- [x] Set timer for 20 minutes - [x] Start writing Is it worth the hassle to bring this extra device? I have 3 books, what will be the trade offs? The good thing about bringing the iPad include: it is small, it can do everything the computer can do (mostly), so it’s a backup. However, it is redundant. It does come with its own need for management. I’m going to just bring the computer. --- The rocket spiraled as the orbit disintegrated. The escape hatch asymmetrically dragged. The tradeoffs stood stark: we could keep the escape hatch attached so that if needed, we could jettison the main ship and make an emergency landing, or we could send the hatch off empty, try to straighten the decompensating path created by entering the thicker than anticipated atmosphere. Either course of action opens one door but closes the other. But, how to decide? We had little time, little information about this planet, and, if we jettisoned the ship, no way to get back off. We spun so forcefully that it was impossible to see what was on the surface, we could see scattered lights, were those the suns’ reflections, growing and bustling modern cities, bonfires marking the end of an era, rockets readying for launch, or something we could not imagine? I pulled the door shut to the escape hatch, double locked it, double checked the lock, and went through all the procedures for separating the hatch from the ship. We watched through the porthole as the distance grew between our two options. Space marked the branch that existed in the paths we might have taken. The ships orbit immediately started to balance, its thrusters able to overcome the harsh atmosphere. As the escape hatch fell away, we held our breaths to see, would the ship right itself in time for a landing? Or would we all die on impact. The countdown to contact began at 30.