Standing alone before the decon room, Willard now wondered how well the PMS would protect him. If it can survive decon, Willard thought, it can handle space. The light above the door flashed green, signaling that Connelly was through decon and the rest of the crew was now waiting on him before they descended to Europa's surface.

The door slid open, revealing a long, dimly lit hallway. A conveyor belt moved slowly forward, leading to four separate compartments separated by hanging sheets of plastic.

Like stepping into the throat of a whale.

"Please step forward," a voice commanded.

Willard had heard the voice several times as the rest of the crew went through decon before him, but it still made him jump. He stepped on to the belt and was pulled into the chamber. The hallway dimmed as the hatch sealed behind him. A loud spraying mist coated his body, killing everything it came into contact with.

*   *   *   *   *

Lander One's hatch craned up, revealing a bright white landscape that reminded Connelly of Antarctica. If it weren't for the way her body floated in Europa's low gravity, she would have felt right at home. Of course the luminous landscape mixed with a starry sky was something she had never seen before.  On earth, when the sun was shining, the sky was blue, but here, on a moon with the tiniest of atmospheres, the skyline was perpetually filled with stars.

After an anxious ride on the Lander, which looked like a cross between a Ferrari and a Winnebago, Connelly took her first step into a low gravity environment with a bit too much jump in her step. She soared seven feet out before landing.  Smiling wide, she turned around and looked back as the rest of the crew exited the silvery grey Lander.

Robert leaped out of the open hatch and landed next to Connelly. "Amazing." Robert bounced around Connelly, "So strange."

Willard, Peterson and Choi, exited the Lander and quickly adjusted to their low-grav legs. Choi spoke into her headset microphone, knowing that while on the surface, every one of them, and Harris, who was monitoring them from the Surveyor, could hear every word she said. "Everyone check out?"

Nods and yeses all around.

"Peterson and I will be collecting ice samples from the nearby red streak," Choi said. "Connelly, Samuels and Willard, you will begin the melting process. Check in every half hour. Meet back here in two."

"And if anything goes wrong?" Willard asked.

"Head back to Lander One ASAP and let us know on the way. We can evac and be back to the Surveyor quicker than most ambulance trips."

Willard nodded.