The Deadly Planet

Bob held the camera tightly. He tried to keep it steady though he was trembling a bit. He had trained for anything- meteor showers, radiation storms, sunbursts, microbe attacks as well as all kinds of technical problems with the command module. But he was not ready for this.

The dim backlighting from the cave entrance was enhanced by his headlamps embedded in his space suit. The camera panned slowly across the skeleton. It was clearly proof that life did, in fact, exist in this place in the past. He had expected to find some evidence of prior life by examining soil samples and possible tiny fossils among layers of rocks. But he stood in awe as he examined this skeleton. Bob was particularly curious about two particularly long bones. 

Bradley stood behind him with the collection bag and high tech tongs. Bradley was speechless, which was way out of character. This was the quietest he had been since liftoff. Bob expected they chose Bradley as much for his chattiness as for his technical skills. Silence is probably dangerous out here. Bradley stood before the skeleton and bent over it. Several rays of varied colored beams of light emitted from his space suit, penetrating and dissecting the skeleton. Data was flashed back to Control. 

After a while, Bob scanned the strange writings on the cave wall above the skeleton.  He could make no sense at all of these symbols. He’d leave it up to control to figure it all out. For now, he was just happy with their studies of the soil and dust of this planet. It was increasingly clear that this place was perfect for resettlement.

After additional exploration and numerous photos of the beautiful landscape, Bob and Bradley lay quietly and contentedly in their module. Crystal clear skies were exposed above them through the window. They were treated with streaks of white, green and red as space materials flew by. It was quite a show.

One morning after their usual breakfast, the red light flashed and they knew Control was calling. In a moment they were conversing with Control. Extensive studies of the data indicated this skeleton was from a being that walked erect on two legs. It had two smaller, perhaps useless, appendages near the head. 

As far as the symbols go, they were still working on it. The message, if it was one, was indecipherable. The strange symbols- “Earth is doomed, dead” made no sense. Badley and Bob went about their day collecting soil samples and sending back atmospheric data. At the end of the day, they scrambled back to the module on all 10 of their appendages to resume their place in the recharging pods. They telepathically shared the same observation- “No wonder they died off- standing wobbly on just two appendages- how sad”. 

Control gave them the green light. They could remove their space suits and roam freely about. The air was free of contaminants. There was abundant carbon dioxide. They were wise to stay clear of the Green Planet nearby. That place had deadly water and oxygen. There was little hope of survival there.