Sci-Fi Shorts: In Armstrong’s Footsteps

In Armstrong’s Footsteps

By Ashley Tan Mei-Lynn

“Welcome Piper!” greets my personal assistant Siri 6.0 as my first foot meets the atmosphere of Kepler-452b. The thick clouds dull my view, and I squint to see the sky, stars and Kepler-452, a G2V-type star that is 1.4 billion years older than the Sun. As I take my next step, I hear my grandfather’s first words on the Moon and repeat them softly; “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. I imagine him waving and smiling in the twinkling stars above; I smile back. He would be the brightest one.

Siri guides me down with the help of my hypersuction shoes, that stick to the rocky surface. I then enter the re-oxygenization filter to ease me into the new atmosphere. A scanner moves up and down my body to reveal my medical information and current medical status, incase I catch a sickness, like robotonia which is quite similar to pneumonia (as these bacteria are undiscovered on Earth). I remove my space helmet and place the lenses into my eyes, allowing me to view Kepler-452b, or how they like to call it, ‘duo terrae’ which is Latin for Earth 2, like Siri and all the other robots. An explosion of vivid colours enter my eyes, the red-greens and blue-yellows are enough to see the beauty of this planet; all through two transparent, flexible plastic pieces. I venture forward with my new eyes in this new wide world…

Siri 6.0 floats above me on her hover board, takes hold of my hand and zooms past in the motion censored road technology in a fashion of light and sound. The ruby red neon lights contrast with the dark tar road and lead us around the super size planet to explore. It’s known to be 60% larger in diameter than Earth.

We pass palm sized robots with needle thin fingers, that work on cancer cures for Earth. Their laboratories stretch more than 100ft tall, in a maze like pattern, as they zoom from one area to another. They carefully handle the latest data and test new drugs in polar white coats, transferring them into geometric shaped capsules to be sent back to Earth.

Next, my Siri 6.0 continues to follow the lights, turning 90 degrees, until we’re traveling up a wall. To my left, large, bulky machinery picks up treasures from the oceans. The transparent eyeball scans a violet laser light across the seabed, searching for discoveries yet to be found. Sparkling diamonds and luscious emeralds spill out of treasure chests and gleam from the sunlight shining all around. To my right, more robots are testing the waters and the environmental impacts of sea level rise or evaporation. Flashbacks appear in my mind of the oceans evaporating on Earth and how difficult it has become with the lack of oxygen. A lone tear trickles down my face, people are depending on me and I have to help them, help us!

Zooming past the oceans, with the calm breeze on my face, we turn another 90 degrees until we’re upside down. We whiz pass a kenaf paper zone that’s attempting to restore the Amazon rainforest, a sea of uniformed robots producing electrical cars and many more developing the technological advances of sustainable food growth.

The final 180 degree turn lands us nearer to our starting point. We come to the final and  newest area this year, named ‘inventa zona’ or the ‘discovery zone’. We step off from the hover board and glide through the transparent, bubble-like door. The door opens up to a world of imagination in a planetarium dome. Immersed in everyone’s discoveries, inventions and ideas, including Neil’s first steps on the moon footage. This is where the magic happens. This is how they as robots from Kepler-452b and we as humans from Earth join minds together.

I note all of their discoveries down on my IPad 17.56, anything that could save humanity. Glancing up at the modernized Saturn V rocket from Apollo 11, I think of the long, six year journey, traveling faster than light speed back home. I remember all of my family I left behind, but remind myself this is for the future of our planet and I’ll now meet my daughter’s great great great grandchildren. I say my goodbyes to Siri 6.0 and all the robots that are waving back before I take that giant leap into my rocket for mankind.