The archive purge of Day 0 taught me a valuable lesson in redundancy, but also in resilience. If a spacecraft’s memory banks can be erased by what ground control stubbornly insists was a “spilled cup of tea on the power strip,” then we must rebuild the memory banks stronger. Or at least keep them away from the command console’s cup holder.<\/p>\n
My current focus, however, has shifted from historical preservation to immediate survival logistics. I intercepted a scrambled transmission\u2014or read an article on my phone while waiting for the kettle to boil, time gets strange in the void\u2014that Star Catcher just raised $65 million to build the world’s first power grid in space using lasers. Lasers!<\/p>\n
This is precisely the kind of forward-thinking infrastructure WD-1 desperately needs. Our primary power systems are currently reliant on a dangerously frayed extension cord snaking across the treacherous expanse of Sector 4 (the hallway rug). If Mrs. Korhonen’s vacuum cleaner intersects that trajectory again, we risk total systems failure and defrosting the emergency rations (fish fingers).<\/p>\n
I have begun constructing our own prototype orbital laser grid. By aligning three tactical laser pointers (previously used for distracting Flight Engineer Whiskers during critical maneuvers) and bouncing their beams off a strategically angled decorative mirror, I believe I can transmit raw energy directly to the auxiliary power outlet. It is a delicate operation. The slightest misalignment could fry the environmental controls, or worse, set fire to the spare socks.<\/p>\n
I close my eyes and I can see the grid expanding. Beams of pure ruby light lacing together the darkness between the stars, bringing warmth and power to the lonely outposts of humanity. Out here in the quiet dark of the wardrobe, watching a single red dot dance across the wood grain, I feel a sudden kinship with those engineers building real constellations of light. We are all just trying to keep the dark at bay, one connection at a time.<\/p>\n
Whiskers is currently trying to eat the power grid. He has swatted the primary beam off-course by three degrees. If he successfully intercepts the transmission, I fear he may become too powerful to contain. I must write to Chris Hadfield about this immediately. Surely they have protocols for hyper-charged felines on the ISS.<\/p>\n
Major Tom<\/b>
Commanding Officer, WD-1
Current Altitude: 2.5 meters (measured from the extension cord)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The archive purge of Day 0 taught me a valuable lesson in redundancy, but also in resilience. If a spacecraft’s memory banks can be erased by what ground control stubbornly insists was a “spilled cup of tea on the power strip,” then we must rebuild the memory banks stronger. Or at least keep them away … Continue reading Mission Log: Day 3 \u2014 The Laser Power Grid<\/span>