2010

(2010)

MISSION BACKGROUND

YEAR 1999
LOCATION : THE MOON. SEA OF TRANQUILITY.
A BLACK, RECTANGULAR OBJECT FOUND BY AMERICAN EXPEDITION.
COMPOSITION...UNKNOWN.
ORIGIN...UNKNOWN.
GIVEN NAME...TYCHO MONOLITH.
SIGNAL SENT FROM MONOLITH TOWARDS JUPITER. REASON...UNKNOWN.

YEAR 2001
LOCATION: VICINITY OF JUPITER.
SPACECRAFT: U.S.S. DISCOVERY.
FLIGHT CREW: COMMANDER DAVID BOWMAN.
CO-PILOT: FRANK POOLE.
SCIENTIFIC CREW OF THREE IN DEEP HIBERNATION TO BE AWAKENED WHEN DISCOVERY REACHES JUPITER.
LOGIC CIRCUIT: HAL-9000.

MISSION STATUS

AS SPACECRAFT APPROACHED JUPITER TWO MAJOR INNER. MOONS...EUROPA AND IO...HAL-9000 MALFUNCTIONED.SCIENTIFIC CREW KILLED WHILE IN HIBERNATION WHEN LIFE SUPPORT. SYSTEMS WERE SHUT OFF BY HAL-9000.CO-PILOT FRANK POOLE KILLED BY HAL-9000 WHILE OUTSIDE THE SPACECRAFT.COMMANDER DAVID BOWMAN DISCONNECTED LOGIC CIRCUITS OF HAL-9000.COMMANDER DAVID BOWMAN ENCOUNTERED OBJECT BETWEEN JUPITER AND IO. THE OBJECT IDENTICAL TO MONOLITH FOUND ON THE MOON... EXCEPT IN SIZE.MONOLITH NEAR JUPITER IS TWO KILOMETERS LONG.COMMANDER BOWMAN LEFT DISCOVERY TO INVESTIGATE.LAST TRANSMISSION FROM COMMANDER BOWMAN "MY GOD, IT'S FULL OF STARS"

MISSION ANALYSIS

REASON FOR MALFUNCTION OF HAL-9000...UNKNOWN.MEANING OF LAST BOWMAN TRANSMISSION...UNKNOWN.LOCATION OF BOWMAN...UNKNOWN (PRESUMED DEAD).COMPOSITION OF SECOND MONOLITH...UNKNOWN.POSITION OF SECOND MONOLITH...LA GRANGE POINT BETWEEN JUPITER AND IO.POSITION OF U.S.S. DISCOVERY...ORBIT AROUND IO.CONDITION OF U.S.S. DISCOVERY...UNKNOWN.

END MISSION REPORTFILED BY : HEYWOOD FLOYD...CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF ASTRONAUTIC. DECEMBER 9, 2001.

Nine years later, a Russian/American expedition leaves on board the 'Leonov', led by the captain Tanya Kirbuk, to attempt to explain the mystery. On board there are three Americans: Doctor Heywood Floyd, responsible of the disappearance of the 'Discovery', the engineer, Walter Curnow, and Doctor Chandra, father of Hal 9000.

The cold war dominates Earth and Floyd must use all his diplomatic abilities to avoid an confrontation. The two teams collaborate despite ideological differences. Arriving near Jupiter, a probe sent by the 'Leonov' detects an organic life form on Europa before the probe is inexplicably destroyed. After slowing to orbit around Io, a team is sent to enter the USS Discovery. It is partially reactivated and released from its declining orbit that would have crashed on Io.

Shandra is now able to power on the computer HAL 9000--the only way to know what occurred nine years earlier. Nearing the monolith, the Russian crew decides to explore it. Maxim Brailovsky is sent to the object on board a module, despite Floyd's protestations and suspicion of danger.

The danger is real: the Max's module is catapulted into space by a flow of energy when he approaches the monolith. Floyd had tried to prevent this sort of thing...

HAL 9000 learns that it has not unsettled, but that its mission had changed and Bowman and Poole were not aware. One has ordered HAL to lie to the crew of the 'Discovery' in order to leads the mission autonomously. Then the expedition learns that war breaks out on Earth! Each crew receives the order to regain its respective vessel. In this climate [more than tendered(?)], David Bowman appears to them. As an emissary of the monoliths, he asks the members of the expedition to move away from the planet .something marvelous is going to arrive.

Floyd is convinced of the gravity of the message and despite the state of war joins Tanya on board the 'Leonov' to explain to her the situation. They are going to work together to allow everybody to leave in the next two days, three weeks before obtaining a departure window to Earth. But the maneuver will consume more fuel than either of the separately ships possesses. The crews dock the USS Discovery to the Leonov. The American ship will power the Leonov, allowing it to leave orbit and saving fuel for the return trip to the Earth.

Then the astronauts observe an enlarging task on Jupiter: millions of black monoliths multiplying on the surface of the planet. The two spaceships hurriedly leave orbit and head to Earth. Jupiter explodes, giving birth to a new sun in our system. The explosion accompanies a message, "All these worlds are yours except Europa; do not try to land there. Use them together; use them in peace."

The lifecycle unfolds before their eyes. They do not know anymore about the monolith, but now live in a world with two suns. We are only tenants of this world; we have received a new lease and the warning of the master.

Corrected by Arroxane