Human Error

In a near‑future where the state spends billions to turn people into flawless, machine‑like citizens, an old error‑prone humanity still clings to its frailty. The first orbital megastructure, known as the Wheel, becomes the focus of worldwide attention, until a sudden, catastrophic collision with the cargo ship Griseda shatters that confidence. Amateur astronomers and a handful of keen observers capture the disaster on film, their shaky footage becoming the only visual record of a midnight crash that sends debris spiraling toward Earth.

Amid the wreckage, radio operator Joe McCauley and the surviving crew scramble to piece together a dying station’s broken systems, racing against a loss of orbital velocity that threatens a fiery re‑entry. Their frantic exchanges with ground control reveal a desperate attempt to steer what remains of the Wheel, while commanders on Earth grapple with the stark reality that an errorless machine would simply die. Listeners are drawn into the tense first hours of a space catastrophe that forces humanity to confront both its ingenuity and its inevitable flaws.