The Accidental Explorer

by George Deeb

  It had taken years of work, planning, and recruiting the necessary people – longer than they had hoped. Years of developing or adapting the needed technology. Technology that ranged from secure communications to rocket science – and the recent advances in technology had been amazing. Years of managing a project that more than once seemed impossible - and unmanageable. Now the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel could be seen. But even at that, the end of the tunnel was still years away. 'But finally – FINALLY!' he thought, 'It all now seems real and tangible.'

  They were now in the staging phase of the operation – the last phase before mission launch. Only Ramsdel and Farber-Chatwell knew what the goal of all this work was. Some people in 361, those that dealt with multiple parts of the project, had a vague idea of where all of this work was headed – but they still didn't know enough to realize what the conclusion would be. It had gone slowly, but they now had enough of the puzzle pieces located where they needed them. As Ramsdel thought about some of those pieces, he realized how much the technology they had developed had affected the lives of the civilian population of not just this country, but of the world. Everything was getting smaller, faster, and more powerful. The cargo container, in the report he just read, had navigation capabilities that were not thought possible during its original conception. Now an unmanned, auto-guided 'space ship' in effect, because that is really what the container is, was making its way through space and sending back status reports as it traveled. It could detect changes to its desired course, and automatically compensate. It could sense partial failure of its propulsion system and compensate for that also. More than just a container pushed into space, this was a computerized vehicle designed for a specific mission.

  They had borrowed a lot of technology from the space program, but unknown to the official bureaucracy was the fact that it was Operation 361 personnel (working as employees of NASA and various private companies) who had developed a lot of it. It was a win – win situation. By giving the technology to the space program, they allowed NASA and its associated contractors to use their budgets to pay for refining and testing it. Then 361 used the matured technology for their own applications.

  Ramsdel took another sip of coffee as he thought about the successes and failures of the past several years. One of the most successful concepts they had pursued was to recruit people employed by companies that had the potential to develop technologies that 361 might need – not an easy task when you consider they were winging it most of the time, and didn't always know what they might need. Some of those companies went out of business, and the financial investment was lost. But even with those, any technological developments were theirs to use or bring over to other companies that were more successful. It elevated the status of their people when one of them suggested these partially developed ideas to their new employers, and showed a strong background in the idea. They would soon be placed in a position where they would either have control over the project, or have all the technical data available to them as the project developed. And if it was available to them, it was also available to 361. It all seemed risky at first, but time had proved the concept to be a very good one.

  361 associates had their names on thousands of patents as either the sole inventor or in collaboration with others. This usually translated to bigger financial success for their commercial employers. This made the employers very happy, and they showed their gratitude in ways which translated to increased financial, industrial, and social status for the associates. This made everyone very happy all around, and kept these people more than willing to continue their association with 361. This of course meant that 361 always had the latest and greatest – and sometimes experimental – tech available to them.

  Ramsdel scanned the report into the project database system, confirmed the integrity of the scan, and clicked on the key marked 'SECURE' on his keyboard. The scanned data was encrypted and sent to off-site storage. He then took the printout to the shredder, which cut it into little pieces, burned them, and broke up the ashes into a powder. It was a little past six in the evening and he was tired. He grabbed his coat and briefcase, and said goodnight to the people he passed as he left the office. Along with the fatigue, he felt a feeling of satisfaction. He would sleep well tonight.

  Chapter 4

  Milestones

  1

  From: OP361EBC

  To: OP361MBC

  MISSION STATUS UPDATE

  01JAN2005

  HAPPY NEW YEAR - GOOD NEWS

  BRIEF FOLLOWS -

  JANUARY 2005 – DETAILS OF THIS BRIEF TO BE COVERED AT NEXT FTF. TWO ITEMS.

  1 – AS OF THIS DATE 361 IS NOW FINANCIALLY INDEPENTENT. FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS NOW GENERATE MORE WORKING CAPITAL THAN AGENCY AND MILITARY FUNDING COMBINED. ALTHOUGH 361 WILL CONTINUE TO DISSEMBLE IT CAN NO LONGER BE TERMINATED. OUR OWNERSHIP OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, AND INTEGRATION OF ASSOCIATES IN ESTABLISHED EXTERNAL ORGANIZATIONS GIVES US THE ABILITY TO DISCRETELY ACCOMPLISH OUR GOALS. 361 CONTINUES TO GROW AT AN ACCELERATING RATE. WE ARE FULLY AUTONOMOUS AND CAN NOW GIVE OUR OPERATIVES THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND RENUMERATION THEY DESERVE. CONGRATULATIONS – YOU ARE GETTING ONE HELL OF A RAISE AND YOU HAVE EARNED IT. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO MINE.

  - LONG TERM ASSOCIATES WILL GET AN IMMEDIATE TEN PERCENT PAY INCREASE UPON YOUR APPROVAL WITH ANOTHER TEN PERCENT INCREASE AT CHRISTMAS TIME. FULL MEDICAL COVERAGE BENEFITS WITH ZERO DEDUCTIBLE.

  - IT IS MY INTENT WITHIN TEN YEARS TO HAVE 361 SUPPLY FULL SALARY DEATH BENEFITS FOR SURVIVING SPOUSE FOR REMAINDER OF THEIR LIFE. PACKAGE TO INCLUDE FULLY PAID COLLEGE TUITION FOR CHILDREN. WE CAN NOW DO GOOD THINGS FOR OUR PEOPLE.

  2 – I HAVE REVIEWED YOUR REPORT OF FIRST TEST FLIGHT OF DELTA 4 ROCKET IN HEAVY CONFIGURATION LAUNCHED ON DECEMBER 21 OF LAST YEAR. ROCKET IS INTEGRAL TO OUR MISSION PLANS. PURPOSE WAS TO TEST CONFIGURATION AND DETECT FLAWS. PREMATURE CUTOFF OF COMMON BOOSTER CORES BY SEVERAL SECONDS PLACED THE DEMONSTRATION SATELLITE IN INCORRECT ORBIT. CONSIDERED A PARTIAL FAILURE BY DOD. PROBLEM WAS DETERMINED AND CORRECTED BY BOEING LAUNCH SERVICES. OUR EMBEDDED ASSOCIATES REPORT THAT THEY ARE AN IMPRESSIVELY SHARP GROUP. CONCLUDE THIS DOES NOT DELAY OUR MISSION.

  IN RELATION TO THE ABOVE - 361 INFLUENCE WITH THE AIR FORCE RESULTED IN a 16 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRIBUTION TO THE X-37 DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. THIS RELATIVELY SMALL INFUSION OF FUNDS HELPED THE PROGRAM REACH OPERATIONAL TESTING STATUS and gave air force access to program data. THE PROGRAM HAS NOW REACHED AN ADVANCED STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT AND per your desire 361 operatives Were ABLE TO GET THE X-37 PROGRAM TRANSFERRED FROM NASA TO THE DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA) ON 13SEPT2004. AFTER THE TRANSFER OF THE PROGRAM IT BECAME CLASSIFIED. This transfer gave 361 greater control over DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM. ALTHOUGH ORIGINALLY intended TO BE CARRIED IN THE SPACE SHUTTLE CARGO BAY WE HAVE INFLUENCED A DESIGN CHANGE TO HAVE IT LAUNCHED ON A DELTA IV OR SIMILAR ROCKET SO THAT 361 MISSION REQUIREMENTS COULD BE MET.

  LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR FTF NEXT MONTH. WE HAVE MUCH TO TALK ABOUT. PLAN ON LONG DAYS.

  Mission report Ends -

  2

  Container number MBM0793 was close enough to be affected by the moon's gravity, and its closure rate increased due to its influence. This triggered a sub-routine in the embedded computer's program which opened the valves on the pressurized nitrogen cylinders. The nitrogen inflated the flexible blisters that covered each side of the container, changing its overall shape from cubical to bumpy spherical. The inflated blisters were designed to absorb the landing impact forces when the container made contact with the moon's surface. its trajectory was designed to skim the surface, bounce on contact, and roll to a stop. This landing method would reduce contact forces compared to what would be sustained by a vertical landing profile.

  MBM0793 cleared the the raised rim of the crater by ten feet. Its first contact was with a rocky outcropping that stuck upward like a can opener, which penetrated one of the inflated blisters and tore into the side of the container, damaging the equi
pment inside. Considering the surrounding terrain, it was approximately a one in ten thousand chance occurrence. The integrity of the container was destroyed, and the contents strewn over the surface of the crater. But the on-board computer had limited capabilities and could not detect that the container had been damaged. It could only determine that it had made contact and had stopped moving. With those two criteria having been met, the 'Package Arrived' message began its transmission sequence, which was programmed for the time periods the signal was most likely to be received on earth.

  Operation 361 received the transmission, and knew the crate was on the moon and waiting. To the best of their knowledge it had been a successful delivery.

  3

  September 26, 2006

  Farber-Chatwell was just one of many military observers looking up at the sky at Edwards Air force Base in California. It was a clear and sunny day. They had watched the composite structure White Knight aircraft carry the X-37 test vehicle aloft. Without binoculars it was barely visible. Everyone listened to the conversation between the ship and the flight controllers being piped to the outdoor speakers. The countdown had started, and everyone strained to try to see the moment the X-37 disconnected from the aircraft.

  “...three...two...one...” came the voice from the White Knight. “We have separation!”

  It took several seconds before the test vehicle and the White Knight could be seen as individual objects in the sky. Approximately three minutes and twenty-four seconds after separation, the X-37 touched down on the runway and maintained the centerline as it slowed to a stop. The landing was completely automated.

  It was the second successful landing, and it was what Farber-Chatwell was waiting for. This was the confirmation he needed to give a green light to 361's ultimate goal. Due to 361's influence during the development of the robot ship the craft was human-rated. A ship that could fly itself and carry a crew was the last piece of a puzzle that 361 had been assembling for over twenty-four years. It was time to begin the execution stage of the plan – the most dangerous stage.

  Chapter 5

  Mission Launch

  1

  February 2007

  Overberg

  Robert Farber-Chatwell looked at the wall of monitors inside the launch control room of the Overberg Toetsbaan, as it is called in the Afrikaans language on the coast of South Africa. It was more commonly referred to as the Overberg Test Range or OTB. He looked text book perfect in his impeccably tailored Air Force uniform, except for the slit open pants leg and large cast covering his lower leg. The OTB monitors showed the views from different cameras that pointed at the launch pad where the Delta 4 Heavy rocket sat in preparation for launch. As far as the range technicians were concerned, this was another test launch of the vehicle. The Delta 4 rocket was considered a mature operational system. In the Heavy configuration however, when two additional Common Booster Cores (CBCs) were connected to the main one, the system raised some doubts. No one was asking questions as to why development was being carried out here instead of a facility in the U.S. They all thought about it, but no one asked. Overberg was a commercial operation, and that meant as long as the bill was paid they were happy for the business and they would do the job they were hired for – without question. It had been a logistical nightmare getting the rocket here in secret, but when you control several international shipping companies as 361 did it becomes a lot easier getting cargo to where you want it. Easier to move large items away from the public eye. This launch would not be covered by the press, or made public knowledge. All personnel involved knew that today's launch, whether a success or failure, never took place.

  Besides secrecy, there were also some very practical reasons for launching from OTB at this time of year. It was February, and back in the States the weather could be unpredictable, being the back end of winter there. But February was the beginning of Autumn in South Africa. It was still warm during the days, and temperatures wouldn't be getting much colder for at least a couple of months. There were many more launch days here at this time of year. But the real and unspoken reason was that the cargo at the top of the rocket would not be questioned by anyone – as long as the bill was paid – and Farber-Chatwell made sure that payment was always made on the morning of the date due.

  If 361 had been a commercial venture it would be a multi-billion dollar international operation, and he would be in a category of CEOs with very few peers. But anyone looking into his life would only see a career military man working at an undesignated and classified job. He had had to acquire many new skills, and master many new fields of endeavor, and he was very proud of what he had accomplished. 361 had early on decided to invest in companies and personnel that would enhance its ability to accomplish the mission. It had been so successful that it no longer needed financial backing from its black ops fund. It had to keep taking the money anyway, and even occasionally requested increases in funding, because this in itself was cover for how successful 361 really had become. As long as 361 took the money from the fund, no one in any possible future investigation would be able to imagine how extensive and influential the organization was. Any person or committee, no matter how powerful, seeking cancellation of funding in order to kill the project would have no idea that the loss of their funding could no longer terminate the operation. 361 was a self sufficient organization.

  It had taken many years to get to this point in time. It had been an organizational challenge Farber-Chatwell had not imagined when he signed on for the job – a job he was not at that time really qualified for, as he later learned from its demands. In a way he was now, by accepted definition, one of the most powerful men in the world. Intellectually he knew that, but psychologically he didn't feel that way. With all the power and influence at his disposal, he was still no more immune to the every day dangers of life than any other man – which was why he was here, in the control room, instead of sitting up there at the top of the rocket.

  It had happened while he was involved in the most dangerous activity of his daily life – driving on a public highway. He had noticed the car in the lane next to him slowly pulling up beside him. The woman driving was in conversation with her male passenger. Her car was next to and slightly ahead of his, when Farber-Chatwell saw her suddenly yank her steering wheel left, and everything was in slow motion from that point on. She never look in his direction. Never checked if the lane was clear. He doesn't know how he was able to steer his car away from the impact, but they never touched. Having been in the inside lane, he quickly went into the grassy center divider and was just about to regain control of his car when the inconveniently placed overpass support came at him. Luckily the support was surrounded by a cable barrier which did prevent his impacting the large concrete structure, but also turned his car to scrap metal and in the process broke his leg. He had been very lucky.

  He found out later that the other driver, after realizing what she had done, just kept on driving and got off the highway on the next exit. By that time her actions and license plate number had been reported to the Highway Patrol by other drivers who had witnessed the incident. Whether she was trying to flee the scene or was just dumbfounded by what had happened Farber-Chatwell didn't know. He never bothered to find out if any legal action was taken against that driver, and he was never contacted by the Highway Patrol after the initial interview that day – but as far as he was concerned the timing couldn't have been worse.

  So now he was standing in the launch control room watching the beginning of what should have been his mission. 'MY MISSION!' he thought. 'I was supposed to be in that rocket commanding MY mission.' But you can't go flying in a rocket with a broken leg and a large cast. Not that he wouldn't have tried if he could, but being partially incapacitated would have put at risk the lives of the five other mission members. Farber-Chatwell nervously chuckled at the strangeness of that thought. How do you define “put at risk” to six people, packed in a proverbial sardine can, sitting on top of a potential hydrogen-fueled bomb, rea
dy to be shot into outer space with minimal on-hand safety equipment, no backup equipment, limited life support time, and only one shot at getting it right and surviving? That was the mission. In a way, that was what 361 existed for. What he had been planning for and looking forward to since it began. It had taken many years longer than he had foresaw. So here he stood, his eyes rapidly scanning the monitors – feeling helpless and disappointed. He could have sat but standing was more painful, and in some weird way of thinking the pain was his penance for missing the mission.

  361 technicians had set up communication stations in the control room and were monitoring data links from the rocket that were not made available to the OTB personnel. Installed in the ship was a specialized communication system, with preprogrammed messages, that were transmitted using encrypted frequency hopping technology. This was nothing out of the ordinary for the OTB. They often hosted very secretive launches for various countries and didn't expect to be included in any classified operational factors. Farber-Chatwell stood behind these stations so he could immediately see all transmissions from the ship.