A single pilot spacecraft arrived at its interception point to study a comet. The starship’s captain had just received disappointing orders from Mission Control that upon his return he would be reassigned to earth-bound duties because he reached the maximum age limit for space travel. The ship’s computer Haviland detected the captain’s stressed vital signs. A tube of food dispensed into a tray while the computer asked the astronaut if he needed nourishment. “I would be worried if I were up here without you,” the man smiled.

The comet was called Big Bad John. It hurtled through space in the direction of the starship. The captain began to collect samples. Suddenly the rocket was drawn into an unexpected gravitational pull from the comet. As they went down Haviland calculated that the captain’s survival rate would increase if he ejected in the escape pod. The captain did not agree but the computer jettisoned him. The captain’s capsule landed in a frozen environment. The starship crashed in volcanic terrain.