Paulo was about to pour himself a mug of hot coffee from the thermos bottle he had brought with him for his shift when the Mole’s vibrations suddenly increased dramatically, while an alarm started ringing in their small control cabin.
‘’What the…?’’
‘’WE HAVE REACHED AN EMPTY POCKET IN THE GROUND!’’ shouted Sarah. ‘’STOP THE DRILLING HEADS, NOW!’’
Grumbling about their bad luck, Paulo shut down at once their rotating head, along with the side grinding rollers and their propulsive tracks. Encountering underground cavities during the digging of tunnels or mines was not unprecedented, far from it. When that happened, the crew of the mole involved would have to stop at once, assess the situation and measure the dimensions of the cavity before deciding whether to continue straight on or to backtrack a bit and dig around it. Either way, this was going to cost them precious hours in tunnel digging work. With the drilling heads and rollers grinding to a stop, Paulo was then able to speak to Sarah without needing to raise his voice.
‘’Our sidescan penetrating radars still show solid rock on our flanks and over and under us. Only the tip of our drilling nose appears to be in the open. I am going to extend our nose sensor mount to assess that cavity.’’
Flipping a few switches, Paulo made the forward-most drilling crown open up like the petals of a flower, exposing a small steel hatch that then opened up as well. Next, a small, twenty centimeter sensor ball mounted on a telescopic, articulated arm, came out of the well covered by the hatch and started ‘looking’ around it, controlled by Paulo. That sensor ball incorporated a small microwave radar, a laser rangefinder, a day/night camera, a forward-looking infrared camera, a thermometer and an atmosphere analysis probe, all sending data and images back to Paulo’s and Sarah’s work stations. While the day/night camera and FLIR camera showed only darkness, the picture painted by the radar and laser rangefinder was another thing entirely.
‘’HOLY SHIT! WE EMERGED ON ONE SIDE OF A CAVERN WITH A MAXIMUM DIAMETER OF 5.7 KILOMETERS!’’
Sarah, also awed by that measurement, then made their sensor ball scan up, then down, to have a complete picture of the cavern they had encountered. The data she got made her eyes open wide.
‘’Paulo, this cavern goes down to 2.8 kilometers below us, while it rises to 10.3 kilometers above us. Furthermore, the radar echoes from the bottom are not consistent with solid rock, but rather with ice or water.’’
Paulo’s mind nearly flipped on hearing that: this was by far the biggest underground cavern they had found to date on Mars, and this in a place rich with metallic ores. The possibilities that this cavern could offer to the Mars colony were truly mind-boggling.
‘’My God! We could build a whole city here and even pressurize this cavern to facilitate living. If there is truly water or ice at the bottom, then we will have everything we would need for such a city. Sarah, contact at once the mine’s control center and send them the data from our sensors ball. This is big!’’
‘’I’m on it!’’ replied the Israeli woman while punching keys on her command panel.
At the control center of Mars Mining Base 01, Yves Dorval, the manager of the mining complex, was floored when he received the message and sensors data from Mole 04 and saw the possible implications once he made a quick mental calculation.
‘’But, this represents a volume of about 105 cubic kilometers! And if there is truly water at the bottom…’’
Yves then sent back a message in return.
‘’Mole 04, from MMB-01 Control: Dig a few meters further to open up the breach giving on that cavern, then backtrack by 600 meters and veer true northeast to resume tunnel digging towards MMB-02. Make sure to put warning markers and beacons before the breach on the cavern and keep a minimum of 200 meters between your new tunnel towards MMB-02 and the sides of that cavern.’’
‘’Mole 04 understood!’’
With that taken care of, Yves then called his old friend Jason Terlecki at Mars Base One, to pass to him this sensational piece of news. The Polish mining and infrastructure engineer was now the head of the colony’s infrastructure department, with 23 engineers and scientists working under him to plan, design and organize the building of facilities and infrastructures on Mars. Yves could already salivate at the thought of what his friend could do with close to a hundred cubic kilometers of space which could possibly be pressurized with a breathable atmosphere, like what they had done on a much smaller scale with the cavern sheltering Mars Base One.
17:06 (GMT)
Friday, May 31, 2057
Ledge of hole dug through the southern wall of newfound cavern
20,170 meters under the summit of Olympus Mons
Since its discovery a mere three days ago, many things had been done already about the giant cavern found under the summit of Olympus Mons. Powerful floodlights had been brought from MMB-01 and had been positioned on the ledge of the hole dug by Mole 04, so that the interior of the cavern could be better inspected visually. Then, a flying drone had been sent down to the bottom, some 2,800 meters below the level of the tunnel, to confirm the nature of the bottom’s surface. The results of the analysis of the bottom samples had quickly shown that a layer of thick salt water ice covered the bottom, forming an icy lake with a surface of about thirteen square kilometers. Furthermore, that layer of ice covered a liquid salt water body that filled the old main lava vertical tube of Olympus Mons past a depth of seventeen kilometers, where a bend in the lava tube prevented the sonar probe used by the astronauts to look further down. Radar and lidar soundings had also confirmed that the cavern’s ceiling was hermetically sealed by old lava, with the tunnel dug by Mole 04 the only opening that connected with the outside. Standing on the ledge of the opening in their spacesuits and with safety lines attached to their belts, Yves Dorval, Jason Terlecki, Frey Thorvalsson and Denise Wattling were visually scanning with growing emotion what they could see of the inside of the cavern with the help of the floodlights. Frey Thorvalsson was the colony’s head volcanologist, while Denise, now 53 years old, was the official head of the Mars colony, having been named two years ago to that post by the Mars Home Project executive board on Earth, and this after being commander of Mars Base One for ten years.
‘’What an incredible find!’’ said Denise, her eyes glinting. ‘’This could be turned into an ideal Human habitat for us.’’
‘’It WILL be turned into a Human habitat if I have anything to say about it, Denise.’’ replied Jason Terlecki, who then looked at Frey Thorvalsson. ‘’The only thing that I need to know is: what are the chances that Olympus Mons could awake again and fill this cavity with hot magma. If that ever happened in the future, we would then lose everybody and everything based here. What do you think, Frey?’’
‘’That chances of having Olympus Mons become active again are about zero.’’ answered at once the big Icelander. ‘’All our studies and prospecting data show us that all surface volcanic activity on Mars ended millions of years ago, with the most recent signs of such activity having happened two million years ago in the Arctic region. The youngest lava flows from Olympus Mons that we found dated back from about twenty million years ago. Tectonic activity on Mars is also very low and is limited to a few regions only.’’
‘’Then, we shall build a great city here in the next few decades.’’ said Jason, his mind already boiling with ideas. ‘’With a number of important mines and metal smelting complexes close to it under Olympus Mons, it should become a major industrial and residential center for our colony.’’
Those words suddenly made Denise think about something and she looked at Frey to ask him a question.
‘’Frey, what are the chances that we could find similar giant cavities under the summits of other extinct Martian volcanoes?’’
‘’After seeing this one, I would be surprised not to find more such cavities, Denise. The three volcanoes of the nearby Tharsis Montes in particular would in my mind make good cand
idates to find similar cavities. Once we will have thoroughly mapped this cavern and its various lava tubes, I will put a geological team on doing a detailed survey of the underground of those three volcanoes and of their surrounding plateaus.’’
‘’Well,’’ said Yves Dorval, now looking a bit worried, ‘’let’s hope that we will be allowed to build up and transform this cave and others we may find.’’
That attracted at once a sharp look from Denise.
‘’And what makes you think that we may not be allowed to do so, Yves?’’
‘’What makes me think that is the ever worsening situation on Earth, Denise. Yes, up to now the project’s executive board has supported fully our needs and requests by procuring and sending us all that we requested to continue building this fledgling colony, but how long will they continue to do so? The cost of fighting against rising sea levels, floods and droughts keeps rising constantly, while more and more territories are rendered unlivable due to floods or intense droughts and extreme temperatures. Shoring up anti-flood defenses and relocating and supporting the refugees created by this climate change crisis costs a fortune and uses huge amounts of resources and manpower. The Mars Home Project has to compete with those Earth demands. How long before public pressure forces governments to redirect the funds used by the Mars Home Project towards Earth rehabilitation or resettlement projects?’’
His question was met at first by collective silence as his friends thought their answer over. Jason Terlecki was the one to speak first.
‘’Well, I can only work with what I have and do the best possible job with it. We now produce on Mars a limited but growing list of primary construction material, like steel girders, plates and pipes, aluminum structural components, ceramic parts and glass. I will try my best to design what we need to transform this cavern into a livable place in a way that will use to the maximum what we can already produce on Mars. Hopefully, Earth will continue to fully support our colony long enough to let us develop more our local industries and resources. Each extra year of support provided to us will be crucial for the long-term success of this colony.’’
‘’You are quite correct on that, Jason.’’ replied Denise, thoughtful. ‘’I will thus move up to the top of our priority list of requests to Earth our machine tool plant, to have its parts and machinery delivered as quickly as possible. Once we will have that machine tool plant up and operating, we will then be able to produce ourselves a much larger variety of components and metal parts for our various building and expansion projects. Ten years… Just give us at least ten more years…’’
CHAPTER 15 – A NEW HOPE FOR HUMANITY
11:19 (Boston Time)
Tuesday, October 18, 2061
C.E.R.N.9 research complex
Near Zurich, Switzerland
The Italian physicist sitting at one of the control stations of the Experimental Fusion Device, or EFD in short, hesitated for a fraction of a second before pushing a large red button on his console. A muffled but still powerful rumble then started at once, while his instruments became alive, with most indicators jumping to near their maximum indicated levels. The physicist, along with seventeen other scientists present in the control room, held his breath for a moment while hoping that the fusion reaction he had just triggered would be a sustained one. A wave of savage joy submerged him when he saw that it was.
‘’We have a sustained reaction! I also read a positive power balance. WE HAVE ACHIEVED A STABLE THERMONUCLEAR REACTION!’’
Loud cheers erupted from the small crowd of scientists at that announcement. One physicist then grinned to the head of the project, a graying Frenchman.
‘’This is a banner day for Humanity, Doctor Charcot. We should put out a press communiqué at once!’’
‘’No!’’ was the immediate response. ‘’Let’s not create false hopes before we could confirm the results of this test. I want us to monitor this initial reaction for a few hours, to see how truly stable it is. Then, we will shut down the reaction and attempt a restart. If that restart proves successful and is also stable, then we will spread the word. Our work today is thus far from finished, ladies and gentlemen.’’
08:27 (Washington Time)
Thursday, October 20, 2061
Oval Office, The White House
Washington, D.C., USA
President Thomas Warren gave a questioning look to his science advisor when he saw the triumphant expression on his face as he entered the Oval Office.
‘’I gather from your expression that you have a piece of good news for me…for a change, Joshua.’’
‘’Damn right, Mister President!’’ replied Joshua Steinberg. ‘’The Europeans just announced that they have achieved success with their experimental fusion reactor. They were able to restart the process a number of times and the reaction proved to be both stable and on the positive side in the power balance. Humanity now has a new, non-polluting power source with a quasi unlimited source of fuel, namely water.’’
Warren sat up in his chair, while a smile appeared on his face.
‘’But that’s great news! That should mean that we will finally be able to retire all the still existing fossil fuel power plants on the planet.’’
‘’Uh, not that fast, Mister President. The C.E.R.N.’s reactor is only an experimental model. The whole process still needs to be thoroughly tested and studied before plans for thermonuclear power plants could even be drawn. That alone will take at least a couple of years.’’
Those last words made the smile on Warren’s face partly fade away.
‘’And…when could we hope to start building such power stations, Joshua?’’
‘’Give it three to four years, Mister President. However, once we start putting in operation thermonuclear power plants, we will then have available to us and the rest of the World a nearly limitless source of power. With that amount of power, many things will become possible, like seawater desalinization plants to provide potable water to countries struck with persistent droughts and carbon reduction plants that will eliminate much of the excess CO2 in our atmosphere, thus reducing and eventually reversing the greenhouse effect that is causing so much of our environmental woes.’’
‘’Damn! I can’t wait to see that! Alright, let’s schedule a full cabinet meeting for next Thursday morning, at which we will discuss how to use that new development. In the meantime, I want you to prepare a presentation on the subject of thermonuclear fusion energy and its implications, along with a list of recommendations on how to use it.’’
‘’I will get on that right away, Mister President.’’ promised the scientist.
11:03 (California Time)
Monday, December 19, 2061
Office of Mars Home Project Manager
Vandenberg Space Center
Robert Lithgow, now 74 years old, was still working from behind the same desk that he had been occupying for 25 years at the Vandenberg Space Center. And by the same desk, he meant that, literally. When the furniture at the Mars Home Project Headquarters had been replaced wholesale by new furniture sixteen years ago, Robert had clung to his old desk, refusing to let it be carted away. That desk represented to him the work of a lifetime and he had vowed to keep it until the project was declared completed…or until he died, even joking that he would prefer to die while sitting behind his desk. Those who worked around him knew that he was only half joking when he had said that, as Robert’s dedication to the Mars Home Project was by now legendary. Robert’s wife of 45 years had even quipped, with a trace of bitterness in her voice, that she had married a project rather than a husband. Robert was thus struck hard by the content of the email he had just received from Li Xiao Peng, the head of the Chinese Space Agency. In it, Peng announced that, due to the Chinese Central Committee’s reallocation of funds towards the planned building of multiple future thermonuclear power stations around China, his country would drastically cut in the next fiscal year the funds previously allocat
ed by China to the Mars Home Project. That meant for Robert the loss of over six billion dollars to the project’s next year’s budget.
With discouragement washing over him, Robert sat back in his chair, his mind in turmoil, as he tried to think of a way to go around that new problem. If China was ready to divert funds from the Mars Project, then other countries may just do the same, in which case his cherished project may just suffer a fatal blow. The worst part was that he could not blame the Chinese for the decision they had just taken. The benefits that cheap, plentiful and non-polluting energy from thermonuclear fusion would bring to China were huge, including opening the possibility to be able to power giant air scrubbing filtration plants that would start to clean the heavily polluted air over major Chinese cities and industrial centers. If that could help to eventually stop and reverse the steady rise in global temperatures, then it would prove to be money very well spent. Finally resigning himself to have to manage as best he could the Mars Home Project on a shoestring budget, Robert opened on his computer the project’s budget file and started looking for items and expenses that he could either cut or delay without causing a major impact on the project. That, however, soon proved to be easier said than done.
A Mars Odyssey Page 20
