by Paul Reaver
“Ok, then our current teleportation equipment would work on a satellite that small, since the weight is not outrageous,” said Jose. “Abigail, can you build a device that would demonstrate the diversion of the solar winds in a device that small?”
“That should not be a problem,” said Abigail, “as long as we can come up with something that would be able to detect whether the blocking satellite was performing as designed. In other words, we need a device that detects and proves that the solar winds are diverting around an object. We don’t have any equipment that we brought with us that can do that, although I’m sure we can build something rather easily. Oh wait, a thought just came to mind. We could build two satellites specifically for this purpose. One satellite would block the solar winds from the other. If we can position the two new satellites so that one is directly above the other one in orbit, that is, between the lower satellite and the Sun, and deploy them only a few yards apart – we’ll have to calculate the actual distance - we can test our theory. If the upper satellite successfully causes the solar winds to circumvent the lower one, that protected satellite should register that the diameter of the radiation being blocked way further down at the top of the atmosphere is quite large. Ideally, we would want to make the lower satellite larger after it’s deployed, as diverting the solar winds around an object only 24 inches square is not much of a test. I would suggest that we create the lower satellite with flaps around the sides that can fold out to give it a more prominent ‘footprint.’ This would not have to be anything more than foil extensions, or the equivalent in Martian technology. If we were to add these flaps, and they could make the satellite’s overall size several yards square when deployed, it would make the test much more effective. In fact, the size of the lower satellite needs to be large enough so that the outer edges of the flaps still receive solar wind radiation. That way, we can extrapolate from there how large the ‘footprint’ of protection will be on the atmosphere. Up to a point, the larger it is, the better we can determine the blocking satellite’s capability.
“There are a couple of other aspects to this. The first one is that the solar wind-blocking footprint of the satellite will be dependent on how high it is above the Martian atmosphere. We don’t want any solar radiation to affect any of the atmosphere. Mars’ atmosphere extends out to about 6.7 miles above the planet. This is about 2.4 miles higher than Earth’s, and this is due to Mars’ gravity being less than Earth’s; it doesn’t pull the atmosphere in as close to the planet’s surface. Since we want the satellites to remain in a fixed spot above the planet, they will need to have semi-stationary medium Mars orbits. At that height, we should be able to create a rather large umbrella with each satellite, minimizing the number required. We’ll have to do the calculations and see what we get once we have tested the satellites.
“The second aspect is being able to keep stable semi-stationary orbits. The rather oddly shaped surface of Mars with gravity highs and lows will affect the gravitational pull on the satellites as they orbit. Because this can cause unstable orbits, depending on where we deploy the satellites, we will have to use thrusters to keep them at their optimal positions when necessary. This is because they will drift, seeking a stable orbit. Theoretically, this will require fuel, which the satellites can only carry in limited quantities.”
Ranella said, “Using two satellites to test the protection coverage sounds like a great idea. And being familiar with the satellites, I can tell you that we do have devices that can detect whether the satellite would be working or not. We can fit the sensors so that they would detect if any part of the satellite body or its foil extensions were being affected by solar wind radiation. That would give us proof of concept that the protected satellite is genuinely protected.
“However, you do not need to worry about the orbits. Martians have been working with satellites for a long time, and we have solved the stable orbit issues. We require semi-stationary orbits for many applications.”
“This is excellent,” said John. “Now it looks like we have a complete project proposal to perform the initial testing that we need. Would the 5 of you please look at the satellite situation to determine how long it would take to build or modify what we need?
All five gave their assent with enthusiasm.
Jenore said, “We have designed laboratory facilities that support the type of research that will be needed to pursue this project. We can make them available immediately. We will provide any tools or devices that we have that will help, and we should have such devices ready, or devices that we can modify to be suitable. Please let us know when you are ready to begin and if you need any assistance to get started.”
“Perhaps we could review the facilities this afternoon and get started tomorrow. I see no reason to wait,” said Abigail. The other members of the ad hoc team agreed.
“I will be happy to show you around this afternoon,” said Jenore.
“That is great, Jenore,” John said, “Let’s do that after we wind up our meeting here. Mark, Roberta, and Lyron, you will have at least a couple of atmospheric challenges on your plate. Instances of methane have been found to exist in fairly high concentrations in various places as part of the Martian atmosphere. However, it’s unknown why this happens and where the methane comes from. These concentrated areas also seem to come and go, and the reason for this is also unknown because, overall, there are only traces of methane in the atmosphere. Mark, since you are our resident expert on atmospheric gasses, I suggest you take the lead on this. If we could locate these high concentrations of methane, it could be gathered and added to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as another greenhouse gas to help the warming of Mars. As with the carbon dioxide, the methane would be held in place using Joanne’s gravity technology. The quantity of methane is significant orders of magnitude less than the available quantity of CO2, but methane holds approximately 30 times as much heat as does CO2. So it will be beneficial for our terraforming goal. Also, I don’t know if you have tried to pursue obtaining gasses from solid material, but this would be a good time to investigate getting nitrogen from the nitrate deposits on the planet’s surface. The theory is that both oxygen and nitrogen are available from the Martian crust, along with the lesser atmospheric gasses needed.”
Mark said, “I haven’t tried to pull gasses from rocks or other solid material, because on Earth there are plenty of gasses of all kinds in the atmosphere with which to work for what we do. And my equipment is only designed to pull gasses from the atmosphere. However, I think I saw something in the Mars scientific documentation that might address the extraction of the gasses we need from the ground, meaning Mars’ crust. I will follow up with that.”
“Thank you,” said John. “And for our third group, Max, Oranda, and Gorev, there are a couple of things that we need to look at concerning nanotechnology. I think primarily we need to confirm that we can program nanobots to build our first dome. It will need to be quite large to provide proof that it will work as required, but initially we need to see if it is possible to build the dome using nanotechnology. A second task would be to take a look at using nanotechnology to build a solar wind shield and put it into orbit. As we mentioned before, it would be most likely that we would construct it in orbit. This would be an alternative approach to using satellites. At this time, it would primarily be an item of interest since team one is going to be working on the satellite approach to divert the solar winds. Still, it would be great to have a plan in place on how to implement this secondary technology since we need one of the two technologies as a ‘must-have’ for the terraforming project to work. If we do have to fall back to using the shield, it will help us to move forward much more quickly at that point if we already have a plan in place for implementation.”
“Also,” John continued, “Jenore, Kirlin, and I have discussed another major piece of the puzzle regarding the temperature inside the domes. As I had brought up earlier in our meeting on the ship, if we darken the surface of Mars, this would be a
nother way to attract and hold heat from the Sun. I know it seems obvious, but I was just thinking out loud. The implementation I mentioned would be to grow diverse and abundant plant life, and especially dark-colored plants, over much of the surface inside the domes. As such, covering the planet’s surface with these plants would be part of the overall goal of the terraforming process. Initially, however, the plants, especially the dark plants, will be grown in the first dome so we can document the results. I think trees will also be a viable part of the solution, although there are certainly plants that are darker, and any dark material on the surface will help to hold heat. But the other obvious plus that I had mentioned with this idea is that the plants would also provide oxygen from photosynthesis. If we have a lot of plants, we will also get a lot of oxygen, and from that, we are helping to rebuild the atmosphere. Of course, the plants will use CO2, but I think the proportions of gasses in the atmosphere will even out given time and our assistance. We’ll get an excellent glimpse of what the atmosphere will look like from the first dome. At that point, when we start to see how it’s working out, we’ll look at ways to address shortfalls or overages in the various atmospheric components when we begin expanding the dome production. As we discussed before, although it will take hundreds of years to accomplish, ultimately the entire planet will be covered with domes, all as atmospherically correct as possible. At that point, we will remove the domes, and we’ll use the gravity force to hold the various atmospheric gasses in place. But this is more or less theoretical. As we build more and more domes, the feasibility of our theory will become clear.”
Gorev said, “Both Oranda and I were peripherally involved in a project to speed up plant growth significantly. To some degree, we considered it to be a medical project, or at least it was considered to have medical implications. I will find the documentation on that project and present it to the group at our next meeting.”
“Wow, we are making excellent progress,” said John. “Kirlin and Jenore, as I touched on before, I don’t want it to appear as though I am concentrating on what my people can provide and insinuating that they would be team leads. I am simply looking at what I know my team members are capable of, and adding how I see your people can blend and add their parts to the whole. As far as I am concerned, there is no ‘you’ and ‘us’ here. There is only ‘us’; all of us together.”
Jenore said, “We do not think that at all, John. We will work with our people to see what help they can provide. What we will do is assign them to pursue items of research in our scientific databases and see what processes might enable, help, or accelerate our goals. As it happens, we are very glad to see how well you and your team interact with us as a whole. It makes us very optimistic about our chances of success. If you are all ready, I’d like to take you through a tour of our laboratories.”
Everyone expressed their excitement and interest, and Jenore said, “Please follow me.”
Everyone followed Jenore down a typically featureless corridor, the illumination of which, like most of the hallways, seemed to come from nowhere and yet it was everywhere.
They reached an alcove. Jenore stood in front of what should have been a doorway, yet this area was also featureless. After a couple of moments, the area in front of him shimmered and revealed a door.
“As you have probably surmised, we have our entrances keyed to our telepathic abilities,” said Jenore. “We will arrange it so that you all have access as well. Bear in mind that, due to the haste with which we built this facility, the areas of our study and research in our laboratories are not as distinct as you might expect. However, we did find an advantage to this: we can easily collaborate between our scientific disciplines by merely walking a few yards.”
The tour took several hours. Jenore explained each area at a high level to give John and his people an overview without taking the much longer time required to go through all the details. This worked for the most part, although some of John’s people had specific questions that Jenore addressed as they went along.
When they completed the walkthrough, the Earth visitors were in awe of the Martian technology. It turned out that since they were so used to their particular areas of science, they had inadvertently downplayed how sophisticated and advanced the Martians might be. John realized this and was now quite optimistic about the overall success of what they had planned. When they combined the Martian technology with that of Earth, it became an excellent fit. The people from Earth had worked on scientific areas that were different than the areas where the Martians had concentrated their efforts; however, their efforts dovetailed amazingly well with what the Martians had don. The overall effect of the sum of technology between the two groups was to compound it significantly in a very positive way. This was the reason for John’s optimism, and it was well-founded.
Jenore asked, “Are there any further questions now that we have completed the tour?”
There was a moment of silence, and John said, “Jenore, I think we have a lot to absorb here, and there will certainly be more questions later. However, I must say that I am extremely confident in our ability to accomplish our goals now that I see just how well our technologies fit together with yours.”
“I agree wholeheartedly,” said Jenore. “Why don’t we let each of the groups get together to do some brainstorming, and reconvene this afternoon?”
“Sounds like a great idea,” said John. “One other thing I think it is important to address is the difference in gravity between Mars and Earth and how it affects humans. Though I think all of us from Earth have more or less acclimated to Mars’ lighter gravity, it’s not healthy for us to continue this way. Our bones will weaken, and our muscles will begin to atrophy. I think it would behoove us to make the gravity in our domiciles adjustable so that we can make it equivalent to Earth’s gravity. Beyond that, I would love to see us create a mobile device that could be worn on a belt or otherwise easily attached to our clothing that would allow the person wearing it to adjust how gravity affects them. It would mean that no matter where one of the humans was, they could adjust their gravity setting to that of Earth’s. Kirlin and Jenore, if it is all right with you, I would like the group that Joanne is in to address creating these two gravity accessories. Perhaps they could also access the scientific archives that you mentioned, if need be, for any additional information needed to complete this project. Bear in mind, if there are any of the humans who prefer Mars’ gravity, that is certainly fine, and it will be an option for anyone who chooses it. However, we know that lesser gravity will require regular weight-bearing exercise to maintain bone and muscle mass.”
Kirlin said, “That is just fine. Creating an adjustable gravity in the domiciles would mean that the individuals residing in each would not have to wear the gravity device while there. That would be great, especially for sleeping, though some might find the lower gravity more comfortable. Yet they could wear it no matter where else they go.”
All the humans at the table indicated their agreement.
Joanne said, “John, we already have the portable device available. The gravity device you used in place of rappelling equipment to lower yourself to reach the cave entrance when we first found the Martian base does exactly what you want. You would simply set the gravity force on it to match Earth’s gravity, and as long as you wear it, you will feel as though the gravity wherever you are is the same as on Earth. One of its advantages is that the field created encompasses your entire body area, no matter what movements you make. And it does not affect anything around you, with a caveat. Anything you pick up will feel as though it weighs the same as it does on Earth. I also think that what you said about the gravity in the human living quarters is true: it would be better to have an adjustable gravity field in our entire domicile areas so we can adjust it to match Earth’s gravity. Then we don’t have to be always mindful about carrying a device to do what we want. It won’t be necessary when we are ‘home’ in our living quarters.”
She laughed and said, “I
will also modify the portable gravity devices so that they sense that we are entering our domiciles and turn themselves off so that, as we go in, we don’t weigh twice as much!”
Kirlin said, “Excellent, Joanne. Everyone, let’s break up into our appropriate groups for discussion on our current status with everything, and then get back together here at 4:00 this afternoon and let’s see what kind of ideas the team members have come up with. We are taking the first steps on an essential path for the planet and her people.”
Everyone except Kirlin, Jenore, and John began to leave the room to meet in their small groups in various conference rooms per Kirlin’s suggestion.
After everyone had left, John said, “I have a very good feeling about this. Your people are extremely knowledgeable and gifted in their various areas of scientific expertise. My people are also intelligent as well as hard-working and have phenomenal abilities to come up with great ideas when it seems like we need them the most. What do the two of you think?”
Jenore said, “I couldn’t agree more, John. Just as our people are gifted, they are gifts to us and the planet and people of Mars to bring this project to fruition. I also suspect that each of the three of us will come up with ideas that will propel things on their way; perhaps we will help to move our project past some of the bumps in the road that we might encounter; after all, we are experienced scientists as well.”
They continued to discuss various topics, and before they knew it, it was four o’clock, and their people were coming back from the conference rooms.
Jenore said, “Okay, which group wants to go first?”
Abigail spoke up first. “We are very confident in our ability to construct satellites to block the solar winds, and we don’t think it will be a lengthy process. The biggest thing is to assemble enough satellites to protect the entire planet as it revolves and rotates. Each satellite will be an extension of projects that I have done in the past; when I say they will be an extension, I mean that what we are doing here will be on a much larger scale. Fortunately, with the experience I have gathered so far, I know how to make each satellite more effective to the point where we can get by with approximately a dozen of them to do what we need to protect the entire planet. This represents a giant leap ahead compared to any project I have been involved with thus far. It became obvious while working with Ranella and Telov that they have exceptional skills and experience with their advanced technologies. This will propel the project to completion in a fraction of the time I would have estimated if I were doing it myself. They also added an essential feature for the satellites: they will be equipped by a Martian force-field to protect them from solar winds, meteorites, and so forth. The field strength is variable, and although the protection level will be automatic, we can dial it up remotely to be quite powerful if needed. Another big plus is that Jose is still very confident that we can teleport the satellites into orbit with the technology that we have by the time we are ready to do so. He is also very confident that he will have developed the teleportation technology to a much higher level by that time should it be necessary. And any advancement like that is always a good thing.”
