Ramon’s Universe (conclusion)

Back at Mission Control, planners, engineers, and politicians were locked in an intense debate over how to handle the "Disaster Zone Ramon Situation," as it was now officially being called.

Senator Johnson, a guest at Mission Control and a member of the NASA oversight committee, leaned in to McDavid. "You realize NASA's funding will be cut in half after this fiasco!"

"Yes, sir. Accidents do happen."

"Accidents?! The President is fuming over this!"

"I spoke to the President myself, sir. I think we're overlooking something."

"And what might that be, McDavid?"

WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING

Journalist: “Mr. President, are you considering shooting down the illegal Mexican crossing the border between the Earth and the Moon?”

President: “You’re fake news. Next question.”

2nd Journalist: “Mr. President, given the unprecedented nature of the current situation involving a civilian of Mexican descent, one not formally authorized to engage in space operations, does your administration retain any active contingency plans to intercept the Ganymede craft? Specifically, would you consider the use of force to neutralize a perceived threat, notwithstanding its, shall we say, more symbolic or humanitarian implications?”

President: “I like the syllables you work with. Big vocabulary. Here’s what we’re gonna do: total rebrand. Ramon? I’m not condoning Mexican space theft, which is very illegal, but he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to NASA’s public image. Tremendous for the base. He’s like Rocky Balboa—if Rocky stole Apollo Creed’s spacecraft.

3rd Journalist: “Are you saying you would pardon Disaster Zone Ramon, Mr. President?”

President: If he comes back alive, we’ll have to reconsider the whole enchilada. It’s not rocket science. Actually, it is rocket science, which makes this even worse.

In the following hours, as NASA's best minds plotted and Ramon made himself at home among the stars, the world watched and waited. Petitions went viral; "Bring Ramon Home" became a global rallying cry.

Behind closed doors near Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, as plans were finalized to bring Ramon back to Earth, a new chapter quietly began for the agency and, perhaps, for all of humanity.

“Who leaked this?”

“How were we supposed to keep it quiet?”

“The world is watching … if we can’t bring him home …!”

The crisis room was dimly lit, casting long shadows across the weary faces of NASA’s top officials. At the front, a large monitor displayed the arcing trajectory of the Ganymede—a sleek, experimental vessel built for deep space exploration, now commandeered by an untrained janitor-turned-accidental astronaut. Its unscripted voyage had cast a heavy pall over the room, thick with tension, uncertainty, and the dawning realization that history was unfolding far beyond anyone’s control.

"Twelve hours," muttered Ted McDavid, the chief engineer at Mission Control, "For twelve hours, Ramon Hernandez has been alone in that spacecraft with no clue how to operate it."

“He may have compromised vital systems," snapped Dr. Felicia Garvey, Head of Operations. "The safety protocols on the Ganymede aren't designed for... accidents like this."

“Ganymede," began Dr. Lawrence Green, the Chief Engineer, “is designed for deep space exploration, not joyrides. If its systems aren't operated correctly, the consequences could be dire. It may be impossible to bring him back."

The room was filled with hushed conversations, speculations, and strategies. Occasionally, someone would glance at the screen, tracking the progress of the fugitive spacecraft.

Suddenly, the doors burst open. A technician, out of breath, strode in, clutching a tablet.

"Excuse the interruption, everyone; I have some bad news," he panted, "we've got an even bigger problem on our hands!"

All eyes were on him.

“This morning at dawn, a disturbance of solar flares was detected on the sun. They're heading towards our space station. The flares will be powerful enough to damage systems and compromise the safety of our astronauts."

Murmurs erupted.

McDavid slammed his hand on the table. "People! We need to focus and prioritize! How do we address this?"

Dr. Green looked thoughtful. "The space station is equipped with solar shields. They could protect it from the flares. But the shields may not deploy to their full capacity with the energy drain from normal operations.”

Everyone stared at the trajectory of the Ganymede, connecting do