NASA’s Rover missions to Mars nearly fifty years ago had proved to be more valuable than hoped. The rovers had operated long past their intended use, sending back reams of climate and geological data. In 2022, Opportunity, discovered several non-organic materials on the martian surface. A complete lockdown inside the control room of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory followed. Opportunity radioed back an image of three spherical objects protruding out of the soil. All images from the rover from that day forward were confidential. Media were informed that contact with the rover had broken down, and a staged conference took place at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

For three weeks, Opportunity exposed seven spheres in an area of sand the size of an Olympic swimming pool. Each sphere was a representation of all the planets in the Milky Way galaxy. The rover mapped and recorded each sphere’s location to prevent them from being lost in dust storms. During the excavation, another object was found nearby beneath the sand; something much larger. No one thought it was possible to become more electrified to what had already been found. It had a name even before it was uncovered.

The structure was four metres long and was shaped like a two-ribbon coil of DNA. A collective gasp had went through the room as Opportunity removed the final clumps of rock and sand. The helical strands blazed a fiery orange, reflecting the rays of the sun and the soil of the Martian surface. The Strand looked like chrome on fire.

The spheres that lay near it looked like stones in comparison. Ashen and grey, the spheres were like forgotten articles whose use had long since been spent.

This element of, OurGlass, sets up the theme of the whole story; the search for the Earth sphere. I tried to introduce elements of truth into this section by including the fact that one of the rovers had malfunctioned. In real life this event has actually happened and it is my hope to create a bit more mystery around it.