Down at Earth in the NASA conference room, Richard watched the mission unfold live from the TV on the wall. He sipped his third cup of coffee and looked happy the mission was going smooth.
At the Space Spy Agency Peek A Boo We See You room, Johnson watched his radar screen. He saw a green symbol for the Magellan capsule while it was above the front of the asteroid.
Back up in space on the top of the asteroid, things were going smooth.
"Super," Jake said while watching from the Magellan space capsule. “Now, let's move forward and stop every ten feet and secure the cable with the duct tape," said Jake.
"Got it," Todd replied and pressed the "F" button, and moved the joystick forward.
The Space Buggy moved forward.
A piece of space junk whizzed upward from underneath the asteroid. It smacked into the bottom of the capsule, bounced off, and the space junk tumbled down to Earth.
High-pressure gas vented out of a hole in the Magellan capsule. This caused it to do an uncontrolled spin toward the direction of the Moon.
Todd, Ricky, and Scoota stared in shock, watching the Magellan capsule spin out of control.
"That doesn't look normal," said Ricky.
Todd nodded in agreement. "We're in deep do doo." "Again."
Ricky and Scoota nodded in agreement.
Inside the Magellan capsule, the spinning tossed Jake, Lance, and Clint around.
Jake banged his head against one of the seats; he passed out cold.
Lance banged his head against the console; he passed out cold.
Clint banged his head against the capsule wall; he passed out cold.
Down in a conference room at NASA Headquarters, Richard and Jennifer watched the TV from the room's table. The camera inside the capsule provided live coverage of this accident. They watched Jake, Lance, and Clint being tossed around the capsule, all unconscious.
Lance smacked into the video camera, and the video turned to static.
Richard stared at the static on the TV with his mouth dropped open. He banged his head on the table.
Jennifer slipped a pad of paper under his forehead.
He continued to bang his head.
At the Space Spy Agency Peek A Boo We See You room, Johnson ate a Milky Way candy bar while he watched his radar screen. A "There's A Huge Problem" message flashed. Johnson noticed the green Magellan capsule icon while it went topsy-turvy to the Moon icon.
"Ah Wilbur, we have another huge problem," Johnson screamed.
"Crap!" Wilbur cried out while he ran over with his Maalox bottle in hand.
He looked at Johnson's radar screen.
"Ah man," he said, then gulped down some Maalox. He picked up the phone receiver from Johnson's console and made a phone call.
At the NASA Headquarters conference room, Richard stopped banging his head. Jennifer looked at the massive red spot on his forehead.
Richard's cell phone rang, and he answered it.
"Now what, Wilbur?" he said.
"The Magellan capsule is out of control and tumbling to the Moon," Wilbur said from Richard's cell phone.
"We know! How could that happened?"
"We don't have a clue," Wilbur replied.
"That's great. Just great!" he cried out, then paused and took a bunch of deep breaths. "Okay, keep me informed if they get it back under control," Richard said in a calmer voice. He disconnected his call. He returned to banging his head on the table.
Jennifer looked curious at Richard. "You should make the call," Jennifer told him.
Richard stopped banging his head on the table. “I hate this part of the job,” he whined and opened up his cell phone and made a call.
At the Oval Office of the White House. President Barnaby read his "Dummies Method To Being President" book. He was a third of the way through his read.
His phone rang, and he picked up the receiver.
"President Barnaby," he answered.
"It's me, Richard."
President placed the book down on his desk. "What now?" he asked as if he figured it wouldn't be good news.
"Well, we have another situation. The Magellan capsule is out of control and tumbling to the Moon," Richard said.
"Did I say the Magellan is out of control and tumbling to the Moon?" he confirmed.
"Yes, sir."
"That's just great," President Barnaby said and looked stressed. “What are you going to do about that?"
"We don't know," Richard replied. “We never had this happen before.”
"Let me know if you come up with any ideas to save the day," President Barnaby said.
"I will," Richard responded.
President Barnaby hung up his phone.
He ran his fingers through his hair. He wanted to scream. If he did, the doors to the Oval Office would bust down. His Secret Service Agents would rush in with pistols aimed, ready to shoot someone.
Later that night, in the Oval Office of the White House, President Barnaby sat depressed at his desk. He stared at the wall of TVs.
"And now those two boys are stuck on the asteroid with an alien?" the Italian President said from his TV.
"Launch another Magellan capsule with astronauts. They can pull off this mission," the Canadian President suggested from his TV.
"We can't. That hurricane down in Florida damaged the launch tower. It will take over eight months to get it ready for any rocket launches," President Barnaby said.
"When will you launch your HariAnne rocket?" Australian President said from his TV.
"We'll be launching tomorrow. My robot can bring those boys home," the French President said from his TV.
"Hurray for France!" the Prime Minister of Japan said from his TV.
"Sorry, Barnaby. But I'm now for the HariAnne rocket. It's our only hope," the Canadian President said from his TV.
"Don't give up on the US now! Those astronauts will find a way back," the English Prime Minister said from his TV.
"Don't give up on nukes either," the Chinese President said from his TV.
"Here, here! Let's nuke the asteroid," the Russian President cried out from his TV.
Barnaby looked mad while he grabbed his remote and turned off the TVs.
He got up and walked over to his windows. He stared out the windows and gazed at the full Moon.
The lower bottom of the Moon disappeared while the asteroid passed.
In Todd's home, Tater, Lilly, and Christina sat on the couch and watched Biff on Channel 9 News.
"There's more bad news from above our planet.
Something happened to the Magellan capsule, and it's out of control and headed to the Moon. If the Magellan capsule can return is unknown. However, France will be launching its HariAnne rocket with its robot and engines. They plan to complete the mission and bring those stowaway boys home, safe and sound," Biff said from the TV.
Lilly stared at the TV. She fainted on the couch.
Tater grabbed a Field and Stream magazine. He fanned Lilly, hoping she would get conscious.
Without the red welts, Christina sat worried about Todd for the first time in years.
In Ricky's home, Rose fainted on the couch.
Louie fanned her with a newspaper.
In Lucy's home, she watched the Channel 9 News from her couch. Her eyes welled up when she thought about Todd stranded on the asteroid.
Inside the Bully's tree house, Buster and Rocky ate popcorn and watched Biff on their small TV.
"This is better than the movies," Buster said.
Rocky nodded in agreement, then high-fived each other.
In French Guiana, the HariAnne rocket moved to the launch pad on the mobile platform.
Alarms and sirens blared when missiles came out of silos at the secret military base in Russia. They got into position for launching in the sky.
In the field in the middle of China, all missiles on the three military trucks rose simultaneously. All the weapons pointed at the sky and stopped.
The Chinese General stood outside his tent one hundred feet away and stared at the missiles. He was ready to fire them as soon as he had permission from his President.
Up in space above Earth on the asteroid. Todd and Ricky were in the Space Buggy. Scoota was on top of a piece of space junk. They stared and saw a dot in the center of the Moon, which was the Magellan.
"Now what?" Ricky asked, staring at the Moon.
"We will finish the mission," Scoota said. Even though the capsule was still tumbling out of control to the Moon, he looked confident.
"But the astronauts are gone!" Todd cried out.
"We'll have to think positive in that they'll figure out a way back. After all, I'm a Junior Space Knight, and I'm trained to handle emergencies," Scoota said. "Besides, your planet needs you right now," Scoota said. "I also sent out a message back home. They're sending me a rescue ship," Scoota added.
Ricky and Todd looked where Scoota pointed and saw Earth. They knew their families now depended on them being brave young men.
"Well, I have nothing else better to do," Todd said.
Ricky nodded in agreement.
"Well, let's get our mission back to work," Todd said. Hw pressed the "F" button and inched the joystick forward.
The Space Buggy moved, and Ricky unreeled more cable.
Scoota walked and climbed over space debris while the Space Buggy was unreeling cable.
Todd drove the Space Buggy another twenty feet down the asteroid and stopped.
Scoota Duct taped a section of cable to a piece of space junk.
Todd moved the Space Buggy forward.
Scoota walked and climbed over space junk. He stopped and removed his Remember Life hologram camera from one of his suit pockets. He discreetly snapped a picture of Todd and Ricky on the Space Buggy. He put his camera back in his suit pocket. He wanted a reminder of his new Earth friends.
Back down on Earth at Todd's home, Tater, Lilly, and Christina stood in their backyard. They stared up at the Moon. Christina looked back at the house.
"Can I extend my bedroom into Todd's?" she asked.
Tater and Lilly both glared at Christina, who now felt terrible about her suggestion.
At Ricky's home, Louie and Rose stared at the Moon from their backyard. Rose had a tissue in her hand and wiped away tears. She worried about her little boy up there in outer space.
Louie's eyes also welled up thinking about little Ricky.
At Lucy's home, Lucy lay in her bed and stared at a class photo with Todd in the row behind her. She smiled when she touched Todd's face in the picture.
At the Space Spy Agency Peek A Boo We See You room, Johnson drank a Coke. He gobbled on some pretzels at this console while monitoring his radar screen.
The Magellan capsule symbol was close to the Moon on his radar screen. The message, "Asteroid 18,320 Miles Per Hour - 310 Miles From Earth,” was visible.
Wilbur walked up with his bottle of Maalox. He glanced at Johnson's radar screen, then took a swig of Maalox. He ran away in a panic.
Up above the Earth on the asteroid. Todd drove the Space Buggy across the top of the asteroid. Ricky hand- cranked the reel and cable unreeled and fell on the top of space junk.
Scoota walked and climbed over space junk behind the Space Buggy.
Todd stopped the Space Buggy.
Scoota went into action, and Duct taped another section of the cable to a piece of space junk.
They looked at the rear of the asteroid and saw it was still a long journey.
They turned and looked at the Moon, and the Magellan capsule's dot was no longer visible. They looked worried about the safety of the three astronauts.
"Let's move on down the asteroid," said Scoota.
"Okay," Todd replied, then pressed the "F" button and inched the joystick forward.
The Space Buggy moved, and Ricky unreeled cable.
Scoota climbed over space junk behind them.