by J E Grace
Our space capsule would orbit our destinations and hover just within range. With the hyper-optical velocity of the spacecraft, the time element involved in the mission had been cut down immensely.
The robotic equipment on board would draw ore samples that would automatically be sent to a particular holding compartment on board the craft. A space telescope mounted outside of the capsule would scan ultraviolet and infrared light emitting photos back to Earth.
Michael's newest invention, a device that would apply significant amounts of pressure to the rocky surface and extract the ore or liquid through tubing much like that of a vacuum would be making its initial testing debut. The liquid would then be piped to a holding tank.
The presence of water vastly increased the number of possible organic molecules that we could capture. Someday we might be lucky enough to find the right combination of elements. Our job was to keep trying.
I was beginning to get cabin fever. I missed not being able to stroll through Washington’s Parisian like avenues at will. I could virtually get lost in the adjacent lavish parks and gardens that peppered its landscape. I could only hope my mission would be over quickly. I wanted my life back.
Tomorrow morning was the briefing for our long-awaited space flight. We were told to retire early and be ready at five a. m., sharp to go over details and any concerns we might have. Concerns. I had plenty.
Doug was his usual irritating self. I heard nothing but whining from him concerning his being passed over for the mission. Doug in space, you have got to be kidding. I’d be tempted to throw him out the hatch.
I had an early dinner of soup and salad and decided to spend a little time in my office before retiring. I entered a few things into my laptop and logged off.
I walked over to the windows glancing out at the night sky with its abundance of stars. It was mind-boggling that in a few days I would be seeing them from an entirely different perspective. That part I was looking forward to.
One good thing about my training and going into space was that it gave me less time to think about Jeanette.
Chapter Four
Michael, Randall, and I were escorted into the boardroom at five a. m. sharp. The room was filled with top-secret administrators and control panel engineers. Among them, Reginald Livingstone and Wilson Bench.
“Good morning. This is an important day for all of us. Let’s get started,” said Reginald as he passed the coffee carafe around the table. “As you know this will be our first actual mission to Ganymede and Europa. The information that our observatory has collected gives us reason to believe that this will be a successful mission. We do, however, have some concerns we need to address. Mr. Robert Guthrie, Head of Engineers for this project will fill you in.”
A rather tall and stocky man in his late fifties stood before us. “First of all, my position is to monitor your onboard navigational system and make sure you stay on target. If anything goes wrong, our staff will take over from down here, and then control will be switched back over when the situation is remedied. We have tested the equipment and feel secure that there will be no major problems. Our main concerns are suspicions of “black holes” within the Milky Way that you will be passing through. I’ll let Mr. Livingstone explain that to you.”
“A “black hole" gentlemen has a gravitational pull so strong that if the body is large enough, nothing can escape. The body is surrounded by a spherical boundary called a horizon through which light can enter but not escape. It, therefore, appears totally black. As the horizon is approached from the outside, time slows down. The boundary of the black hole we refer to as “event horizon. We have reason to believe that matter entering a black hole loses its shape, its chemical composition, and its distinction as matter or antimatter, he said taking a sip of coffee. “to survive a trip into a black hole, a traveler would need an anti-gravity device. We have not perfected such a device at this time. There is speculation that these so-called black holes or wormholes have just one entry and exit which link different parts of the space-time continuum. That is another area we are still exploring. Any questions?” he said glancing around the room.
"I thought of something I needed to clarify. “Will we be able to spot the black holes early enough to avoid contact?”
“Your monitoring system should warn you of any approaching danger. Your control room staff will also be monitoring your progress. Your main mission is to extract ore and liquid material from the planets for testing. Your onboard cameras will do the rest. Total time, give a few days or so, should be six days. If there are no more questions, you are excused.”
We left the room and returned to the laboratory. There was much to think about. Michael had a few final preparations for his new device.
“Here are the space travelers now. You better hope it doesn’t become your new home,” said Doug.
“If it does, there is one consolation,” said Randall.
“Oh, yeah. What’s that?”
“You won’t be there.”
Doug stomped off muttering to himself.
Jeanette glanced up from her work with a big grin. It wasn’t too often she got to see someone get the best of him. “All ready for the big adventure?” she asked placing some specimens under the microscope.
“I thought I was until they mentioned the black holes. Now I’m not sure.”
“Please, be careful. I wouldn’t want to be left here alone with Mr. Attitude.”
“What’s up with him anyway? He sure seems to love irritating everyone.”
“Oh, it started when he began dating his latest heartthrob, Bridgette. She’s a fashion model for some top magazine. Doug comes from a long line of wealthy and power-driven tycoons, and I’m sure some of that money flows into Interplay. I can’t believe they hired him on his own merit,” said Jeanette.
“That explains things.”
I walked over to the file cabinet and went through the research folders. I was looking for any information on the day the samples came up missing. I carefully sat down at my station and began leafing through the mounds of paperwork.
Inside was a log of samples analyzed and initials of the staff involved. On the date in question, the initials required were all there. It had to be an inside job done after hours. That meant one of the guards was involved. What was so important that someone would steal samples? I would ask Reginald for the logs of the guards on duty the night in question. I would then try to find a connection between one of my staff and the guards.
It was time to call it a day. We had been working countless hours, each on our individual projects we were responsible for. Everything had been going well.
Chapter Five
Randall had left early to get things situated for his German Shepard, Simon. Jeanette had kindly offered to take care of him during the flight and Simon had bonded with her. Somehow, he felt she was being used as a replacement for Yvonne.
This was Randall’s first space mission. How he wished Jeanette was here to talk to, to share his excitement with. He had never stopped loving her.
Yvonne had married, Anthony and the man was an okay guy. He was kind to his son, but he resented the fact that he had taken his place. His friends had tried to set him up with other women, but he just wasn’t ready to make that commitment again.
Randall decided to swallow his pride and call her. He wanted to talk to his son before he left for space just in case something went wrong. He reached for the phone hesitating for a moment. What if she answered? He would just ask for Nicholas.
He was missing out on the best years of his son’s life and wouldn’t be there to watch him grow up. He missed him so much. He dialed the number, and in a few minutes, a small young voice answered.
“Hello. Who is this?” asked Nicholas.
“This is Daddy. How you been, buddy?”
“Mom took me to the zoo. I saw all the animals, and we had popcorn. Where are you? Are you coming to see me?"
“Daddy has to work, but I’ll see you soon. I mis
s you so much."
“I miss you too, Daddy. I’ll get Mommy.” He dropped the telephone down and it hung by the cord just inches from the floor.
“Nicholas. No!” It was too late he had already gone.
In a few minutes, Yvonne picked up the phone. “Randall, Nicholas has missed hearing from you. You really should call him more often.”
“I know, but with work and all, time just seems to slip away. I’m finally going up in space, Yvonne. I just wanted to hear his voice before I left. You know, just in case something happens.”
“Whatever the reason, I’m glad you called. I have to go, Randall, I have dinner on. Good luck with your mission. Call him when you get back. I’ll let you tell him goodbye.” She went to get Nicholas, who was playing with his cars in the other room.
“Goodbye, Daddy. Come see me soon, okay,” he said the excitement building in his voice.
“Okay, I promise. Goodbye, buddy.”
Randall hung up the phone, placed his head in the palms of his hands, and wept.
Chapter Six
It was the morning of the launch. Visibility was excellent, and there were no reports of severe weather. Even though it was summer, a freak change in the weather was possible. The weather wasn’t as predictable as it once was.
I awoke at five a.m., and although nervous about the flight, I was jacked up at the same time. I hadn’t slept as much as I would have liked. I couldn’t seem to shut off the visions of space that traveled through my head. Not images of impending doom or anything like that, just reruns of what our mission was to consist of.
By six a. m., Michael, Randall, and I were at the launch site and geared up for our ascent, as well as, two other crew members.
Our pilot was Mitch Reed, a veteran of five years in space. He was in his forties, medium build, and a no-nonsense kind of guy. He would be positioned to the left of the craft and would be responsible for guidance and rendezvous maneuvers.
His assistant was Paul Gleck. He was in his early thirties but had a strangeness about him that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He didn’t seem like astronaut material. He was tall, wore dark-rimmed glasses, and spoke with a quiet strained voice. His position was to monitor the instruments connected to the onboard computers and rendezvous radar.
Michael had called from the launch pad to say goodbye to his wife and reassure her. I could see a look of concern on his face as he hung up the phone.
After entering the elevator, we exited at the top of the launch tower and made our way across the gangplank to the embarkation chamber. We entered the spacecraft and took our seats in the couches made for launch and reentry. Underneath were storage compartments for our supplies.
The spacecraft, Alganon I, contained a command module where we would live during our flight in space. It consisted of sleeping compartments, galley, a bathroom, and shower facility. There was also a service module containing the main engines, power supply, and life support systems. We had all the conveniences that modern technology could offer.
After a final check of the equipment, we strapped ourselves into our seats and readied for takeoff. Outside, we knew the orbiter that held tons of dominant fuel was about to ignite in a fiery explosion. We had conquered time travel, and there was no planet that we couldn’t get to. On our pass by Mars, we would dock and service the telescope there with the help of our onboard robotic equipment attached outside the spacecraft.
“I guess this is it,” said Michael checking his shoulder straps and other gear.
“No turning back now,” I said getting myself ready.
In the control room, they were busily monitoring the equipment for launch. Huge maps along the walls in front of the controllers displayed the locations of spacecraft, and a large television monitor at the front of the room showed real-time images transmitted from space.
In anticipation, Mitch fixed his eyes on the display panel of the spacecraft’s computer system and keypunched in the required data into the program. His assistant, Paul, sat and scanned the instrument panel making sure that everything was running correctly.
We listened to the voices coming through the intercom system, “Three minutes to launch. Everything’s a go.”
“Alganon I to Control Room. Ready to launch,” said Mitch.
The next instructions they heard were, “Two, one, T-50 seconds to launch.”
The rocket boosters kicked in, and the craft lifted off its platform. Within seconds after the launch, it began to roll to tail down altitude. In another few minutes, the boosters had separated.
“Randall, you’re awful quiet. Take off too much for you?” asked Michael looking out the shuttle window into outer space.
“Nada, buddy. Just enjoying the view same as the rest of you,” he said glancing out the window.
We watched the earth shrink into the distance. It had a bright quality, and the surface appeared with blue and white swirls of clouds.
“Don’t forget to flip the switch for the scope. Interplay will be disappointed if we don’t put on a good show. This is an important mission. Let’s show them how it’s done,” I said as I unbuckled my equipment and walked to the other side of the craft.
I glanced out the forward-facing windows as Earth disappeared and was replaced by the outer rim of the Milky Way. Though the stars were sparse and flung away from each other, there were so many suns that they reminded me of foam on an ocean wave.
Stars flashed by, and nebulae glowed like fireflies. Star matter arced, some straight as arrows and others curving and spiraling.
“Get a load of that. Have you ever seen anything like it?” asked Randall
“Nothing to compare it to, it seems to go on forever,” said Michael as he glanced out the windows.
“The telescope is picking up some great pictures,” said Randall as he checked to make sure it was adjusted properly. “If we could harness that energy, we could fuel the entire planet. Maybe solar power satellites might not be so crazy of an idea after all.”
We began to pass through the giant red stars. They were so huge that they could swallow most of our solar system. The stars seemed to dance, and in every direction, there were clusters of billions of pinpoints of light stretching thousands of light years across.
As we made our way through the Milky Way, we continued on our course towards Mars. Michael felt a little queasy and retired to the sleeping cabins.
Michael lay in his bunk unable to sleep, growing increasingly nauseated. Suddenly, he made a dash for the bathroom and was on his knees wrenching his guts out. Finally, getting nausea under control, he made his way back to his bunk. Just as he staggered to his bed, Randall entered the room.
“You don’t look good. What’s wrong?"
“I don’t know. Air sickness, I guess.”
“Hold on. I’ll get you a shot. It’ll fix you right up, and then you can sleep it off.”
Chapter Seven
We were finally approaching our destination. Wisps of water ice clouds hovered over the enormous volcanic mountains below.
“Mars must have had a very active geological past. Take a look at those canyons, dried up stream beds, and craters,” said Randall taking a sip of water.
As we neared the planet, we could see its two moons, Deimos and Phobos. At the poles were gleaming ice caps with varying mottled shades of red between them. An ice age seemed to grip it.
We started to glide into position with the wheels extended for landing slowly. The spacecraft hit with an abrupt stop. The telescope was in sight.
The rough landing had jarred Michael in his bunk. He arose from his bed slowly at first to make sure he wasn’t still unsteady on his feet. Convinced that nausea had passed, he made his way to the command module.
I punched in the instructions for the robotic equipment and watched the monitor make sure it was working correctly. It shot out much like that of a harpoon and hit its mark accurately. I continued to enter the information until the readout of the results showed that the servicing was co
mplete.
“You’re pretty good with that equipment. You sure you haven’t had practice somewhere else?” said Michael.
“Just beginner’s luck I guess,” I said retracting the arm and returning it back to its position. “Glad to see you’re still among the living. Welcome back.”
“Guess it’s my turn to show off. Keep err steady, Mitch while I start the arm.”
Michael flipped the switch to release the enormous drilling and pickup arm attached to the side of the spacecraft. It would drill just underneath the surface and suck up rock ore samples into what worked like a giant vacuum. At the other end, it would be sent down a chute and held in a special compartment on board for analysis back at the laboratory.
Inside the craft, Michael could hear the ore being sucked through the giant tube. When the control light blinked red indicating the cargo hold was full, he flipped the switch to the off position and retracted the arm. Next, using the pumping apparatus, he sucked in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for testing at the lab.
“My job is done. It looks like the equipment did what it was supposed to.”
“What’s the carbon dioxide for?” I asked checking the gauges on his equipment.
“Interplay seems to think that we could combine it with hydrogen on Earth and produce enough methane-oxygen for rocket fuel.”
“Nice concept.”
“I guess it’s on to Europa then,” said Mitch checking the control panel to reset coordinates.
“This is when we have to look out for Jupiter’s bow shock. Everybody, buckle up.”
“What exactly is that?” asked Mitch.
“Well, where the solar winds clash with Jupiter’s magnetic field is an electrically charged area. That’s the “bow shock.” At that particular place, high solar winds exist.”
“Just steer us clear,” said Randall as he buckled up.
Before the words were uttered entirely, the spacecraft went into a series of rolls and turns. The force of Jupiter’s magnetic field had hit them hard.