550 MILES WEST OF AFRICA: The rocket orbits [100 miles high 20W 1N] level forward eastward [5 mi/sec E-NE] -- the nearing coast of West Africa [12W 7N] barely illumined in the red glow of a LUNAR ECLIPSE high [70 deg] over mid-west Atlantic: [40W: cf 20 min (nom) to sunrise on 45E]

(00:00 sticks+blocks)

(00:06)

(00:11 mmm)

MAIN-THRUSTS: [1.5 gee, 0.5 mile]

(00:21 clanks)

(00:31 voice, sinks)

700 MILES WEST OF MID-LOWER NILE, 1:40 HOUR TO SUNRISE: 50 miles above Earth, shuttle is nose-down bottom-forward deorbiting toward pre-dawn eastern Earth, still 5 mi/sec: [120 deg pitch-down]

ANGLE: FOLLOW BEHIND: Idle-exhaust blows straight back-wind [westward].

Shuttle bottom-glows dark-red: Plasma-AEROGLOW grows, streaks, as:

Shuttle slow-pitch-yaw-rolls to forward-upright: [30 deg pitch-up]

ANGLE-INCLUDE: Moon is low near the horizon: [20 deg parallax]

(01:13 exalt bursts)

ANGLE: ILLUMINATING THE EARTH DARKSIDE MID AFRICA:

ANGLE-INCLUDE AHEAD: 500 MILES WEST OF approaching MID-LOWER NILE: [5 mi/sec]

(01:24)

50 MILES SOUTH OF DEORBIT, 55 MIN TO SUNRISE:

ANGLE: WEST ACROSS the NILE RIVER, RISING AMONG PALM TREES, the SHUTTLE-FIREBALL NEARS, WHILE: [450 miles west 12 deg souther 3 deg parallax 50 miles high 5 mi/sec E-NE]

UNRELATED FIRE-FIGHT HITS-AND-TRACERS BLOT IN THE SKY: 50 miles behind 50 miles above shuttle [5 deg higher 1 deg souther parallax] where the space-city-ship slightly trails 5 sec [25 mile, 1 deg E-NE progress]....

A NUCLEAR-FLASH BLOOMS BLUISH-WHITE-HOT: MOMENTARILY ILLUMINATING the TREES -- and dissipating.

3 sec later the LIGHT-ECHO WHITENS MOMENTARILY the RED-ECLIPSED MOON low [10 deg] on the west horizon.

(01:35 fades, settles, glide)

35 MIN TO SUNRISE AS, PLASMA BLAZE OUTSIDE THINS: Shuttle at 3-4 mi/sec near-horizontal keeps just below sunrise: 40 miles high dropping 0.3 mi/sec 30E:

ELLE controls: GABE monitors. ADAM is seated behind.

An orange dragon-curve draws on the communications console display.

PLASMA AT WINDOW DIMS TO SEE THE DAWN SKY AND MORNING STARS RISING FAST:

(01:45 voice)

And again: And communications acquires.

(~02:00)

Unheard, GABE discusses ad lib WHILE PASSING OVER THE HEJEZ RANGE:

(~02:10)

THE SHUTTLE DODGES-ABOUT, AS:

THE SKY HIGH AHEAD [100-150 miles = 5-15 deg parallax] GLOWS ORANGE with the plasma-flame-cloaked deorbiting needle-rocket city 3 main sections [10+10 miles apart to 90+140/90 sec] passing forward [1.5 mi/sec relative] breaking into meteorite clusters with meteor spray horde and singular streaks lagging between:

[MIKE] FACE-IMAGE STALLS REPEATEDLY:

AND 5 seconds later FAILS: Leaving telemetry status+numbers downloading:

IT'S 06:00 (NOM) WITH DAYLIGHT BURNING ON THE HORIZON, AND:

(02:27 exalt bursts)

(02:48 knocks, settled)

(02:59 voice, piano, resumes)

(03:40 exalt bursts)

(04:06 fade, settles)

Elle, Gabe exchange concern-looks.

(04:12)
(04:14 end, closes)

Soon....

SHUTTLE LOOPS SUBSONIC [1-2 miles up] near but before thickening clouds of billowing-settling dust-haze, as: ELLE, GABE search for a site along the WADI BATIN riverbed north-bend [30.0N 47.2E to 30.2N 47.4E] near the meteoritic early impact zone: 100 miles before the Euphrates - far from the dust-enshrouded flames across the entire eastern landscape and forest-fires in the DISTANT MOUNTAINS BEYOND.

Later....