Star One: Neutron Star

by Raymond L. Weil

  “What?” interrupted Dryson, looking a little angry, his face covered in disbelief. “That’s impossible! We would have detected an object like that much earlier. There has to be an error in your calculations. I know a little about astronomy, and there is no way we wouldn’t have detected an x-ray source like that just outside our Solar System. It has to be a mistake of some kind!”

  “I can assure you that it is not,” LaRann replied, unperturbed at the interruption and staring at Dryson with a measuring eye. The Farside scientists had shared the same disbelief themselves at first.

  “Your math must be wrong,” Dryson said, shaking his head determinedly. “An x-ray source just outside of our Solar System would have been detected by dish arrays on Earth. I have heard nothing!”

  “We have run the numbers through our computers at both Farside and Tycho City, plus your own computers here on Star One,” LaRann said, staring at Dryson. “They have been confirmed. We are dealing with a neutron star approximately eighteen miles in diameter, rotating twice per second around its axis. A square inch of material on this star’s surface would weigh several million tons. Our current measurements indicate we are dealing with an object 2.2 times the mass of our own Sun.”

  “It’s coming toward us?” Julie asked worriedly, her eyes focusing on LaRann. She knew this could pose a serious danger. She wished John were here. He understood a lot more about astronomy than she did. “How close to us is this star going to come?”

  A nervous look passed across the faces of the listening group. Most knew what a neutron star was. Living on a space station, everyone tended to know a little bit about astronomy. A spectral uneasiness passed across the group as they weighed the ramifications of this surprising announcement. They all knew this could have some very serious implications. The conference room seemed to have taken on a sudden chill.

  LaRann hesitated, looking questionably over at Steve who gave him a reassuring nod. “Our current estimates indicate that the star is approaching us above the plane of the ecliptic and will pass through our Solar System without colliding with any of the planets,” LaRann answered with a nervous quiver in his voice.

  “That’s a relief,” Julie said with the fear leaving her face. “Then we have nothing to worry about.”

  “Unfortunately, that is not the case,” replied LaRann, shaking his head. “Its gravity alone will cause some problems, and there are some anomalies about this star that we can’t explain. We have already registered a deflection in Pluto’s orbit that shouldn’t be there. We don’t know why we didn’t detect the neutron star earlier.”

  “How can we not detect a neutron star that close to the Solar System?” demanded Dryson, looking confused and still doubtful about what he was hearing. “With all the different observatories on Earth, in near Earth orbit, and at Farside, it should have been detected months, if not years ago!”

  “It has been suggested that a small previously undiscovered dust cloud may have been shielding it,” replied LaRann, taking off his glasses and laying them down on the conference room table. To LaRann the room seemed to be getting warmer.

  “That dust cloud would have to have some very heavy elements in it as well as an extremely high density to mask a neutron star,” stated Dryson, wanting to see some of this data. “I still can’t believe this. It makes no sense!”

  “The latest reports from Farside that I received earlier today indicate that they may have located the dust cloud. They are currently scanning the cloud trying to ascertain its density and composition,” replied LaRann, feeling a little nervous talking to this group. “If Commander Larson approves, I will be glad to furnish you with our observational data.”

  “I would like to see the orbital path calculations,” Dryson said, looking at Steve. “I want to run them myself.”

  “That can be arranged,” responded Steve, knowing that Dryson was a gifted mathematician. “Any information you need will be made available. Go ahead, Professor LaRann.”

  “Our current computer forecasts predict the star will pass within two billion miles of our Sun,” LaRann continued. “1.98 billion miles to be exact. If it does, there will undoubtedly be some minor disruptions in the orbits of some of the planets.”

  “Minor disruptions!” Andre spoke, his tone slightly reproving staring at LaRann in shock. “If that star comes in that close it could even affect the Sun. I’ve seen computer simulations in the past about what would happen if a rogue planet came in that close. A star would be a thousand times worse. It would be disastrous!”

  “But it’s only eighteen miles in diameter,” objected Blackwater, frowning. Astronomy was not one of his favorite subjects. “How could that harm us? We have asteroids in the system much larger than that?”

  “The size in this instance isn’t important. The mass is what matters. The matter of this star is so densely compacted that a thimble full would weigh more than this entire station,” LaRann explained patiently.

  “Then we are in danger!” Julie said, looking around the table, an apprehensive look crossing her face. She felt uneasy worrying about the safety of her two children. What was going to happen? She would have to talk to her husband John about this. He would understand what this all meant.

  “Yes,” LaRann replied slowly, looking over at Steve who nodded for him to continue. “There may be some danger.”

  “What about our own Sun?” Stoler asked with concern growing on his face, doing some quick calculations on the miniature hand computer he always carried in his shirt pocket. “At that range it could cause some significant disruptions. At the very least, we will see some immense solar flares. They could seriously endanger life on Earth itself!”

  LaRann hesitated once again, glancing over at Steve before he replied. “There will almost certainly be some major alterations in the orbits of some of the planets. There could indeed be a serious threat to life on Earth as we know it in the worst case scenario,” LaRann hesitated briefly before continuing. “There is also a slim possibility that the gravity stresses on our Sun could cause it to go nova, but the possibility of that, according to the latest computer projections, is less than ten percent.”

  The room exploded in a roar of questions and voices as Steve stood back up. “Quiet everyone, listen, we brought you all together so you would know the latest and what steps we are taking.” He waited as everyone quieted down and focused their attention back on him. Their faces were full of disbelief, fear, and confusion.

  “It’s a neutron star,” spoke Stoler, shaking his head. “What possible steps can we take? Its mass is too great for us to divert it away from the Solar System. We can’t stop it!”

  “We have modified the Jupiter Probe to allow us to send it out to intercept the neutron star,” Steve replied with a determined look upon his face. “We have renamed it the FarQuest. We hope to use the information from the mission to ascertain exactly how the star will affect us and what we must do to survive. Commander Tyler Erin will be in command of the mission and getting us the data.”

  Most of the staff members, except a few, looked surprised at this. A manned mission to the neutron star. This explained some of the requests from the commander and Christy the last few weeks upon their sections. It also clarified all of the mysterious work that had been going on over at the Space Platform and on the Jupiter Probe ship.

  “Even with additional data, I don’t see what we can do,” commented Stoler, studying his handheld computer. “The deviation of some of the planets from a neutron star of that mass passing through the plane of the ecliptic will be disastrous. Some of the planets could be pulled away from their orbits completely, possibly even falling into the neutron star. With any major disruption of planetary orbits, the Earth could be pulled out away from the habitable area around our Sun.”

  “Unfortunately, that’s correct. We know that the Earth and the Moon will probably be significantly affected,” Steve admitted, then gestured at Christy. “Because of that, I have directed Commander Jones to put toge
ther some contingency plans for making this station completely self-sufficient. I also want to begin immediate installation of a half-inch thick coating of Luxen around the perimeter of the entire station, beginning with the central wheel. This should protect the station from any level of radiation except a nova. Nothing would survive that, of course.”

  “That will take our entire production of Luxen for two months, Commander,” Ted Dryson said, calculating furiously. “We won’t be able to meet our Earth contracts.”

  “I’m well aware of that, Ted. We will tell Earth that the reactor is down for routine maintenance,” Steve responded firmly. “Lieutenant Commander Hastings, you will set up a schedule with our maintenance crews to begin installing the extra coating of Luxen around the station. Don’t violate any safety rules in order to get this done. We have eight to twelve months before the neutron star begins affecting us.”

  “Very well, Commander,” Lieutenant Commander Hastings replied, thinking about how to free up the people she would need for the project.

  She would need to contact the station engineers’ right after the meeting to check the stress points on the station and the best way to begin applying the Luxen. It would be a big project, but it could be done without too much of an interruption in the normal routine of the station.

  “How soon before the FarQuest is launched?” asked Julie, thinking about Ty.

  This explained what had been in the back of Ty’s mind the other night. She knew that John would take the news hard if anything happened to his friend, and this sounded like Ty would be gone for quite some time.

  “As some of you have probably already heard, the ship leaves in the morning on a shakedown flight to the Moon and back,” Steve spoke quietly, his sharp eyes looking at his people. “If there are no difficulties, it will be launched 48 hours later on its mission to the neutron star. The crew will spend the majority of the flight time to the star in deep sleep using a new drug that Doctor Wruggi has perfected.”

  “How long a mission is this?” Julie asked, concerned. If the neutron star was still outside the Solar System, this could be the longest space mission ever attempted. How long would Ty and his crew be gone?

  “We are planning on a mission time of 320 days round trip,” Steve replied to a silent room.

  Many knew that this might turn out to be a one-way mission. No other manned ship had previously attempted anything remotely as dangerous as this trip would be. Space travel was still hazardous. Only two of the three Mar’s missions had even made it to Mars. The third had to turn back due to mechanical problems.

  “We expect to be awakened when the FarQuest arrives in close proximity to the star. The ship will go into orbit and we will begin taking some very detailed observations,” spoke LaRann, leaning back and putting his glasses back on. “There are some things about this neutron star that doesn’t make a lot of sense, and we need to find some answers. The best way to do that is to go there. I will be leading the scientific team on the mission.”

  “But what good will it do?” Stoler asked once more, looking confused over the need for this mission. “If the neutron star is on the orbital path you have suggested, there is nothing we can do to stop it! Why send the mission and endanger the crew?”

  “We may be facing a fine line between survival and the end of the human race,” Steve said, addressing the group. His eyes going from one person to the next making sure they understood the gravity of the situation. “Any additional information we can get to improve those odds, even slightly, we have to take. We also want to ensure that the neutron star is by itself and isn’t dragging along a stray planet or two in its gravitational field.”

  Stoler nodded, but he was afraid that there was nothing the ship might discover that could change what was coming toward the Earth, Moon, and Star One.

  “We expect as the star comes closer that our own observations from the Moon and Earth will reveal additional information,” Steve added. “It’s essential that the FarQuest mission succeeds in its rendezvous. There are too many variables, and we dare not miss anything if we are to survive this encounter. We don’t know yet how serious we will be affected. It could range from major deflections in the orbits of most of the planets to even several planets being captured by the gravity field of the neutron star. We just don’t have all the data we need. A manned flyby is a necessity.”

  “We could be talking about the end of our civilization,” Andre spoke with a worried frown spreading across his normally jovial face. “I have seen simulations of how the Earth could be affected if its orbit were modified. If the Earth were pulled out of the Goldilocks zone around the Sun, very few people would survive. Only those in deep shelters would have a chance of surviving.”

  “Could that happen?” asked Jennifer, wondering if Teela could be used to analyze all of this better. She had only been on the station a few days, and now they were talking about the possible end of civilization as they knew it. She felt a twinge in her stomach knowing that this was a dire situation.

  No wonder Commander Larson had been so insistent on her coming up to Star One and helping to solve the Teela problem. Star One was desperately going to need the AI if this neutron star danger came to be. Teela might be all that would stand between the destruction of Star One and its survival. Jennifer felt a lot of weight settle on her shoulders as she realized how much the station was going to need the AI.

  “It’s a possibility,” admitted LaRann, letting out a deep breath. “Some of the more recent simulations show the Earth’s orbit could be drastically changed.”

  “How long will the crew be in deep sleep?” Julie asked. She had heard unconfirmed rumors about Doctor Wruggi’s new drug. This news about the neutron star was making her feel extremely worried.

  “They will be asleep for 122 days if our calculations on the ion drive acceleration are correct,” Steve replied. “We believe that we can achieve a top speed of around 1200 miles per second by extended use of the drive. The crew is currently going through an intensive training schedule. We are doing everything we can to prepare them for this mission.”

  “A speed of 1,200 miles per second,” Lieutenant Commander Kevin Anderson echoed surprised, his eyes widening. “That’s much faster than anything before. Can the ship do that?”

  “We think so,” answered Steve, recalling the computer simulations they had run on extended use of the ion drive. “The drive simulations we have run show the FarQuest is capable of that speed. What some of you don’t know is that the FarQuest has been equipped with a fusion reactor. It greatly increases the efficiency of the ion drive allowing us to operate it at much higher acceleration levels.”

  Everyone was quiet for a moment. The fusion reactor was a big surprise to some of them. They knew that NASA hadn’t approved anything like this originally. Several department heads looked at each other nervously, knowing that a lot of hard questions would be raised Earthside when this came out.

  “How did a fusion reactor end up on the FarQuest?” one of the department heads asked with a frown on his face. “Wasn’t it supposed to be a fission reactor?” He didn’t like the idea of changes being made without NASA’s approval.

  “That’s correct,” admitted Steve, not wanting to get into a discussion over this. “Mase Colton and I decided to make the FarQuest into a real space ship. We invested the extra money to install a fusion reactor. The president is fully aware of this, and we had her approval.”

  That seemed to satisfy the department head as he nodded his head in understanding. “As long as the president approved everything, then I don’t have a problem with it.”

  “The fusion reactor the FarQuest is equipped with wasn’t designed for this type of mission,” Commented Ted Dryson, looking at Steve and then back to Stoler. “We need to run some simulations on how such a prolonged journey might affect it, especially based on the amount of energy output that will be expected to power the ion drive for the time needed to reach that speed.”

  “I don’t thin
k it will be a problem,” Stoler said, thoughtfully. He was running some quick calculations on his handheld computer. “It should be able to handle the extra power requirements.”

  “I hope so,” replied Steve, gazing at the two men. “But keep in mind that we have no choice and no other ship.”

  “What about the crew?” Julie asked with a worried frown. She was concerned for Ty’s safety. “What are their chances of making it back?”

  “It will be an extremely dangerous mission,” Steve admitted in a slightly lower voice. “There is no guarantee that they will make it back.”

  “How dangerous?” Julie persisted, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Steve. She knew John would want to know.

  “Our best estimates place their safe return at no better than 50 percent,” answered Steve, wishing the odds of their returning were higher. He stopped talking, seeing the concerned looks on several staff members faces. Julie looking totally petrified.

  “We are doing everything we can to ensure their safe return,” Steve added quickly. “But this is a very dangerous mission. Nothing like this has ever been attempted before. We can’t be sure what they may encounter on this mission.”

  “I assume the crew understands the risks involved,” Blackwater interjected with a frown. “I would be glad to visit with any of the crewmembers if they wish. This mission could have some very high levels of stress involved and could result in some serious tension between individuals.”

  “I’ll mention that to Ty,” Steve replied, glad that Blackwater had changed the subject. “But this crew has been carefully chosen, and they are all experts in their fields.”