John Koenig - Meta Probe Crisis

Meta Probe Crisis

In 1998, a rogue planet, later named Meta, was discovered passing through the solar system. Regular signals were received from the planet which indicated that intelligent life might exist there. A manned deep-space probe was prepared at the orbital Space Dock and the command pilots, Astronauts Frank Warren and Eric Sparkman, commenced intensive training for the mission. In late August 1999, both men were withdrawn from training because, according to the official cover-story, they had contracted a mild virus infection, which had also affected other Alpha personnel.

Koenig was assigned command of Moonbase Alpha by Lunar Commissioner Gerald Simmonds to get the Meta Probe launched at all costs. After arriving at Moonbase Alpha, Koenig learned that the crisis was much worse than he had been told; the virus infection story was a sham and a total of eleven men had died from an unknown condition. Some slipped into coma and expired; others died after brief, sudden bouts of violent and irrational behavior. Doctor Helena Russell, Alpha's chief medical officer, believed that the sickness was a form of radiation-induced cerebral cancer. All tests of the two nuclear waste disposal area came up negative. However, when Nuclear Disposal Area One - the smaller and older of the two facilities - suddenly flared up and exploded, the staff's investigation came to the conclusion that a new, previously unknown form of magnetic radiation had killed the astronauts. Furthermore, not only was everyone on Moonbase Alpha at risk from the radiation (as Area One had been a landmark for anyone travelling the far side of the Moon to Area Two), but if Area Two was also affected, the colossal amount of nuclear waste stored there would cause the greatest explosion in human history.

Koenig then contacted Commissioner Simmonds, who flew to Alpha on a fact-finding mission when Koenig refused any follow-up communication. Koenig had Moonbase's Eagle fleet equipped with electromagnetic winches to remove the nuclear waste containers from the synthocrete-covered disposal pits and dispersed across a wide area of the Moon's surface; the reduction in the concentrated mass of nuclear waste was hoped to avoid or at least reduce the risk of a catastrophic explosion. Unfortunately, these measures were too late, and in a violent eruption the nuclear waste exploded. The Moon was pushed out of orbit by the rocket motor-like thrust of the explosion and sent speeding from the solar system into the unexplored and unimaginable void of deep space.

Given the Moon's high velocity and rapidly increasing distance from Earth, Koenig made the hard decision to not attempt an evacuation and instead remain on Alpha, where the base's personnel could sustain themselves and search for another planet on which to settle; the search for a "new Earth" would become a dominant theme in the series' two seasons.