Neva, my navigator, steered the ship to align with the spot where my finger was pointing and the ship began to descend into the atmosphere. We had the initial view of the atmosphere during the descent and found it to be identical to the Earth’s atmosphere’s composition during the early 20th century. Most important of all, scanners detected the air to be just the right amount of human to breathe.
As the ship near the landing spot, we could observe the ground with our own eyes instead of relying on the data from the scanners. We could determine many of the details such as non-intelligent animals, and plants similar to what we have studied in the underground labs on Earth. The ship landed without mishaps on the ground as we prepared to step onto the planet for the first time.
Although we had made countless measures of the air surrounding the ship to feel safe enough, protocol demanded that we took every precaution we could afford. Those include portable oxygen tank and mask, protective body suit, ammunition for protection. Took us a while before everyone had their gears checked and re-checked again. As the captain, I stood as the first man in the line to be out of the door with my crew behind me. So, I ordered the doors to open and went out of the door with excitement as the first man to step on the celestial object.
“All checks OK, Captain,” reported my chief scientist once we’re out in the plain. “Can we unmask?”
“OK, but I will go first. You know what to do,” I replied and prepared to remove my mask. As my mask came off, I held my breath for a few seconds before taking in the full lung of the air from the new planet. It was the freshest, most wonderful feeling I have ever experienced. I could imagine if Earth was like that during my great grandfathers’ times and wondered why would the humanity destroy everything till we had to escape from Earth. As I looked up, the sky was blue, with white clouds coming in from the corner of my eyes.
It was the sight that I had only seen from the movies. Men and women strolling by the parks and having a picnic besides the lakes.
“Go ahead. Remove your masks. I am fine, ” I said. In no time, we were all looking around the sky as children who had recently arrived at a new place.
“Captain. Look here. This look manufactured” said my navigator while pointing out a spot behind bushes.