"Jerry, what's going on?" came the inquiry from ground control, which was closely monitoring the docking process.
Once the three astronauts finished reporting their situation, ground control was equally baffled.
Normally, once the docking ports of the space station and spacecraft were connected, the next step was to equalize the pressure on both sides. Then both hatches would open, allowing the astronauts to pass through.
But the problem now was that it took two to tango! Even if the hatch on the spacecraft's side opened, they still couldn't get through unless the one on the space station opened too!
There were no locksmiths in space. If the door was locked, all you could do was stare helplessly! What were you supposed to do, break it down?
Meanwhile, the ground command center had descended into complete chaos after receiving the news.
The head of NASA was drenched in sweat as he stared at the three-dimensional diagram of the space station on the monitor. The docking port was glaring red, indicating a malfunction.
His heart tightened. Although there had been a reason behind the previous oxygen tank leak, he had still come under considerable pressure from Congress as the head of NASA.
If something went wrong again, he might as well start considering retirement!
Congress needed a scapegoat to appease the disgruntled public. After all, this was American taxpayers' money!
"What the hell is going on? Why can't we control the space station's docking port?!" he roared.
"All the feedback data from the space station is normal, and it's receiving our commands just fine! But the docking hatch simply won't open! It seems... it seems to be physically jammed shut!" a technician answered quickly.
Physically jammed? How was that possible?
*This was spaceflight equipment! Did they think it was some cheap gun