Project Icarus

[Entry 003]

Initializing neural network alpha . . . System reboot successful.
diagnostics(primary).begin . . . Cooling system failure detected. quit(subroutine) Y or N?
Y

“Alright, so I have swapped a few hard drives, patched the software, added a cooling line to the server room, and re-written a lot of the AI’s source code. It will take a few hours to compile before I can debug this thing properly, so I went digging for something to read.

I went through the ship’s library today when I was looking for manuals on the defense grid. I did not have the chance to meet Captain Marianne’s acquaintance, but she would have bonded well over some of these history books with my wife.

Did you know humans first sent a probe to Alpha Centauri in Earth Year (EY) 2045? By accident? It was a test of a new propulsion system, and during launch something damaged the engine’s ability to shut down, forcing it to continue careening into space at full burn.

Although they lost contact, the probe kept a strong attitude alignment with the trajectory to Alpha Centauri even after all available fuel was expended. Some NASA engineers theorized that this probe could have made it to the Alpha Centauri system by 4025!

Now, because I’m what one might call a math nerd, that means that the probe, assuming it is still functional, and somehow kept its trajectory through literal light years, it would be arriving next year! That’s wild!

And on top of all of this, it would be approaching the same planet I am too, becoming ensnared by the gravity and likely burning up in the atmosphere.

With luck maybe I’ll still be around to catch it!”