The Attack on Jamestown took place in September 1983 when armed Soviet cosmonauts successfully infiltrated the US outpost on the Moon in retaliation for an earlier incident when American Moon Marines opened fire on two unarmed cosmonauts, indirectly killing one. The peak in the Jamestown crisis, this was part of a major standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War.
During the attack, the coolant pump for Jamestown's nuclear reactor was hit by a bullet shot by the combatants, nearly causing a reactor meltdown, only prevented by Gordo and Tracy Stevens, albeit at the cost of their own lives.[2]
History[]
Prelude[]
The Russian-English cheatsheet found in the box
Following the expiration of The Outer Space Treaty, the United States and NASA sent armed marines to Jamestown in order to retrieve a mining site from the Soviets. The site was retaken a few months later, and the Moon Marines begun guarding the site. At some later day, during a shift rotation, they spotted two Soviet cosmonauts with some equipment and a large case. They were ordered to leave, and started backing away. One cosmonaut, Rolan Baranov, attempted to open a nearby case but was shot by marine Helena Webster. The other cosmonaut also tried to reach inside the case but was also gunned down. The penetration of his suit created a small spark which was setting him on fire and subsequently burned him to death, to the horror of the marines. They soon found out inside the case was a translator, and realized the cosmonauts had been unarmed.[3]
The surviving cosmonaut was taken to Jamestown for recovery and later visited by his fellow crewmates.[4]
Attack on the base[]
Soviet cosmonauts infiltrate Jamestown
After the incident, Jamestown operations were normal when Steve Pomeranz saw a Soviet cosmonaut near the base, quickly catching the attention of the rest of the astronauts in the room. The cosmonaut drew a rifle and shot one of the windows of the main control room, causing uncontrolled decompression. Station commander Alex Rossi in his room nearby noticed the breach but was locked inside when the doors closed. Amidst the chaos, Jonathan Gatos was struck by debris and sucked out of the base through the broken window onto the surface of the Moon, where he died of vacuum exposure. The rest of the crew managed to escape the control room. Shortly after, several more armed cosmonauts entered the base and took control of the base's command center.[4]
Interlude[]
The cosmonauts interrogate Rossi
Rossi was taken hostage and held in the command center. On Earth, NASA received an alert about a sudden decompression at Jamestown and contacted the base. Rossi pretended that everything was fine and once pressure returned to normal, NASA was no longer concerned. The cosmonauts ensured that their position was secure before demanding the release of Baranov. Being interrogated by Soviet colonel Viktor Tsukanov, Rossi claimed he didn't know where Baranov is and was punched in the face by one of the other cosmonauts.
Meanwhile, Gordo and Tracy Stevens noticed the corridor outside the room they are in was depressurized and that the cosmonauts had taken control of the base. They managed to hide before they are spotted.
The remaining astronauts listened to Rossi explain the situation: The cosmonauts demand the release of Baranov and would release him in return. Baranov insisted that they turn him over, but Helena refused.[2]
Shootout[]
Paulson and Lopez move through the depressurized base
The Moon Marines suited up and took their rifles, moving through the depressurized sections of the base. They encountered Gordo and Tracy in the canteen module, but Vance was shot in the back by a cosmonaut and Steven Lopez was shot in the shoulder. Helena dispatched one cosmonaut who fired his rifle wildly as he was going down, inadvertently destroying the primary control unit for the base's nuclear reactor's coolant system.[2]
Resolution[]
The cosmonauts leave Jamestown
The fighting continued to the pressurized command module until the cosmonauts withdrew after Soviet premier Yuri Andropov and American president Ronald Reagan agreed to reach out in peace following the Apollo-Soyuz mission and the explosion of Sea Dragon 17.[2]
See also[]
References
- ↑ For All Mankind TV series, season 3, episode 3, "All In" (Death date of Tracy & Gordo on their memorial)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 For All Mankind TV series, season 2, episode 10, "The Grey"
- ↑ For All Mankind TV series, season 2, episode 8, "And Here's to You"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 For All Mankind TV series, season 2, episode 9, "Triage"