It took the three of them ten minutes to bumble their way across the frozen surface of Europa. No one spoke much; they just looked around, admiring the never ending incredible view. Jupiter was directly in front of them. Connelly couldn't get over the planet's size. When Europa's rotation had them facing Jupiter, the king of the solar system took up the entire view. She recalled what it had been like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. The sense of dizziness and awe. The Grand Canyon was inconsequential compared to Jupiter.

Of course, Connelly knew that for all of Jupiter's splendor, it also posed one of the greatest mission threats. If the electromagnetic shielding provided by Surveyor, the landers or TES gave out, they'd have six minutes to get the system back online or get six feet beneath the ice.

Connelly took her place behind the TES control panel. The sphere, which was clear on top and solid metal alloy on the bottom, was dangling over the exposed ice at the center of TES. Three cranes, attached to TES in between the three large panels, which now lay flat, held the sphere aloft and provided electricity, heat, air, pressurization and communications.  In addition, the cables also contained heating filaments, which kept the melted water from refreezing. Once a hole was melted in the ice, it would fill with water from the ocean beneath. If left alone, it would quickly refreeze and trap the TES sphere below.

Stepping away from the control panel, Connelly approached the sphere and reached out her hand, placing it on its smooth exterior. "Okay, baby, this is it. Show me what you got."  Connelly slid her hand off the sphere and took a jump back. She turned to Robert, who had taken her place at the control panel. "Heating coil status?"

Robert glanced at the screen. "A-Okay."

"Support cables?"

"Holding…" Robert smiled. "Kath, we're as ready as we're going to be."

Connelly moved behind the control panel with Robert and Willard. "Guys, I just wanted to say…"

"Boss," Willard said. "Quit stalling and hit the damn button."

Connelly laughed, put her thumb on a button labeled, ENGAGE, and pushed it down. Moments later, wavy distortions of heat could be seen streaming off the metallic bottom of the sphere. After thirty seconds of silence, the sphere began to lower toward the ice.

Watching with the eyes of a hawk, Connelly saw the top layer of ice begin to melt as the sphere descended. Moments later, the sphere made physical contact with the ice. A plume of steam launched into the air, propelled by the great heat of the sphere. Connelly's facemask clouded as the area fogged over.

The entire event was perfectly silent. In the vacuum of space, which they were exposed to on the moon's surface, sound could not exist. But she could hear the loud cheers of Robert, who raised his hands in victory. "There she goes!"