THE GREAT UNKNOWN

March 17, 2056

We made it to the dwarf planet 136199 Eris this morning.  I can hardly believe we made it this far. This is the longest mission I have ever been on and I miss Chrystal and Jack so much. Jack would love to see this, ever since I have been assigned to this mission he has been researching the planet and finding as much data as he can about the planet.  He says he wants to be an astronaut and a scientist just like me when he grows up. He wants to explore the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

 We sent out dozens of probes as soon as we arrived in Eris’s orbit. Captain Miller says they are already sending back hundreds of readings. According to the lieutenant, we will analyze the data first thing in the morning. It's late now and we have been awake for about twenty-six hours. The data we are gathering now will help us find a place to land the space pod on the surface of the planet. There is no sign of life thus far but we really didn't expect to see anything in this vicinity. I’m exhausted so I will write in this diary when I can.

Mar 18, 2056

I wish I could share this experience with you. This started out as a diary but I think it's going to be more like a letter to you guys. I miss you so much Crystal, sleeping in my small twin bed in a sterile room, with white walls, and white furniture, it is so … cold. It makes me appreciate how you have made our place into a real home. I miss the crazy pieces of art you have collected over the years and hung on our walls. Jack, I  even miss hearing you scampering around early in the morning,  chasing that crazy puppy you got for your birthday. I swear I will never tell you to be quiet again, despite the number of crew on this spacecraft and the number of humming machines and pieces of technology, the place is eerily quiet.  I have to go now, the Captain just called me.

We are getting unbelievable readings from the probes that we sent out yesterday. All indications hint that there is some form of life on this dwarf planet.  We are still unable to determine what type of lifeforms exist here, and as I told you when I first started this mission, much of what we discover will be classified until we get back and the data has been assessed. I will tell you things that I can though and yes Crystal I won’t go all technical on you, I know how much all that technical jargon drives you crazy.

March 19, 2056

 We landed the two-man space pod on Eris today. We discovered a fairly flat stretch on which our shuttle-pod landed.  Chuck and I put on our gear and descended to the surface while the aircraft continues to hoover over the planet on our original orbit. It was incredible. Jack, the surface is made up of white methane gas and it sorta looks like snow.  Remember that trip we took to the mountains last year, well it looks much the same.   Here’s another interesting tip about Eris, it takes about 557 Earth years for Eris to make just one trip around the Sun. 

Now I think I know how Neil Armstrong felt when he and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon all those years ago. Of course, since that time there have been a vast number of improvements and space travel is so much faster than back in those pioneer days. The crew all gave a cheer when we hit Warp 49,  which is a new speed record for the Kestral. It took less than an hour to descend to the planet's surface, but it took over two hours to get into our suits. They are very complex suits and worth a small fortune.

 We located some caves near our landing site and decided that we would check them out first. We saw what we took to be some form of writing on the walls of the caves. It was unbelievable.  Our suits are so thick and have so much apparatus running through them that it is difficult to walk normally. Chuck took a bit of a tumble and damaged his air regulator so we had to return to the airship earlier than we had originally been scheduled to leave. The cave was filled with formations which are similar to stalagmites and stalactites. We'll return tomorrow and go deeper into the caves. I’m pretty sure I felt someone or something watching us. I turned but it was gone,  I just got a glimpse of a trace of blue lights. It was a very faint glow. You can't move very fast in those space suits. I  also thought I saw a flash of the blue lights just as we boarded our space shuttle. We will explore again tomorrow when we know that Chuck’s suit hasn’t been compromised. Like I always tell you, Jack, when you are on your speed racer, safety first.

We had some freeze-dried chicken and potatoes and carrots when we got back to the spaceship, honestly, it wasn’t that bad but not as good as your chicken dinners Crystal.

March 20, 2056

Chuck and I will start to prepare for our second trip down to the dwarf planet, we are not due to get suited up for another hour so I am taking the opportunity to let you both know more about Eris. As you will remember Jack, Eris was discovered back in 2005 and is the second largest dwarf planet and was named after the Goddess Eris who is the goddess of strife and discord. It is about the size of Russia and was thought to have only one small moon called Dysnomia which circles the planet about every two weeks however we have discovered another even smaller moon on the far side of the planet. Eris is a trans-Neptunian object and has a high-eccentricity orbit. Jack, I want you to do some research and find out what this means, if you want to become a scientist and study astrodynamics when you are older you should familiarize yourself with these terms. I know you already have a great grasp of our solar system and beyond.

Oh my Gosh, I can’t believe it. Something is happening here, something horrible. I need to tell you guys how much I love you both. Never doubt it for a moment. If you ever get this tell my Mum and Dad that I love them and my sister Katie too. I awoke at dawn to these terrible screams. I rushed out of my cabin and ran down the corridor. I met Chuck halfway down and together we ran to the lieutenant's room. We found him, or what was left of him on the floor of his cabin. Crystal, if you ever get this, don’t let Jack read this part. All that was left of him was his skin and his bones. It was ghastly, something must have invaded the ship and done this to him.

It proves that there is life on this planet but this is not the way we wanted to find out.  It might be microorganisms or maybe it's some form of biological warfare. Perhaps the inhabitants think we are here to annihilate them and don’t realize we come in peace and strictly for scientific reasons.   We searched the ship in pairs but didn’t find anything. The captain gave orders immediately and we made a strategic retreat. and are now hovering over the planet at a much further distance while he attempts to contact command. Some storms and extreme weather conditions are going on so communication has been difficult. Terry was such a nice guy, his family will be devastated.

March 21, 2056

It happened again! It was the medical officer this time, we heard piercing screams and then by the time we got there, there was nothing in the room but a pile of skin and bones. We searched the ship again, two by two we covered every inch. Nothing! We are all trying to keep it together but in reality, we are all totally freaking out. The captain issued weapons to the entire crew and we were to travel only in pairs. We are still unable to reach command for orders so the captain has kept the airship in a holding pattern. There doesn't appear to be any changes in the planet's surface. No motions detected, no changes in temperature. Da Nada.

Chuck and I were returning to our cabins after a briefing with the crew when I thought I saw something strange. It seemed to be some kind of electrical emission at the end of the corridor. Chuck said he didn’t notice anything but he was walking behind me and it only lasted a few seconds. The thing is, I thought I saw some electrical force outside of Terry's cabin when the first incident happened. This time it seemed like the force was getting… bigger taking on form, and substance. I don't know. Maybe it's just an apparition. My eyes playing tricks on me, my brain trying to bring some reason to this madness.  Maybe I am experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

March 22, 2056

It got Chuck. Whatever it is, it got Chuck. His cabin is directly across from mine, I didn't even hear a scream this time, just a dull thud. I ran across the corridor but the cabin door was locked. I knocked and knocked and finally kicked the door down. There he was just like the others, only skin and bones in a puddle on the floor. Others came running when they heard me breaking down the door. They took Chuck’s remains away, he has,  I should say, had, been my best friend since we were both cadets.

March 23, 2056

The storm has passed, microbursts are no longer a threat, and magnetic waves are at a lower level; solar flares, plasma bursts, and geomagnetic storms have dissipated. The Captain has been in contact with command. We are to return to base. Our mission has been scrubbed. We will leave Eris at 05:00 hours. I know it will take some time to get home but I can honestly say it can't be too soon for me. I don't think I am cut out for space exploration. I will continue the rest of my career in a nice safe scientific lab, filled with test tubes, petri dishes, and telescopes, and do my experiments on the ground. I am looking forward to seeing you both sooner than we thought. Someone is at the door, I hear something… remember …I love y…