The Man of Enceladus

Prologue

Meghan Ashwood made her way to the NASA conference room where she would be meeting the press. As NASA's new head of public relations, this was her very first press conference. It was simple enough, announce that the last crew of the Galileo Missions had made it to Cassini Station, and take a few questions. Keep morale up and the agency looking open to almost all inquiries. It seemed easy enough, but in the business of space travel, things were always risky. Saying one thing wrong could make everything go awry.

Miss. Ashwood entered the conference room with an air of grace and importance. She stepped up to the podium, and immediately the cameras began to flash.

"Good afternoon, thank you all for coming. The planet Saturn and its surrounding moons have long been a subject of interest to the human race. Galileo Galilei was the first to observe Saturn, but the planet was seen in the night sky long before the telescope. Galileo's observations paved the way for the end of geocentric times, ushering in the new age of astronomical understanding. Even after over 500 years of exploration and science, Galileo remains an important part of our mission to discover what lies beyond. The Galileo Missions began in 2108, fulfilling the President's promise to be back to the stars by 2110. After ten years of manned exploration to the planet, our last crew to Cassini station has just arrived for their six month stay. They will be concluding the experiments we have been conducting related to the effects of radiation, as well as several investigations into the history of Saturn and its rings. This mission is expected to be a success, and the astronauts should return with valuable information that could change the way we look at the ringed planet. Now I will take a few questions, but please keep it civil."

"Miss. Ashwood, after this mission, does NASA have any future plans for getting into contact with any of the life forms detected on the surface of Mars, Enceladus, or Europa?"

"I cannot discuss any upcoming missions with the public as of yet, but we will keep you informed. All I can say is that NASA is very interested in investigating the evidence we have collected."

"Miss. Ashwood, how much do you know about the integrity of Cassini station and other space stations around the galaxy? 10 years is a long time for something to be exposed to as much radiation as Saturn gives off. Not to mention, the hazards presented by the proximity of debris in the rings of Saturn. Are you sure that your technology can handle it?"

"Sir, NASA has some of the best engineers in the world. We do constant systems updates from Mission Control, and our astronauts keep the place in impeccable condition. On top of that, all of our astronauts have been taught basic engineering skills, and they have a master engineer as one of their crew members. Although there are always risks with space travel, I can assure you that our technology is as safe as humanly possible."

"That is all we have time for, thank you all for being here."

Meghan moved from the stage. She was fairly confident in her answers; they were all factually correct. She mentally gave herself a pat on the back, thankful she didn't say anything to make her seem like a total idiot. Thank god for scripts.