The Titan Probe
Page 26
The Next Visit
Currently, there are no firm plans for another visit to Titan. In the early 2000’s there were plans for TSSM, the Titan Saturn System Mission, a joint project of NASA and ESA. As part of this mission a hot-air balloon would have drifted through the dense atmosphere for six months. However, TSSM was canceled in favor of a Jupiter mission, which finally became ESA’s JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE). Its goal is the exploration of the Jupiter moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa.
Another project, cut in 2013 due to budget constraints, was Titan Mare Explorer (TiME), which wanted to use a lander to examine the composition of the lakes on Titan. The program Journey to Enceladus and Titan (JET), suggested in 2011, consisted of a probe for exploring both moons. It was ultimately rejected during the 2016 NASA selection process. The most advanced plan today is using a submarine to explore the seas of Titan. In 2015, a more specific development of this project received financing in the amount of $500,000. Of course, this does not indicate that it will actually be turned into reality.
Therefore, the next view of Titan might be relegated to ELF, the Enceladus Life Finder, which could launch in 2021. Unfortunately, even this project is currently at risk. Considering the potential Titan has for harboring at least predecessors of life, as scientists agree, humans (or at least those humans deciding on space missions) seem to assign surprisingly little importance to visiting it.
Thanks for visiting Titan with me! I hope you had a pleasurable ride. If you'd like to see all these places in their colorful glory, you can get the PDF version of the Guided Tour of Titan for free by leaving me your e-mail address at: hard-sf.com/subscribe
Glossary of Acronyms
AI – Artificial Intelligence
API –Application Program Interface; Acoustic Properties Instrument
ASCAN – AStronaut CANdidate
AU – Astronomical Unit (the distance from the Earth to the sun)
BIOS – Basic Input/Output System
C&DH – Command & Data Handling
CapCom – Capsule Communicator
Cas – CRISPR-associated system
CELSS – Closed Ecological Life Support System
CIA – (U.S.) Central Intelligence Agency
COAS – Crewman Optical Alignment Site
Comms – Communiques
CRISPR – Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
DEC PDP-11 – Digital Equipment Corporation Programmable Data Processor-11
DFD – Direct Fusion Drive
DISR – Descent Imager / Spectral Radiometer
DNA – DeoxriboNeucleic Acid
DoD – (U.S.) Department of Defense
DPS – Data Processing Systems specialist (known as Dipsy)
DSN – Deep Space Network
ECDA – Enhanced Cosmic Dust Analyzer
EECOM – Electrical, Environmental, COnsumables, and Mechanical
EGIL – Electrical, General Instrumentation, and Lighting
EJSM – Europa Jupiter System Mission
ELF – Enceladus Life Finder
EMU – Extravehicular Mobility Unit
ESA – European Space Agency
EVA – ExtraVehicular Activity
F1 – Function 1 (Help function on computer keyboards)
FAST – (Chinese) Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope
FAO – Flight Activities Office
FCR – Flight Control Room
FD – Flight Director
FIDO – FlIght Dynamics Officer
Fortran – FORmula TRANslation
g – g-force (gravitational force)
GBI – Green Bank Interferometer
GNC – Guidance, Navigation, and Control system
HAI – High-Altitude Indoctrination device
HASI – Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument
HP – HorsePower
HUT – Hard Upper Torso
IAU – International Astronomical Union
ILSE – International Life Search Expedition
INCO – INstrumentation and Communication Officer
IR – InfraRed
ISS-NG – International Space Station-Next Generation
IT – Information Technology
IVO – Io Volcano Explorer
JAXA – Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency
JET – Journey to Enceladus and Titan
JPL – Jet Propulsion Laboratory
JSC – Johnson Space Center
JUICE – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer
LCD – Liquid Crystal Display
LCVG – Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment
LEA – Launch, Entry, Abort spacesuit
LIFE – Life Investigation For Enceladus
LTA – Lower Torso Assembly
MAG – Maximum Absorbency Garment
MCC – Mission Control Center
MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MOM – Mission Operations Manager
MPa – MegaPascal
MPD – MagnetoPlasmadynamic Drive
MSDD – Multi-station Spatial Disorientation Device
NSA – National Security Agency
NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NEA – Near Earth Asteroids
PAO – Public Affairs Office
PC – Personal Computer
PE-UHMW – PolyEthylene-Ultra High Molecular Weight
PER – fluid PERmittivity sensor
PI – Principal Investigator
Prop – Propulsion
PSS – Princeton Satellite Systems
RCS – Reaction Control System
REF – REFractive index sensor
RNA – RiboNeucleic Acid
RTG – Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator
SAFER – Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue
SIRI – Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface
SFTP – SSH (Secure Socket sHell) File Transfer Protocol
SSP – Surface Science Package
SSR – Solid-State Recorder
TandEM – Titan and Enceladus Mission
TiME – TItan Mare Explorer
TNO – Trans-Neptunian Object
TSSM – Titan Saturn System Mission
UTC –Universal Time Coordinated
Valkyrie – Very deep Autonomous Laser-powered Kilowatt-class Yo-yoing Robotic Ice Explorer
VASIMR – VAriable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket
VR – Virtual Reality
WHC – Waste Hygiene Compartment
Metric to English Conversions
It is assumed that by the time the events of this novel take place, the United States will have joined the rest of the world and will be using the International System of Units, the modern form of the metric system.
Length:
centimeter = 0.39 inches
meter = 1.09 yards, or 3.28 feet
kilometer = 1093.61 yards, or 0.62 miles
Area:
square centimeter = 0.16 square inches
square meter = 1.20 square yards
square kilometer = 0.39 square miles
Weight:
gram = 0.04 ounces
kilogram = 35.27 ounces, or 2.20 pounds
Volume:
liter = 1.06 quarts, or 0.26 gallons
cubic meter = 35.31 cubic feet, or 1.31 cubic yards
Temperature:
To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply by 1.8 and then add 32
Excerpt: The Io Encounter
February 5, 2047, Shanghai
Bailong Li no longer remembered the time when he first met his wife, but she later told him she had only gone with him because he’d spontaneously offered to warm her cold hands. Even now, although it was almost dark in the room, and he could no longer see very well without glasses, Bailong could clearly recognize his wife’s right hand. To him, the hand seemed to glow in the dim light. It looked delicate, but he knew it could grasp firmly and accurately becaus
e his wife had worked as a seamstress for 40 years.
When the left lens of his glasses had once again fallen out of its frame, and he had once again struggled to pick the thin object off the floor, his wife’s slender fingers only needed a few seconds to retrieve the lens and repair his glasses. Then she would scold him, once again, and tell him he should go to an optician and get a new pair of glasses, since they could easily afford it. Of course he could see in her eyes that she knew quite well how much he loved his old pair of glasses.
He placed his hand on top of hers and was shocked for a moment at how cold her skin felt. It was an instant reminder that his wife had felt cold during her whole life. Even now she didn’t feel warm, although they lived in a modern apartment in which they could turn up the heat to 30 degrees or more, as money was no issue these days. He closed his hand around hers and looked at her face in profile. The skin of her face also seemed to glow in the twilight, and to Bailong no one had such translucent skin as his wife, Chen Lu. Morning Dew. That was the name her parents had given her, and the name still fit perfectly. He saw her wrinkles—the old ones from sorrow, and the new ones that age had added—and his gaze followed the shape of her nose and chin, both pointing forward as if the personality of their owner pulled them there.
Bailong Li bent a bit forward. His back hurt, as the wooden bench they both sat on was not at all comfortable. It was the only thing left from their former life in the village before their stubborn daughter, against their advice, joined the army to pursue her career. Bailong followed Chen Lu’s gaze staring out into infinity. His wife had never been much of a talker. She had always been quiet, even when giving birth to their daughter, but he did not mind. He felt good just being next to her. Chen Lu liked to sit at the window and let her gaze wander. Sometimes it seemed as if she left her body behind. That was why he liked to sit here beside her—to safeguard the shell that remained. This way he still felt needed, even though others now took care of the elderly couple who had raised the currently-most-famous daughter of China.
A sea of skyscrapers loomed in front of them. Initially, Chen Lu had refused to move to this monstrous city. But when they were given a tour of the apartment, she just stood in front of the huge picture window and could hardly be talked into leaving. After they moved in, she placed the wooden bench right by the window, and now they almost always sat there after sunset.
Bailong turned his head around, as much as he still could manage. Behind him he saw that night had fallen over the city, even though he looked at a solid wall. When the couple first viewed the apartment, the government real estate agent proudly showed them the giant wall-mounted monitor that used camera feeds to create the illusion of a second picture window there. If the tenant so desired, the air conditioning could blow a fresh breeze through the room, creating the illusion of sitting on the roof of a high-rise building. According to the real estate agent’s whispers, this exclusive feature had been the idea of the previous owner, a multi-millionaire who had later fallen out of favor with the Party.
Chen Lu never used the monitor. She claimed the view from it always fell short, somehow, of depicting the real world around her. Bailong Li didn’t mind if his wife refused to use it. As he turned back to look through the huge picture window, he perceived the scene before him as divided into two halves. Below was the chaotically-blinking sphere of humans. One couldn’t tell from up here that the bright spots, seeming to march like an army of ants, belonged to driverless cars, or buses, or trucks moving through the darkness toward unknown destinations. High-rises, most of them shorter than their own building, stretched like fingers toward the sky without ever reaching it.
The sky was the upper sphere for him. Since China was putting a lot of effort into fighting smog, it appeared in purest black. Bailong remembered visiting Shanghai 30 years ago, when during one golden week they had marveled at the city and admired the red glow of sunset, but they had missed being able to see the night sky. Now the sunsets were much less spectacular, but their eyes could once again gaze into infinite space, hoping to see their daughter Jiaying who currently was on her return flight to Earth in a ‘tin can.’ Would she ever come home? Bailong sighed, as he could not imagine China’s new heroine ever moving into the room they kept free for her in the new apartment. It almost seemed as if Jiaying had never really belonged to them. She had always known what she wanted, and followed her own plans without telling anyone about them. After her return she would belong to the Party, whether she wanted to or not.
The doorbell rang, but Bailong didn’t react since they were not expecting any visitors. Then his bracelet, which his doctor made him wear due to his weakening heart, and which was also linked to the apartment control software, suddenly vibrated. He raised his arm. On the bracelet display, the door symbol was blinking red. Somebody definitely meant business, as this color signaled the activation of the priority opening function, which was required by law to give 24/7 access to emergency services or the police. If he did not react now, the door would open by itself in 180 seconds.
Bailong was annoyed. It must be that damned janitor again! Two weeks ago the man had suddenly appeared in their kitchen, presumably out of concern for their health, because they failed to react to him ringing the doorbell. The janitor was a poorly-paid, smelly man, and the unfriendly guy probably just wanted to demonstrate his power to these upstarts from the provinces. He was also most likely one of the many government spies, as they had been under constant supervision since their daughter became a national hero.
Bailong caressed Chen Lu’s hand. His wife nodded in response, which meant ‘you go, I am staying here.’ He seemed to feel her thoughts in his own head, and they were warm. He got up and walked slowly toward the apartment door. Halfway there the bracelet vibrated again. He only had sixty seconds left to answer the door.
“I am coming,” he called out, and was shocked how thin his own voice sounded. There was no answer from outside. The door lock displayed the countdown, and it had reached 20 by the time he pushed down the handle. Bailong jumped when the door was abruptly pushed open. Luckily, he was no longer standing directly behind it. Now his bracelet warned him his blood pressure had gone up beyond the desired level.
“Mr. Li?” Two men in blue suits were standing in the hallway. They could be father and son. Each had a Party badge pinned to his lapel. They looked at him without showing any emotion.
Bailong nodded. “Yes, that is correct.”
“We are from the Office for Senior Citizen Welfare. We wanted to make sure you are being well taken care of. May we come in?”
He had never heard of such a government agency. He knew the intelligence services sometimes hid behind obscure organizations. It did not matter. There was no choice but to invite these men into his apartment with a polite gesture.
Both of them bowed, then the younger one pulled out a device that somewhat resembled a clunky pistol and aimed it at Bailong’s face.
“Just a technicality,” he said calmly when Bailong flinched. “I am going to confirm your identity via an iris scan.”
Bailong stood still, even though he wanted to run away. But where would he go? And how could an old man escape two strong, well-trained agents?
“Thank you,” the younger man said.
The older man reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of plastic shoe covers. “You have to excuse us, as we are in a bit of a hurry.”
Instead of following proper etiquette by taking off their shoes before entering the apartment, the two men deftly slipped on their shoe covers, which were as blue as their suits.
“May I?” Bailong was still blocking the doorway, so the older man pushed him aside. Now both visitors came all the way in and the younger one closed the door. At the same moment, they dropped any pretense of politeness.
“We must talk to you and your wife, right away.” It was obvious the older man was the boss here. “Mrs. Li?”
The men did not even wait for Chen Lu’s answer, they both march
ed straight toward the living room. The older one dragged Bailong with him, while the younger one typed something into the display of his bracelet.
Chen Lu stood with her back toward the window, leaning against the glass. Bailong was frightened, since he had never completely trusted the windowpane and always kept a step away from it. He tried to join his wife, but the older man held his wrist in a firm grip.
“Mr. and Mrs. Li, we have to ask you to come with us. It is a government issue of the highest importance.”
Bailong gazed at his wife, but she showed no sign of emotion and seemed to look right through these unwelcomed guests.
“Do you understand us?” The stranger was getting louder. Bailong nodded.
“Fine. You do not have to bring anything along. Everything will be taken care of.”
Bailong gathered all the strength old age permitted him, managed to tear himself free, and walked the four steps toward his wife.
“Do not be afraid,” he said to her, though he sensed he was mostly trying to reassure himself. He took hold of her hand.
“We should go now. There is a car waiting in the street,” one of the men said.
“Yes, Mister...” The man did not respond.
As a farewell gesture, Bailong turned around one last time and gazed at the sky. Somewhere out there, at an almost infinite distance, his daughter was traveling through hostile space. He was proud of her, no matter what was going to happen to Chen Lu and himself.
February 10, 2047, ILSE
He only needed to place a thumb over the sun to extinguish it. At the left and right edges, though, he could see thin strips that had not been there yesterday. Day by day the sun appeared to grow larger, attracting him like a far-away magnet. Its light even seemed to warm his skin more than before, although that was nonsense. He was not even observing the central star of the solar system through a glass window, but rather on a monitor attached to the wall of his tiny cabin, right next to his berth.