"This is an island?" said McCoy. "I don't think so."443Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8GXcxSNJN
"It does, now that you mention it, look strangely like our point of departure," said Pike, as their jet set down on the desert landing field again.
A crew-cut young man came into the cabin from the pilot area. "There's been a change in plans."
"How can that be?" asked Pike.
"You'll be waiting here a bit longer than anticipated."
"Something went wrong," said Kirk. "That's it, isn't it?"
The crew-cut young man opened the door. "If you'll return to the hangar," he suggested, "you'll eventually be briefed on the changes in the overall plan."
"One thing's for sure," said McCoy. "We're never going to get a piece of that cake."
Cox came clomping down the slanting carpeted aisle of the NASA auditorium. "Is this seat taken?"
"Yes," replied Abby Rojas. "I'm saving it for a friend of mine. He's the new heavyweight boxing champion."
"Don't be so whimsical, Abby," advised Cox. "This is an ultra-sad occasion."
"Anytime you're within ten feet of me it's an ultra-sad occasion."
Flashbulbs began to pop, cameras started to whir. Dr. Roddenberry, accompanied by several other NASA officials, had stepped upon the stage.
He took a seat at the center of the table on the stage. When the others were seated, Roddenberry took hold of a microphone and cleared his throat, which boomed across the auditorium.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, his voice strained. "Um----I have a brief statement for you, after which I'll answer your questions."
From a pocket of his coat Roddenberry withdrew a folded sheet of white paper. He unfolded it, carefully spread it on the table, and began reading.
"At T-plus 259 days, 15 hours, 11 minutes in the flight of Enterprise IX, which was 2 minutes 18 seconds after interface, the heat shield warning light on the Mission Control monitoring panel turned red. We attempted to establish radio contact with the spacecraft, but we were not successful. 14 seconds later, 2 minutes 32 seconds after interface, the tracking monitor lost signal. Contact was never re-established."
Roddenberry paused to rub a hand across his forehead, then went on: "All the other monitoring data confirmed the loss of the craft. Um----the heat shield evidently separated from the Command Module. As you know, the heat shield is the only protection the module has against the heat buildup on re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. The spacecraft disintegrated within 12 seconds after the shield's loss."
He turned the sheet of paper over slowly. "At this time, the cause of the heat shield failure remains unknown. This has never happened before. I---I can't adequately describe how we feel. These men---they were an integral part of a family here in the program. I don't have to tell you what kind of personal qualities they had. This malfunction was the only one which occurred in the months of the flight. We don't know why it happened. That's the end of my statement."
Abby was on her feet. "Couldn't you have anticipated this kind of malfunction?"
"We try to anticipate everything, Abby," answered Roddenberry. "But the possibility that something like this could happen despite all our precautions is always there. We have to learn to live with that kind of thing."
Across the room another reporter asked, "When was the last time the heat shield was checked out?"
"All during the re-entry phase there was a series of status checks. All of them gave every indication the shield was in place," answered Roddenberry. "the system was checked out by the flight crew and by Mission Control."
"What has been the White House reaction to what's happened?"
"I haven't talked to the President. I'm sure I will fairly soon. I would like to say the President has been a source of constant encouragement to us in the program. This mission meant as much to him as it did to us."
"Do you think this will end the Manned Space Program?"
"I, um, don't know. In 1967 we had an Apollo I fire. Grissom, White and Chafee died. We were all crushed, but we just didn't give up. We went on, as they would have wanted us to," said Roddenberry. "Two years later Neil Armstrong walked on the moon."
"But you can't tell us for sure that the program will continue?"
"Today three remarkable men have given their lives," said Roddenberry. "They gave their lives for something which meant more to them than their personal survival. I ask you, all of you here.....and all of the people of this country---you be the ones to give the answer. How can we serve these men? By giving up on their dream? By saying it was all for nothing? You give me the answer."443Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYVa8e12Sb
