18 minutes

[Oliver Pockets]

With 18 minutes of air left in the million dollar space suit air tank, the lonely astronaut stared through space. His eyes swept over the blue planet he had called home for such a long time. Nothing mattered right now, even if it did, nothing could be done about it. With the radio transmitter damaged along with the integrity of his suit all he could do was sit still and float into death. Thoughts of earth washed over his inner mind, the things he had done overpowered by things left undone. There was a girl far below him, sleeping, or at work perhaps? The astronaut had lost track of the time the clock kept, that system didn't matter any longer. The inner man collapsed as grief flooded his heart. "What have I done? Why am I being left to die? I haven't lived all the life I know I require and deserve!" The few minutes left were quickly diminishing into single digits, "I don't know what to do, what to think, what to pray right now" cried the astronaut. Lost in space, removed from his world, completely removed from the natural space usually occupied by humankind... the astronaut was utterly lost, seemingly without a savior. No means of escape, what to do with these few remaining moments?

The answer is nothing... there is absolutely nothing worth doing... ironic? mortifying? ridiculous? what emotion could hold together in the sheer emptiness of outer space? What thought? What rope was there to grip?

I know this is pretty crappy writing but the concept really intrigues me... what would i do in the astronauts position? what would you do?

[alcala0001]

I would remove my helmet before I suffocated. Quick death > Slow death.

[loki456]

^^ agreed

[em onty]

laugh, I hope. Then take off the helmet.

[Captain Pike]

What about a sudden, crazy, remote... one-in-a-million, longshot. Like some way to discharge the last of his propellant, into just that right trajectory that would cause... I don't know, the coolest freefall of ever? Coming in from 100 miles up?
Come into steeply, you'll burn up (we've all heard this on TV, right?); come in too shallow though, and maybe, the astronaut would bounce off, being propelled outward, into what would become, another, deadly orbit.

Putting those crazy plans together in a last ditch effort to survive... that's how I'll go. You, "popping the helmet off", people... come on, have you ever seen a piece of flesh out-gas in high-vac? It ain't pretty -- especially your eyeballs, the liquid boiling as it's beginning to freeze -- quite the process.

Maybe he could set up the process that would lead to freefall, and then, intentionally cut back the O2 in some way (this is fiction, right?) where he passes out, but doesn't die, and the helmet automatically depressurizes at 17,500 feet -- right? And he comes to, tumbling... with no parachute! Poop, I forgot my shoot! (LOL, I'm having fun here... anyone else?) So now, the problem is infinitely less horrifying -- now all we need is, just the right mud puddle with 4 1/2 inches of water. Now we're trying to survive the impact at 138 miles an hour (it has happened) -- way better than dying in orbit, dying extraterrestrially, right? Then, at least his beloved might see him again -- sort of...

I do like the original concept, though, of floating, alone, slowly drifting over the earth... the ultimate meditation sequence.

[Ely_Massacre]

I would die quickly in the hopes of an out-of body experience. Maybe watch my eyes pop out of my head. =P But that's just me.