by T I WADE
“You said that there were problems with the new external wing thrusters on SB-III?” asked Jonesy.
“Yes, but nothing we can’t handle, and we are only two weeks behind schedule. We need the new thrusters to get launched from here in Nevada. They are very similar to the much smaller thrusters on the two Astermine craft, with one major difference; these thrusters need to be inside the body of the shuttle during reentry. Each thruster weighs half a ton and will be extracted from or retracted into the center section between the cargo bays on an arm. This arm has to be strong and will be made out of titanium. It also must be locked into position for launch. Our new shuttles will work like the Harrier and all new VTOL, or vertical takeoff and landing craft, manned and unmanned, in the air force today. The two side thrusters get the shuttle off the ground. At 10,000 feet, the single rear second-stage thruster that Colonel Jones tested ignites. At the same time, the side thrusters turn themselves from downward thrust into rear thrust which raises the nose, and the shuttle heads skywards. At 100,000 feet the two pulse engines will be ignited. Seconds before the first pulse, the side thrusters are retracted into doors directly behind the cargo hold, and not used again until space is reached. They can also be extracted at under 60,000 feet on approach for an Earth landing, and at less than 700 knots, or Mach One, but we need to test them. On Mars, in space, or any other moon or planet, they can stay out permanently.
“The problem is that the external wings are also needed for atmospheric reentry. The arms are situated inside the cargo hold and on extraction will produce bad airflow over the wings. Extended, they are going to hurt the air flow over the upper wings, and we haven’t correctly analyzed the exact drag. These arms extend out over the wings, and stop at the same height as the extended wings, causing more drag than we anticipated.”
“Those wings aren’t that stable; more drag could drop the shuttle out of the sky, especially at less than 700 knots,” Jonesy added. Ryan nodded.
“We have more testing to do, and I think our computer models have found an answer, or we don’t use them for Earth reentry.”
“Do we need to?” Allen asked.
“Not really,” replied Igor, “the system will be needed for emergencies, but no big deal. A similar problem was retracting the engines in atmospheric conditions on exit, but we feel that with so little atmospheric drag at 100,000 feet, it won’t matter. Also the hydrogen thrusters have enough fuel to take SB-III up to 125,000 feet before a first pulse needs to be emitted.”
It took three days for the new Hangar to be built, and the next morning Jonesy and Michael took off in the Gulfstream with the cargo of large diamonds for Israel. Even Tel Aviv from Nevada was within the Gulfstream’s range and Jonesy was even more impressed. After handing the several cases over to Israeli military personnel, and getting a full tank of fuel, they returned stateside.
With little to do for the next two weeks, Jonesy and Maggie enjoyed their time on Earth with Saturn and also with VIN, Suzi and Mars. Ryan went back to America One to see Kathy who was close to giving birth. Allen and Jamie enjoyed their flying, and bit by bit, the luxury cargo from Amsterdam was transported up, thirty to forty pounds per flight.
The airfield runs began again, as did no drinking from Sunday night to Thursday night. Life on the airfield was returning to normal. VIN enjoyed his new electric Tesla. It was quiet, and a joy to drive. He took Suzi to have lunch in Las Vegas twice before their return on the next shuttle to space.
The space crew often met with Igor in private and discussed the future for Astermine. The news from around the world wasn’t good. Every country seemed to be arming themselves for a possible war. China was the only country that kept quiet, except to alienate itself from all other First World countries.
Nobody outside the airfield knew that Ryan was in space. He didn’t want anyone to know where he was, even the president. Several days after he left for space, Igor came to find Jonesy. The president was on the phone and wanted to speak to Ryan. Jonesy was, as usual, by the pool. They had run early that morning, and after spending three hours in the new SB-III VTOL simulator, he had fallen asleep in the shade by the pool.
The pool was pretty close to the motel, and Igor’s first choice had been right.
“Yes, Mr. President, Colonel John Jones here,” he said into the phone after jogging with towel and swimsuit to Hangar One.
“Colonel, I need to speak with Ryan. It’s urgent. Do you know where he is?” the president asked. “Unfortunately, he’s not here, and is not in phone or radio contact either, Mr. President.”
“Well, please get a message to him. Our embassy staff in Beijing is being forced to leave within twenty-four hours. Several of our staff members were killed and wounded in a drive-by shooting while dining in a restaurant last night. Our Beijing deputy director, our senior energy analyst, our administration officer, our communications chief and his number two were shot dead, so was Mrs. Warner, your man’s new wife. Mr. Warner was shot twice and was airlifted out a couple of hours later with two other injured staff. He has lost one of his arms and maybe a leg, and is currently in Misawa being operated on by air force surgeons. He is expected to make it, but I wanted to give Ryan the report personally.”
“Who did it, Mr. President?” Jonesy asked.
“We believe that it was Chinese government agents, as one was accidentally run over by a civilian motor vehicle in the chaos, and pictures of him were run through our databases there. He was a prominent Chinese assassin who had been expelled from Europe by Interpol and from the U.S. by the FBI. We made a complaint to Beijing in the strongest possible language and their government responded that every American, from our embassy personnel to all American students studying in China have twenty-four hours to get out of the country, or they will be apprehended as spies. I need Ryan to prepare a laser up there, in case they kill any more Americans. I will not allow them to shoot innocent students who cannot get out in the short timeframe given. We are using all possible civilian aircraft to pick up students from dozens of cities, but we need backup. Will you get this message to Ryan, wherever he is?”
“Yes, sir, he will have it ASAP.”
“Colonel, I’m hoping we will still be given time to pay off our debts to them, and not go to war. Do you believe we can succeed with our moon mission?”
“Yes, Mr. President, I believe we can, within twelve months, hopefully sooner. Get Mr. Warner back here. Ryan’s team can give him a new arm and a leg, and he won’t need the leg up in space. It seems to be a better place to live for guys with missing limbs.”
“Will do. The country and I are going to be really grateful if you succeed in your mission; you might avert World War III. Is there anything you need, or anything I can do to make your life easier, Colonel?” The president didn’t know that he was asking the wrong person.
“Actually two things are a problem right now, Mr. President. And, I thank you for the letter to my father. He quite likes me again.”
“I’m not a genie but I would like to help Ryan’s team if I can. You were not treated fairly by the air force, and I’m sure you are going to play a big part in solving our national debt. Name your two problems.”
“My father complained about having too many colonels in our family. Any chance one of them can be promoted to general? One star would make me happier than Full Colonel, and our mutual buddy General Allen Saunders still outranks me, even though we are both sort of retired.”
“A small favor, consider it done, General Jones.”
“My wife, Colonel Maggie Jones has taken a fancy to the Gulfstream 550, Mortimer’s old aircraft, on loan to Astermine. If I promise to bring back every rock we can find where we are going, do you think the newer Gulfstream 650 extended range is too much to ask as a Jones family runaround? It would give me incentive to return here more often. Get my drift, Mr. President?”
“Where is Gulfstream based?” the president asked.
“Atlanta, Georgia,” Jonesy replied expecting to get rebu
ffed, as often happened when he asked for things.
“I think that can be arranged. Get the message to Ryan and tell him to call me. Look after Mr. Warner, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Still standing in his bathing suit, and with Igor looking on trying to figure out why Jonesy was having such a long conversation, Jonesy replaced the receiver and smiled.
“Interesting conversation, Colonel Jones?” Igor asked.
“General Jones, to you, Igor. I got promoted. It’s a father, wife, son thing. You won’t understand. Also, Ryan needs to contact the president ASAP. There have been problems in China, the agent chick, Fritz’s wife was murdered, and Fritz is alive but is in intensive care in Japan.”
With that he walked back to the pool. How was he going to pick up diamonds on the moon, and fly his new aircraft if he wasn’t even on Earth! He sat by the pool and pondered that problem until Maggie and Saturn came to join him. He decided not to tell her about his promotion just yet. She might get pissed off.
The next morning he had a call on the line in Hangar One, from Atlanta, Georgia.
“General Jones, Joe Martin, head of Gulfstream, with government orders. I was told to call you for instructions on how to design the interior of your new 650. We have one ready for interior design. It was ordered for another organization, but they have decided to wait twelve months. As it was going into a small country, it has the most extended range we can offer, the most powerful and fuel-efficient engines, and a full Garmin-equipped glass cockpit including their brand new full panel panoramic display. I just need to know your outside coloring and interior design.”
Jonesy gave him the number of Mortimer’s aircraft from its logbook. Joe Martin remembered the aircraft well. He said that the previous customer’s exterior design scheme was simple; this aircraft was white and if he wanted to accept it without a fancy paint job, it could be ready for delivery in two weeks. Jonesy naturally agreed; he just wanted the name “Jones” on the rear tail, nothing more.
As Mortimer had done, Jonesy ordered a larger rear bedroom with bathroom, a mid-seat area for six, a front galley, and a crew area with a second toilet; he didn’t care what leather it came with. It was a wedding present for Maggie, and he was sure he could afford the insurance; maybe Ryan could help him with that.
He decided to inspect SB-III, something he hadn’t done for a few days. He and Maggie spent three hours a day in the new simulator which was upgraded daily from SB-III’s onboard computers. The simulator was good; it felt like he was in the actual shuttle.
He could see the new side thrusters sticking out of the shuttle through the plastic sheeting around the aircraft. She was starting to look like a big brother to Astermine One, and for the first time he was actually looking forward to visiting the moon. Prospecting on DX2014 with VIN and Maggie had actually been fun.
Ryan stayed up in space. He was scheduled to return with Allen, but following his conversation with the President he decided to take command from space. Two days after talking to Georgia, the day Ryan was to return, Jonesy received a package. It was small and contained a letter from the Office of the United States Air Force, The Pentagon, congratulating him on his promotion to general. He showed it to Allen after his arrival, and they hit the pool to celebrate. Maggie gave him an inquisitive look and asked him why he was being promoted, if he was actually on the retired list.
“If you don’t ask you don’t get, was always my motto,” he replied smiling innocently. Nobody would get more out of Jonesy.
The bad news for Jonesy came a couple of days later. SB-III would be ready for her test flight into space in ten days, a day or so before his wedding gift to his wife was due to arrive.
The same day, U.S. Air force engineers arrived at the airfield to begin building hangars and new cement pads on the southern side of the runway for the first three F-35 fighter jets. Since the engineers were from Nellis, Jonesy got Allen Saunders to order an extra hangar, and put it on the existing cement pad Hangar Ten had once stood on.
Everyone thought Jonesy was acting strangely; Maggie thought that it was a result of the shock of his father giving him a hug; the shock might have dislodged something in his brain, and she asked him whether she should look for a sane pilot to fly with.
Allen checked in with the engineers who confirmed that everything Ryan requested for the airfield was to be delivered, and that they were also building new accommodations across the runway for guards and pilots, and installing fuel tanks, and an engineering and aircraft service hangar. They also told Allen that over 300 men would be relocating to the airfield. As a former base commander at Nellis, he knew what Ryan was getting into. With Jonesy acting so strangely, he didn’t.
The next day, Allen left with Jamie for her last flight before giving birth. One of the other pilots on the build-team in space, Max Burgos, would be filling in for her.
Also, in ten days Jonesy was going to launch just an hour after Allen headed up again, in case SB-III needed help in orbit.
Chapter 12
Next stop, the moon
Ten days passed quickly with the team spending twenty-four hours a day getting SB-III ready. Jonesy and Maggie were each spending eight hours a day in the simulator, updating themselves on the shuttle’s new launch technology, and learning how to react in case of ignition failure.
With the vacation over and Saturn was strong enough for her first launch into space, Ryan gave permission for Maggie and Saturn to rejoin the flight crew.
VIN, Suzi, and Mars would be passengers in SB-II with Allen and Penny as co-pilot. Jamie was on the maternity list.
Allen had taken up a new thruster engine for America One on his most recent launch, plus all the supplies remaining from the Joneses’ shopping spree in Amsterdam. The rotation of America One was doing well, the crew in space was now adept at working in the increased gravity, although there would be a couple of gravity interruptions as the new engine was installed. Ryan was determined to get his mining crews to the moon as soon as possible. He had three more necessary supply launches with SB-II before his roster of supplies was complete, followed by the longer wait for the lasers and SB-I’s fittings.
Ryan had a five-week window between the last launch and the completion of SB-I’s modifications. He wanted to fly to the moon and back in that time as a test run for America One. If everything was successful, the diamonds would be returned to the mother ship and then transported to Earth. The flight crew would wait three weeks for SB-II to be outfitted, and for the two space stations to be refitted, and finally they all could begin their first real odyssey, to Mars, before anybody else needed their services.
“Astronauts, silence please,” Igor began the next meeting; it was attended by Jonesy, Maggie, Michael, VIN, Suzi and Jamie—now showing why she was taken off flight duties. Allen, Penny and Max Burgos were also there, having returned a day earlier. “The thrusters are now complete on SB-III. We have tested the thruster retraction mechanism over a hundred times, and it works as well as SB-III’s landing gear system. Since the new side thrusters are exactly midway down the shuttle fuselage and the fuel tanks are forward and aft of the new thruster position, we now have two separate cargo bays; one is aft of the cockpit and in front of the mid tanks and thruster location; the second cargo bay is aft of the thrusters and second fuel tank system and forward of the rear fuel tanks and rear engines. Unfortunately, the total cargo space has been reduced by 50 percent in size and capacity, and there are now six separately controlled operational doors on the shuttle roof instead of the long set you are used to. Four of the doors are for cargo, and two are engine wells for the thrusters. The door control mechanisms are on the co-pilot’s right side panel, and the mid-thruster door controls are on the center panel between the pilots. These have been separated so not to get them mistaken during launch. Jonesy, the computers show that our new maximum cargo load is two tons with the new engines and full fuel in all tanks. Lift offs are from a new square cemented area on the other side of the runway. Lifto
ff will be expected to be at 85 percent power. I’m sure you remember the thrust needed to get off DX2014 in Astermine One.” Jonesy nodded.
“We made it by the skin of our teeth at 104 percent thrust, I believe.”
“So, at full weight, you only have a 15 percent allowance to full power. Now, with this allowance, you will have to compensate for heat, wind, rain, cloud cover, and other problems we haven’t thought of yet. Optimal outside temperature for vertical launch is 32 degrees Fahrenheit, or less. The colder the better! For every ten degrees over freezing one percent of additional thrust is estimated. So at 82 degrees, which we believe will be the temperature tomorrow morning, your thruster estimate is 90 percent allowing for heat. Air density is the next factor to vector into thrust requirements. Tomorrow, thanks to Nevada’s dry air, our humidity is expected to be in the forties. Again, for every ten degrees, one percent can be added, so add another 4 percent to make 94 percent of full thrust. Wind is expected to be less than 10 miles an hour, hopefully not ground level. Between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, when you ignite the single rear stage, there could be an air movement factor, so we are estimating that your thrusters should be set at 95 percent.”
“Then, in a tropical rain storm, our new thrusters are useless?” Allen asked. “And, General Jones, tell me about your promotion. You are still retired aren’t you?” he asked. Jonesy smiled back at him.
“A surprise promotion from the White House,” Jonesy replied. “Too many colonels in the family, Allen.”
“OK, let’s get back to the briefing,” Igor stated. “Yes, General Saunders, our shuttles cannot launch in high humidity or high temperature conditions. I hope we have the opportunity to do some tests one day when we get a storm through here. It hasn’t rained here for four months and we do not expect humidity or high temperatures at dawn tomorrow,” Igor stated.
