Spacewalk Procedure and Preparation
by Stephanie King
Decompress.
Space suits are pressurized at about one third of the pressure inside the spacecraft. Astronauts use the same procedure divers use when returning from the depths of the ocean. Otherwise, they would experience “the bends” going outside the craft into space.
One hour before a spacewalk, wear a mask and pre-breathe pure oxygen.
At such low pressure, the amount of oxygen in regular air isn't enough. Suck in that sweet elixir of life, much like you would each droplet of joy on earth. Think about how releasing nitrogen causes decompression sickness, just like releasing your pain causes depression aching even into your bones.
Move through the airlock to an unpressurized payload bay, which leads to outer space.
Float out into the deep void of space and realize what an insignificant speck in the universe you are. Try not to think about how, when you were young and didn’t know any better, you thought sperm floated around to find the egg, like the body was zero gravity. Forget about feeling trapped in the airlock, such a small space, like you did all those times in the church study when the other girls in your bible study group were out sick or on vacation, and Pastor Rick slid around his desk to you like a rocket making a gravitational slingshot around a planet.
Use safety tethers to stay close to the spacecraft.
Tethers are like ropes, with one end hooked to the spacewalker and the other to the vehicle. Wrist tethers keep hand tools from floating away. Don’t fantasize about unhooking yourself and floating off.
Slidewires, handrails, and footholds enable spacewalkers to move around outside the vehicle.
These guides help astronauts to maneuver to their tasks outside the spacecraft. Remember how, the week before you deployed, you finally invited that cute Hasan from Mission Control over and drank too much wine, but not too too much. When he came back to bed after using the bathroom, he tripped over some of your (or his?) discarded clothing in the dark and joked, “You need a slidewire in here.”
Suits are equipped with an in-suit drink bag (ISD) if you get thirsty.
They used to attach fruit bars near astronauts' necks, but now most of them eat before going out. Sip a tight bead of water. Think about how thirsty you were those times you threw up in the morning before going to 7th grade and wondering how you were ever going to tell your parents. Maybe now they would believe you, that it wasn’t your fault. When you miscarried, you were flooded with relief that you didn’t have to figure out how to get an abortion without your parents knowing.
Use manned maneuvering units (MMUs), larger propulsive vehicles attached to space suits, or simplified aid for EVA rescue (SAFER), a smaller, emergency MMU system attached to the space suit's backpack, for extra mobility and more complicated tasks.
If you become untethered and begin to drift away, use your SAFER to propel yourself back to the spacecraft. Listen to the directions from onboard the craft or Mission Control, especially if it’s Hasan. Focus on the deep calm of his voice as he says, “You can do this, Heather,” and even laugh a bit as you think of the epic “Things you can say on a spacewalk AND in bed” thread you’re going to post if you live through this. Think back to the gentle way he reached out to touch you the second time he came over, after you told him only a little bit, and think ahead to when you’re back in town and might call him. Maybe he’ll have moved on by then, in eighteen days, but if not: maybe you won’t make him turn the light off next time.
Remember your training.
Astronauts train for spacewalks in a swimming pool or in virtual reality. Don’t be alarmed by the heaviness of dread in your limbs. You can do this, moving through the deep water, toward the light.
About the Author:
Stephanie King is a past winner of the Quarterly West Novella Prize and the Lilith Short Fiction Prize, with stories also appearing in Entropy, Every Day Fiction, Loch Raven Review, and Lumen. She received her MFA from Bennington, reads flash fiction for Fractured Lit, and serves on the board of the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference.
About Weekly Flash Prose and Poetry:
CutBank Online features one work of flash prose or prose poetry every Monday. Submissions are free and open year-round. Send us your best work of 750 words or less at https://cutbank.submittable.com/submit.