.
CREW
– Hello, FilPC.
FilPC
– Hello, «New World» shuttle crew.
ANITA LEWIS
– What a cute animal!
FilPC was expressing a nice smile and was sending the animated hearts.
ANITA LEWIS
– Is this for me? Hearts. You're so cool!
She flew up to the monitor and kissed the place where FilPC was standing. The animal circled and playfully fell into an unconscious state, which made the whole shuttle laugh.
TERRY TAYLOR
– Astronauts! May I have your attention?
Terry drew attention to all crew members, even FilPC.
TERRY TAYLOR
– We have another hour and a half of free time. If someone is hungry, there is a kitchen on the second level, but I advise you not to get too full because spatial movement awaits us ahead. On the first level you will find your rooms. You know the numbers of your rooms, your personal items are also there. At 20–45 sharp I am waiting for everyone in the cockpit in your seats. That’s all, enjoy your flight.
SHUTTLE «NEW WORLD». 20-45
Equipped in their light spacesuits, members of the shuttle team gathered in the cockpit at the time set by the captain. When everyone played with FilPC for long enough, it was turned off and hidden in its case. Terry and Igor corrected the shuttle trajectory and the rest of the team was watching their actions.
IGOR VLADIMIROVICH
– FCC, I see International Orbital Satellite.
Terry looked to the left side of the front porthole and watched the approaching of IOS.
TERRY TAYLOR
– Here it is, my baby.
IOS – International Orbital Satellite, was visible in the portholes on the left side. The International Space Station, which once flew in orbit, served as its basis. There were numerous branches with modules and giant solar panels attached to them, coming out of the station. A space collider flew in its orbit near the International Orbital Satellite. It was connected to the IOS by numerous wires.
IGOR VLADIMIROVICH
– How many days did you spend on IOS, while you were building it and collider?
TERRY TAYLOR
– More than 4 years.
I don’t even know how I didn’t lose my mind from such a long stay in orbit.
Terry and Igor smiled at each other.
TERRY TAYLOR
– What’s the distance to the collider?
Zhou Siyu was sitting in the flight specialist’s chair at the aft control panel, display, and shuttle controls.
ZHOU SIYU
– 5000 meters.
TERRY TAYLOR
– Closure?
ZHOU SIYU
– 11,8 meters per second.
TERRY TAYLOR
– FCC, turning on manual control.
RICH RUDIGER
– The shuttle, roger that.
Terry and Igor took up their shunting levers attached to their chairs.
TERRY TAYLOR
– FCC, turning off the autopilot.
RICH RUDIGER
– «New World», roger that.
Terry clicked on the glowing green indicators with the words «Autopilot», the indicators turned off.
TERRY TAYLOR
– Reducing the closure speed up to 5 meters per second.
On his dashboard Igor Vladimirovich did the necessary operations of turning on the propulsion system for maneuvering and orientation.
IGOR VLADIMIROVICH
– Maneuvering and orientation engines are launched.
TERRY TAYLOR
– Roger that.
Terry pressed lightly the maneuvering and orientation levers. Frontal and auxiliary engines released jets of gas, thereby slowing the shuttle.
RICH RUDIGER
– Terry, perfect movement. Continue to slow down further and move towards IOS.
TERRY TAYLOR
– FCC, roger that.
ZHOU SIYU
– 3500 meters to IOS, closure speed is 5 meters per second.
The shuttle team was getting closer to the IOS with every second. They examined residential modules and huge solar panels attached around the station.
ZHOU SIYU
– 1500 meters.
Terry moved the lever along the axes, gradually reducing speed and leveling the ship so that its head was at the entrance of the collider.
ZHOU SIYU
– 500 meters.
Terry focused on his dashboard, showing a 360-degree view. Igor was holding his hands near his shunting levers and was ready at any second to take control and command in case of emergency situation.
ZHOU SIYU
– 250 meters!
TERRY TAYLOR
– Parking carefully, without hitting anything.
The commander of the ship pulled the lever along the axes once in a while and waited time. Equipment for spatial movement appeared in the frontal panoramic window of the shuttle, and crew members were watching its movement along the window. Terry looked at his working monitors and waited for the head of the shuttle to coincide with the center of the collider. After waiting for the registering, the astronaut on his