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A thrillseekers ultimate experience would be earth riding!
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Earth Riding by Eric Norland
There have always been thrill seekers. They are people who like to surf on big waves, ski down impossibly steep mountains, climb sheer cliffs, shoot horrendous rapids of frothing water or dive out of airplanes strapped to a snow board. So it is not so shocking to consider riding the earth or should I say, Earth Riding.
The transition of getting up into space was always our biggest problem. It takes plenty of energy to get up into orbit. The future worked this out in clever ways. They used the energy of the sun and the rotation of the earth to ‘lift’ a capsule up into the atmosphere and bring it into orbit. The earth is turning at 1,000 miles per hour and there is incredible power in that rotating earth. Thus, using the sun and the earth as a lifting force they achieved this function.
Once in space, our traveler is joined by many other thrill seekers at the space connection center. It is located 800 miles above the earth. This place is exactly like an airport terminal. It has all of the amenities with the only exception that it is in zero gravity and the weightless conditions take some getting used to.
From the space port, one can travel to anywhere in the solar system. There are transporters going in all directions. Ours will be on a transport, which can go ahead of the earth, on its orbital path around the sun.
We get on board the transporter, it is about the size of the space shuttle, and it leaves the space port and we see the earth diminish behind us. It is a speedy ride, the shuttle moves at up to 50,000 miles per hour. Since the earth is moving at 66,000 miles per hour, we are actually going at around 110,000 mph.
Each of us 12 participants are taken out about 2 hours in front of the earth and we are dropped off in space at 10 minute intervals. We put on our space suit and strap on a life support system. The system includes a fully usable life support pack, (LSP) which has air for 12 hours, water, food and we can even go to the bathroom if we like and even rinse out our mouths with a mouthwash. There is a fully usable communication system, activated on voice command.
One of the features that comes with the LSP is the Thoughtron. It is a psychoanalytical system, which tells one how they are doing mentally. It analyses the brain and lets one know how they can more positively help themselves to get through stressful difficulties.
I’m dropped off out in space as the third Earth Rider in line. I can see the transporter leave, its thrusters glowed abit, then it zipped away from me. It heads to the right of the sun, which is a shining white ball of light off to the left of the transporter.
I can spin myself around using propulsion jets. My view of the earth is like our earth view of the moon. The exception is that it is a bright blue globe. I spin about and see in all directions around me the stars. I know them, the constellations, and the Cygnus region of the Milky Way arching overhead is so full of stars that it is indescribable. The earth is currently in Virgo, as the sun is currently in Pisces. This was nice, because I could look straight ahead and see the magnificent star clouds of Sagittarius, with Jupiter off to the left, and then spin around and look behind me to see the bright stars of Orion. In all directions one sees the cosmos. Below my feet is the Southern Cross and the stars of Centauri.
I also can use my science computer, activated on voice command. It tells me information about any question I can ask it. It even tells me where to look to find Arcturus!
Things start to happen quickly, and I am told by the mother ship to activate my earth guidance system. I do so. This will put me in the exact trajectory to skim above the earth.
I can hear the first person who was dropped off for Earth Riding shouting in exhilaration his experience of having the earth pass below him. The next person in line is a woman and she says she is getting ready for her episode.
I felt good inside of the space suit. Nothing was uncomfortable. I could see beautifully, and even had a light snack and drink. I noticed the earth was definitely getting bigger now and looked like a blue disc. It was also interesting to see the moon off to the left of the planet.
My guidance jets were taking over. It was pushing me downward, and off to the left. I could now tell that the earth was approaching me. It was a large blue beach ball, with white patches of clouds extending on a long line from the Pacific up toward North America. The guidance system continued to move me. It really worked hard a couple of times. I was rather frightened to say the least because I felt it put me at great a risk of falling into the path of the earth. Then it mellowed out and now was quiet.
I heard the woman Earth Rider number two say that she was having the time of her life. I was next, with about 20 minutes until my turn came.
The earth approached rapidly, I considered its speed of 66,000 miles per hour and that my being nearly idle in space meant a collision of horrendous magnitudes. Yet, the experts assured me, that correctly calculated, this would be a joy ride over the planet.
North America was slipping into the dark side on the upper right of the earth. I could now see much of Asia and Russia in daylight and all the way down to the red brown of Australia were patches of clouds and blue waters.
The guidance system did one last adjustment, then I heard the mother ship ask me how I was doing. I said, “this is so cool.” They said, we will see you in about 25 minutes. They were picking up the first guy.
The earth approached rapidly, I now saw it as a huge blue ball, the slightly changing terminator line convinced me of its rotation. I marveled at the colors of continents. Snow was on the upper regions, then moving south it was a light brown and green starting around Hong Kong and getting real green all the way down to the north of Australia. One of the most astounding sights was the immensity of the Pacific Ocean. I could still see South America and some of the islands of the south seas.
The planet earth moves like a giant wrestler with a barrel chest and a bright wingman the moon off to one side as escort. I couldn’t help but feel a tingle as the outer shell of the Van Allen belts passed through me.
Now I was set up for my episode of Earth Riding. The giant planet earth was going to slide right underneath me. I watched its monstrous approach. I felt as if it would suck me in or knock me out of its way. I was about to be devoured by my home planet!
The earth stretched out before me now. It was huge, and like the ultimate lesson in geography, and so blue. I could see its terminator lines on both sides, on the left was the approaching dawn and on the right was the coming of night. The north pole was dark. The planet had an eiry glow, the atmosphere almost alit, like it had a light of its own. I also noticed a glimpse of a tail behind the earth, lit at just the right angle.
Now the earth was passing directly underneath me. I was Earth Riding! How fantastic. I wondered if that rocking sensation I’d felt was a bow wave, or was it my own twitching within the LSP. I could see the great ocean beneath my feet and the coming northern areas of Russia pass as if I were a fighter jet strafing a mountain. Now I was right over the north pole, it was dark and right away I could see city lights on the dark side of the earth. They illuminated the western coastlines of the U.S. on the right and I could see the shapes of the Great Lakes and east coast far off to the left. The earth passed right below my body. How euphoric and impossible a thrill to describe this outstanding experience was.
Now I was looking at the darkness of space away from the earth and quickly used my jets to move my viewing position. I spun around and had a look back at the dark side of the earth.
Oh how, it moved quietly below me, the lights of cities in North America were so bright as to light even my face shield. I pondered the waste of energy and light pollution. Then I noticed flashes of light in the area of Texas and extending down into Mexico. This would be a line of thunderstorms. It was a glorious light show. There were also some glowing areas in the west coast ocean off of Peru. I was not sure of their origin.
The earth continued to move away from me like a leaving lover. I longed for it to not go, and panicked as a child missing his mother.
The view of the dark side of the earth in that dark sky ran a string of emotions through me. I wondered of those asleep, of those rousing in bed, or those creatures coming out at night to stalk. This was my beloved earth, the place I and everyone else had always called home.
Now the earth was rapidly going away and I changed my focus to the moon, shining as a crescent off in Sagittarius. Nearby was Jupiter, looking very bright and beautiful. I heard the mother ship say they were delayed in getting to me and how was I doing. “I’m doing fine and I’m really digging this.” I heard the mother ship say, “Ok, we will be with you in about…” There was a crackle. I thought it sounded kind of quiet all of a sudden. I called back to them. “Ah, mother ship could you repeat that?” They said nothing. I said it again. The same reply. Nothing.
Then I noticed that my onboard computer was quiet, my jets no longer worked. I noticed that my LSP was not working. I tried again to contact the mother ship. There was no reply. I saw the earth moving away, getting smaller and panic swept over me. “Come back,” I said silently.
With my LSP shut down, I began to feel the chill of space moving into my appendages. It moved into my hands, my arms and lower legs. I still could breath, but the gasps were slightly labored. There was nothing I could do. My visor slowly started to fog. The –450 degree temps of outer space were creeping in on me. I pondered how long I could survive.
Sunlight shone slightly into my face, and its warmth was welcomed. I could tell the sunlit side of my suit was warm, while the other side had a definite chill moving up my back. Oh how I wished the mother ship would come.
At a time like this I knew my ancestors would pray to a god, or to the God or to some form of god to save them. I had been trained to use the Thoughtron and that the mind could be calmed through times of trouble. But in this case, I had few options. It was not working. I tried to think positively. What good would it do to pray upward? I was already up in the heavens? What good would it do to pray for a miracle? I had few options, except that the mother ship find me soon, but without my guidance system enabled, they might not find me. What good would it do to pray to some god form on the planet earth? I wasn’t even on the earth. I was at the mercy of the universe.
The cold of space drove deep into my suit, deep into my bones and started me to tremble. It was such a savage cold. Now I could hardly breath. My LSP was not functioning. I felt such pain, felt so confused and was in such agony. I only tried to hang onto an element of hope. Then I saw this bright light shining down on me. It started slowly to envelop me. It was as if it were calling me home. I was drawn to the light. It started to take me away. I was letting go. I had heard of this happening to people who were dying. Now it was my turn. I was going with the light as it fully pierced my vision and being as if I were falling.
I had the sensation of dropping down into a void. It was a descent, my body felt pressure and my ears popped several times. “How are you doing, are you with us?” said a voice. “Can you wiggle your finger?” I breathed in a wonderful breath and felt the pain of cold thawing out in my body. “We are landing on earth and you will be outside in just a minute.” Said the voice. I could see her now. She was a pretty nurse and looked marvelous. “You were blacked out when we found you. It appears your LSP had a malfunction,” she said.
The lander shuttle had come to a stop and the door was opened up. They removed my oxygen mask and I breathed in the fresh air of planet earth. How wonderful it tasted. I heard the birds outside and a dog barking.
They wheeled me outside in the gurney and the sunlight fell upon my thawing body. Its warmth was wonderful. The air was so prescish, I drew in each breath like it was gold. The blue sky was unlike any I’d ever seen as they pulled me toward the hospital ward. I was so glad to be back on earth. It truly struck me how hostile space can be, how heavenly our planet earth is. |
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