“John –are you holding onto your seat?” inquired Judy into the mic. “Yes, I’m here.” replied John. “And by the way, we are following you on radar and there is nothing there except Delia.”
“Well I have news for you!” announced Judy into her microphone. “We not alone up here. The spec we saw turns out to be another vehicle like Delia except twice as big, I am estimating fifty or sixty feet across. Terry – describe it while I take pictures.”
Terry continued: “Instead of being round it is octagonal. Its surface is charcoal grey which reminds me of stealth technology. I am just going down slightly below it, and the underside has four protruding cylinders just like Delia, except they are square. On top there is a whole semicircle of windows where we have the four little ones. I am underneath now and I can see a hatch near the middle. Now we are rising up again and I can see a small forest of antennas sticking out the top. Whoever is in there must have a fear of being out of communication!”
All the while Judy was snapping away with the camera. “Are you really sure there is nothing on radar? This thing looks solid to me!” she said to John.
“No nothing. You had better stay away from it,” said John. “It must be from some foreign power. Can you see any sign of guns or missiles or anything like that?”
“Nothing at all,” said Judy. “But I was just thinking that if this thing has been here long, it will have been photographing everything we did on Homey airfield. So much for secrecy and privacy!”
“We are moving away now,” said Terry. “Just a moment, that thing has started some kind of thruster jets going and it is taking off to the west. Its going faster and faster. It is only a spec again now! Now I’ve lost visual contact!”
“Let’s continue our test and bring you down safely back to Homey,” commanded John. “I think that is enough excitement for one day!”
Terry suddenly realized that he was shivering, even though the instruments recorded that the cabin temperature was 72°F. He looked across at Judy, and she was looking white as a sheet. Being the well trained test pilot that he was, Terry carried on with the plan and set Delia on a steady descent path. After going down 40 thousand feet, the batteries were 90% full and the power dissipation lamps automatically turned on so that the descending vehicle could just be seen from the ground if you knew where to look. Half an hour later Terry was guiding Delia across Homey airport to their hangar. Following up on the style demonstrated in his departure, he took her down to eight feet in altitude and slowly scooted her into the hangar where he lowered the under carriage and then gently put her down on the ground.
After they had wriggled out of their pressure suits, Terry and Judy joined the entire Electrolev contingent in the conference room for a debriefing. Mysteriously, James Harper showed up. There was a computer projector there as part of the equipment, and Judy plugged the camera she had been using into it and without any discussion started a slide show going. Everybody was breathless guessing what they were going to see, and they were not disappointed. Picture after picture of the other flying vehicle came on the screen. It was, as Judy had described, of the general same type as Delia, but much bigger. Where Delia’s skin was white metallic aluminum, this vehicle had a black or charcoal grey matt finish to it. It had nine square windows at the front, and a little stubby fin at the back quite similar to Delia. You could see thruster orifices around the edges. Just as Judy had commented, one could clearly make out the outlines of four rectangular anti-coil cylinders on the underside.
“I think it is clear that another foreign power has this technology, and worse still that they are already using it to spy on our progress, not to mention every other top secret project going on at Homey airfield!” said James. “I will have to report this at once back to the Pentagon in Washington. My guess is that this project will have to be amplified hugely now that we have confirmation that we are not alone in the race. The sobering part is that whoever it was seems to be using stealth technology of some kind. From this confrontation we now know roughly what their capability is, and unfortunately they have a good idea of what ours is. How did all the rest of the test go?”
“Well, we curtailed the full series of tests once we found we had company,” said Terry. “However, all the controls worked flawlessly. The hydrazine thrusters seemed much more powerful in near space than when we tried them on the ground, just as you would expect. All the avionics and controls worked to perfection.”
John stood up. “Let’s reassemble our test schedule and see what we can get done during the rest of the week.”
Chapter 44
On the flights back to Huntsville, the recurring topic of conversation was the identity of the other vehicle which Terry and Judy had photographed up in near space. John, Fred, and Anthony were seated in one row, while Judy, Tanya and Cynthia were in the row behind.
“I would not be surprised if it came from Russia,” said Anthony.
“How about North Korea?” suggested John.
“Maybe China?” proposed Fred.
“No way, they wouldn’t pull a dirty trick like that!” came Judy’s voice from the row behind.
“It might even have been extraterrestrial,” mused John.
“I have seen a lot of airframes and that one looked awfully earthlike to me,” replied Anthony.
“It was so incredible that we could not see anything on radar at KXTA,” said John.
“That’s nothing, I’ve seen it all the time with stealth vehicles, replied Anthony.
On the Monday afternoon James called a meeting for all the managers of the LeviStar project. Steve Harmann was also invited. James started out by presenting the situation as he saw it:
“I have been discussing our situation with the intelligence community over the weekend and this morning. Those pictures which Judy took have been looked at so many times that you would not believe it. People have been analyzing the visible structure of all the welds and rivets, the way the windows were assembled, plus hundreds of tiny details. From this we are now convinced that this vehicle was of Russian origin. One analyst in the CIA is even convinced that he knows which factory in Russia it came from, as given away by certain finishing techniques that only they routinely perform. It is also apparent that at this time, with the combination of near space capability and stealth technology, they essentially have free run of United States “near space.” This is much more powerful than orbital reconnaissance capability because with the camera being stationary and so much closer, we believe that they would be able to even read what numbers somebody was punching into a cell phone, from up there in the sky. What’s more, if they were not satisfied with what they were seeing there is nothing to stop them from temporarily dropping down five miles or whatever it takes to get a really good look at whatever they were interested in, then to swiftly retreat back up into near space where aircraft could not get at them. So we in the defense community see this as a major threat to the security of the USA. We have planned a number of counter measures, and most of them do not concern you directly. Since you all have top secret clearance I will mention the activities which will relate to your work.
"There is a crash program being put in place to develop high intensity radar that can home in on the tiny radar cross section associated with one of these stealth vehicles. This activity was underway anyway, but now the work is being trebled in funding.
"We are using some known double agents to send out the information that the Delias have been armed with air to air missiles, and that a whole squadron of them is being deployed to patrol US near space, with especial coverage of all security sensitive installations. We are also leaving the misinformation there for spies to find that we have perfected a new electromagnetic pulse technology that can befuddle the onboard electronics of a LeviStar and cause it to drop out of the sky. This we hope will discourage further spying missions.
"Now I know that the Delia project has been going at light speed by defense procurement standards, getting from the lab to a spa
ce going vehicle in only 18 months. However the National Security Council or NSC has had an emergency meeting over the weekend and they are totally incensed by the realization that Russian vehicles potentially carrying nuclear weapons, let alone cameras, are now moving about invisibly over the USA and furthermore we have no way to detect them, and even if we did then we have no way to neutralize them. They have asked if we can go faster, but they soon realized that we are already going dangerously fast. We think that the Russians must have cut a lot of corners to get that great big vehicle flying around up there so quickly. Tanya will vouch that the Russian aerospace industry is very strong in power electronics, and they are known to be really good in airframes, so that even if they are only half way decent in software engineering that explains how they managed to get there ahead of us, maybe by only a few weeks.
"The NSC has instructed that we double the expenditure on LeviStar technology immediately. Some other previously important activities are being displaced and we intend to place a contract for a LeviStar interceptor vehicle which I know you have already code named Frances, with a big aerospace contractor in Burbank, California. They are going to produce a squadron of these near space interceptors to have them operational over all our major centers of importance in twenty four months. My expectation is that they will be just a larger version of Delia but without the camera gear and having extra sensing equipment plus missile capability. The United States Air Force wants Electrolev to license the LeviStar technology to this new contractor at customary rates for aerospace technology. You are expected to tell them everything you know about how to make a LeviStar. The first group of engineers has already left California and is en-route here to Huntsville to start their training tomorrow.
"Now I will entertain questions!” he remarked with a faint smile.
“How long will they be here?” queried John.
“It’s not fixed yet, you can discuss it between you. But my expectation is that the first objective will be for them to get a scope of the assignment. Then you will probably set up training classes and working meetings to effect all the information exchange that is needed to take place,” replied James.
“You know, there are a lot of us homesick Californians here who would love to have a few business trips to Southern California!” said Steve. “Maybe we can set up some of the meetings in Burbank – it can be just as cost effective as having them come to Huntsville.”
“That’s a good idea!” chimed in John –“When we are planning things I will try and work in as many trips to California for the Californians as I can.”
“I hope they realize how much software engineering in these vehicles,” said Judy.
“I dropped a lot of hints about that,” replied James, “so I don’t think that you will be disappointed. If there are no more comments, let’s plan a kick off technology transfer meeting in this room at 9 a.m. tomorrow. I do want to share another thought with all of you. I know that you realize the urgency and pressure of the situation. You have got the attention of the Secretary of Defense and the President. So you can rest assured that if there is any piece of equipment that you need and all that is needed is money to move this project along, you only have to ask. The money spigots are wide open at this point!”
Chapter 45
At lunch in the Redstone Cafeteria the next week, Steve, John, Judy, Fred, Cynthia and Irena along with Harold, Anthony and Reginald just happened to gravitate to one long table. There was no rule, or even a posted suggestion. It was just that common purpose and experience somehow drove them together. Tanya and her group had a Russian speaking table just adjacent.
John was chatting with Judy, Fred and Steve, his immediate neighbors at the table: “I had a call from Drew Miller, my old boss at Lighting Enterprises today. He told me that Lighting Enterprises is in deep trouble because of the recession. It seems that nobody is buying the products any more and the company has decided to shut down the engineering department for the time being as a means of survival. So Drew is networking and looking for a chance of an opening anywhere in the country. He was wondering if we had any opening for him!”
“Can you imagine that,” said Judy. “Having old Miller working for us. I can just imagine – Oh yes, please tidy up the components cabinet this afternoon, and all labels must be positioned the right side up in the drawers!” She giggled at the thought, and John smiled pensively.
“All the same, it tells you how bad the recession has got,” continued John. “Lighting Enterprises was a darn good company and if they are in trouble then it must be really bad out there. With all this Delia stuff I had plain forgotten about the rest of the real world economy during the last six months. With this billion dollar contract that Electrolev has, our company has been doing great.”
Judy changed the subject: “Irena, it sure looks like Ann Teller your senior programmer is going to have a baby some day soon. Something tells me – like the tummy profile?”
‘Yes, that’s for sure,” replied Irena. She and her husband Tom are tickled pink about it. It’s going to be a little boy, they already know. He must have been conceived here in Huntsville, which says something for the place!”
“I feel I ought to organize a baby shower for her,” said Irena.
“I’ve never been to a baby shower!” said Judy. “I would like to host it at my place. Could you show me how it’s done? How about in my place next Sunday? That way we all go shopping for her on Saturday.”
“OK, I’ll ask her if that will work for her. Nobody else has planned anything as far as I know,” replied Irena.
“You know, if it had been a girl they could have called it Delia!” said Judy.
“Get out of here!” said John. “That’s tasteless!”
The next Sunday afternoon all the women engineers and staff gathered in Judy’s apartment for the baby shower. Irena, Cynthia and Tanya were there, and they had enticed in about eight more lady engineers and staff, all of them associated with the LeviStar project. Being isolated there in Huntsville, with this common sense of purpose, there was a strong team spirit and a feeling akin to family amongst the Electrolev staff. Ann Teller was looking radiant. All the girls came in carrying parcels that ended up in a pile in the corner. As Irena came in, she looked around, and said to Judy: “Hey, you have redecorated since I was last here! Tell me about these lovely paintings!”
“Actually they all prints,” replied Judy. “They are all by great Chinese classical masters. This one with people playing flutes on boats tied up under red flowering tree is by Tang Yin. This one of woman wearing flowing Chinese classical robes walking on a path under palm trees is another by Tang Yin. I get such a feeling of peace and serenity from contemplating these graceful images. I really need that sometimes after a rough day of designing Levistars!”
“Don’t you miss the ancient history of your culture?” asked Irena sympathetically.
“Yes, but I keep the essence of it alive in my own spirit,” said Judy. “Also there is a different kind of history around here. For example there are places around here where you can find Indian stone arrowheads. Yesterday John and I went for a walk by the Tennessee River and we found this one. It might be an Indian arrowhead but I’m not certain.”
“I have so much trouble from allergies when I go out in the woods here,” said Irena.
“Yes, that’s right,” agreed Judy. “I heard that the Indians used to call this place the land of the sore head, for that reason!”
By now all the guests had arrived, and Judy set about fixing drinks and making everyone comfortable. The baby shower went on until long in the evening.
When everyone had finally left, Judy picked up the phone and called John: “I’ve just finished with the baby shower,” she reported. “Can we make some plans to do something next weekend together?”
“Well I want to see one of these tractor pulls that they have down here in the south on Sunday afternoon and evening,” said John.
“Ugh!” responded Judy.
&n
bsp; “How about Saturday?” asked John. “Maybe I could come by and pick you up about 2 and we can go and explore around a bit, then have a meal in the Chinese buffet afterwards.”
“Sounds great to me!” replied Judy. “It’s a plan!”
Chapter 46
The following Friday morning John was walking slowly across the arsenal on his way into work. He looked around appreciating the pots of chrysanthemums and carved pumpkins with lights inside that people had outside their doors during October. As he thought about his workday to come, he reflected upon how what had previously been Delia meetings were now mostly broken up into power converter meetings, battery meetings, avionics meetings and so on. These were interspersed with the technology transfer meetings. Anthony Elter and Reginald Tellman presided over the airframe meeting, which tended to have more of a global perspective than most of the others, and so John had decided to join in this meeting today. The main topic of discussion was the climate control for Delia. The test flights at Homey had been carried out by doing little more than just seal up a crew compartment that was pretty much the same as an executive jet and provide breathing masks for the crew. This was good enough for an hour or so but had been just a temporary work around until they had time to do something with some real endurance.
As John sat down the meeting was already going.
“I think that we can copy most of the cabin control gear from the space shuttle,” Anthony was saying. “All that know-how is resident here in Huntsville, and we only have to ask for it. If we are lucky we can beg and borrow some ready made hardware.”
“You had better explain what it is all about,” said Reginald.
“There are a number of features. As the crew breathes air in the cabin, they remove oxygen and produce carbon dioxide. So we need sensors to measure these gases, and then a bottle of oxygen which can be used to automatically top up the oxygen concentration and a filter which absorbs carbon dioxide from the air as it circulates through. You need to remove water vapor from the air too, because otherwise it will condense in embarrassing places and mist up the windows, for example. There are ready designed bits of gear around to do all this, and we just have to pull strings to get our hands on them in a hurry.”
A Disruptive Invention Page 21