Houston
Houston
[A spacecraft floats in outer space, the earth far in the background. Bits of it have broken off.] Orbiter transmission: Houston, we have a problem
[Cueball with a headset sits at a computer desk with two monitors.] Cueball: Cool.
[We see a close-up of Cueball.] Orbiter transmission: ...What? Houston, we stirred our O₂ tank and it exploded ! Cueball: Sounds like you suck at stirring.
[We see the orbiter in space, far from the planet.] Orbiter transmission: ...Houston? Are you- Cueball: Listen, I've got another call. Good luck landing your airplane or whatever. Click

This comic presents a joke: a Cueball is at Mission Control, but is failing to help a damaged spacecraft, and is, in fact, being rather unhelpful and completely ignoring them. This is contrary to how one would expect mission control to behave in the event of an explosion. [ citation needed ]
Alternatively, this could be some type of commentary:
Or Cueball is just named "Houston".
On Apollo 13 's way to the Moon, during a routine stirring of one of the oxygen tanks, an explosion occurred that damaged the craft. Frantic efforts by the mission control center located in Houston resulted in the safe return of all astronauts.
A similar situation is depicted in this strip including the design of the spacecraft, the nature of the problem, and the famous misquote "Houston, we have a problem". The modern type of monitor ( flat panel LCD ) in front of which Cueball sits suggests that the author is describing a more modern scenario. This time there is much less help from mission control. Upon receiving the message from the spacecraft, Cueball seems fairly indifferent. Instead of attempting to resolve the issue, he mocks the crew for not knowing how to stir and hangs up in favor of taking a call.
In the title text we learn that the call was from Cueball's mother, which should be far less important than helping the crew return safely. He also tells her that he's doing "nothing important"—further driving home how little he cares about them.
NASA mission Apollo 13 was intended to be the third manned landing on the moon. Immediately following the explosion, astronaut Jack Swigert calmly reported—and shortly later repeated by James A. Lovell—to mission control: "Houston, we've had a problem"—a notable understatement which was famously misquoted in the 1995 film adaptation of the mission as "Houston, we have a problem".
Mission control worked diligently and tirelessly to solve numerous problems such as:
[A spacecraft floats in outer space, the earth far in the background. Bits of it have broken off.] Orbiter transmission: Houston, we have a problem
[Cueball with a headset sits at a computer desk with two monitors.] Cueball: Cool.
[We see a close-up of Cueball.] Orbiter transmission: ...What? Houston, we stirred our O₂ tank and it exploded ! Cueball: Sounds like you suck at stirring.
[We see the orbiter in space, far from the planet.] Orbiter transmission: ...Houston? Are you- Cueball: Listen, I've got another call. Good luck landing your airplane or whatever. Click
