Hyperion Orbit

Hyperion Orbit

“Back to orbit again. Hyperion was fun. We were the first humans to land on the surface – they just used a couple of semi-autonomous remote drones back in ’47 and ’51. But we got down and dirty in the deep craters. Dirty, because the dust really sticks to you, de-static charge or not.

“I’ve got three sample cases full of the dark crud from the bottom of those holes, and the field kit shows a lot of hydrocarbons, including some pretty complex chains. I’ll do a better work-up back on the Huygens, but I’m convinced that this stuff must have come from Titan.

“Yes, Dr. Li thinks I’m crazy and he is the Chief Scientist on this expedition, but he’s a little too rigid in his thinking. That’s why we all call him Dr. Li, or ‘Sir’, even after all these months. But come on! Titan’s nearby and it’s a big source of hydrocarbons. Where else does he think they came from? They can’t be indigenous to this little ball of rock and dust, can they?”

- Dr. James Wilson, Planetary Geologist, Class II, CSEA Huygens.