The Orthogonal Galaxy Page 4

  On a second orbit of the planet, Iowa entered Mars’ thin atmosphere with hardly any indication. The shuttle began a sharp decent and leveled off directly over a feature that Garrison had missed earlier. The Hellas Impact Basin impressed Garrison greatly as he was only about thirty miles above Mar’s largest impact crater. He shuttered to think about the violence required for an impact to leave a hole 1500 miles wide and over five miles deep. In fact, seeing the landscape peppered with hundreds of thousands of craters-within-a-crater caused Garrison to shudder with concern for his own safety at Camp Mars. However, he had to remind himself that this landscape did not occur overnight, and that his odds of being hit by a meteor on Mars was only a little better than being hit by lightning on Earth.

  As he left the Hellas basin, Iowa started issuing a series of lights and buzzers that reminded Garrison it was time to get down to the business of touching down on the runway of Camp Mars, just moments away.

  Compared to all of the massive features that he’d been experiencing, it was a good thing that the computer navigational system knew where to pinpoint the relatively tiny three-mile wide crater that was home to Camp Mars. The landscape was littered with craters. As he strained to find his crater, he couldn’t help wondering whether he would be able to spot such an inauspicious feature. Fortunately for Garrison, the crater glowed with artificial lighting. The greens and oranges of the lighting towers focused his sight to the camp, and eventually to the red ground lights lining the two-mile long runway. His approach and landing was incredibly smooth, a point which he would first mention proudly to the pair of astronauts eager to make introductions with their replacement.

  “Did you see that landing?” Garrison asked as he made his decent from the shuttle onto Martian soil. “I should’ve become a commercial airline pilot.”

  “Well, Stud,” interrupted one of the astronaut companions. “Before you pat yourself too hard on the back, just remember that you’re in a much thinner atmosphere here… there’s not as much turbulence and wind, at least not here near the equator.”

  “Oh, yeah. Good point” Garrison’s bubble had burst. “Gentlemen, I’m Garrison O’Ryan reporting for duty. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

  “No,” answered the other astronaut with a Russian accent. “The pleasure is ours. We are glad to see the first replacement. It has been much privilege come to Mars, but I am eager to see family again. Come, we show you the barrack now. You must be exhausted.”

  “Am I ever!” Garrison yawned and stretched, and as he took his first step, he faltered. While the cockpit of every Mars Shuttle was equipped with exercise mechanisms needed to keep limbs from freezing up. It had been over a month since he had actually used his limbs in any meaningful fashion.

  “Oh,” said one of the Martian veterans. “I’m so sorry. I forgot that it’s nearly impossible to walk upon touchdown here. Let us help you.”

  With that, each astronaut flanked O’Ryan and assisted him into the barracks, where he was able to strip out of his spacesuit and collapse in a heap on a bed wearing only his long underwear.

  …

  After a few hours of rest—it seemed more like a couple of minutes to him—Garrison’s two colleagues woke him up from a deep slumber.

  “Rise and shine, Sleepy Head,” called out one astronaut.

  With an achy head and blurry eyes, Garrison responded, “What time is it?”

  Looking at his watch, the other astronaut offered, “Well, it’s 2:30 PM, Tharsis Standard Time.”

  “Ok,” nodded Garrison. “Thanks, but why did I even ask that question? Let me try again. How long have I been sleeping?”

  “Well, you arrived this morning at precisely 9:17 AM, so it’s been a little over five hours.”

  “Really?” Garrison sat up in his bed and looked around now that his eyes were beginning to focus.

  “How are you feeling, Garrison?” The first astronaut held out a hand for Garrison.

  “Ayman!” Grasping his hand firmly and joyously, Garrison recognized his astronaut fellow from some training sessions they had performed together a few years ago at Kennedy. “I’m fine… a little tired, but that’s nothing that a few days of sleep won’t solve.”

  “Well, I’d love to grant it to you, but I need to depart for Camp Moon before the sun sets. We have just a couple of hours to give you the grand tour here before I head back home.” Then, turning to the third astronaut, he said, “Garrison O’Ryan, I’d like you to meet a great friend of mine who has served marvelously at my side these last couple of years. This is Dmitri Boronov. He will be your companion here for the next couple of months until his replacement arrives.”

  “Ah, yes,” Garrison warmly bowed and grasped the hand of his new companion, “We met earlier, but I was a bit out of it. By the way, I didn’t get a chance to thank you for helping me walk into the barracks earlier.”

  “You should be slow to stand now,” counseled Dmitri. “It will take few minutes to use legs.”

  Heeding his advice, Garrison stood slowly from his bed and while steadying himself on the wall next to it, took just a few experimental steps. “I must agree with you, Comrade.”

  “We will give you a few minutes to adjust and dress, Garrison,” said Ayman. “To encourage you, there will be a hot bowl of soup, fresh-baked bread and juice waiting for you in the dining room.”

  Garrison didn’t realize how hungry he was until he heard this discussion of food. “That sounds great!” admitted Garrison. “I’ll be there as quick as I can… um, where is the dining room, anyway?”

  “As you leave the room, turn left and proceed to the end of the hallway. The door is right at the end. See you there soon.”

  Garrison thanked the pair as they left his room, where he stretched his limbs and began learning how to walk all over again. He found a sweat suit in his closet, exactly like those being worn by Ayman and Dmitri, with the name “O’Ryan” embroidered on the left chest pocket. The door to a private bathroom was open, so he stepped in. After splashing water on his face and hair, he washed his hands and felt much better. He would’ve liked to take a shower, but his appetite and time constraints gave way to the temptation. Toweling himself off with a large white towel, which also had the name “O’Ryan” embroidered on it, he ventured back into the bedroom to dress.

  As if his legs might still give out under him, he walked slowly and cautiously out of the bedroom and into the hallway. He peered down both ends. So far, the barracks had a more homey impression than he might otherwise have expected. The cream-colored plush carpet led down towards the dining room at one end and the foyer at the other end. Framed pictures and artwork, depicting some of the impressive features of Mars lined both walls. Towards the foyer, he could see all of the typical NASA-produced hypergraphs of each Martian-based astronaut lining either side of the hallway.

  The door to the dining room was open, and he could hear the soft din of a casual discussion taking place between Ayman and Dmitri as he approached. He could only make out the occasional word or phrase: “Home”, “your family”, “what an adventure.”

  Ayman and Dmitri quickly stood up as Garrison appeared, as if needing to help him to a seat.

  “I’m fine,” He waved them off. “I’m actually adjusting rather quickly. I suspect that it’s because of the lighter gravity that my legs are feeling back to normal so quickly.”

  “True,” admitted Ayman. “Keep in mind, however that the adjustment will not be so sudden when you return to Earth. Part of our daily regimen is an exercised routine prescribed by NASA trainers to ensure that we do not lose muscle tone in our arms, back and legs. This is because the gravity here is so much less than it is on Earth that muscle atrophy would cause a serious impediment to an adjustment to Earth life.”

  At this, Ayman noticed that Garrison was bracing himself on a chair, and realized that he was still laboring a little bit to get his full strength back.

  “I’m sorry, Garrison… please, have a seat.” Ayman g
estured to the chair. He sat down to a place setting as Dmitri walked over to a counter. From under a heat lamp, he grabbed a steaming bowl and a plate with all of the contents as promised. Garrison noticed that the remains of the other astronauts’ lunches remained on the table.

  “Cheese steak sandwiches and potato salad?” asked Garrison curiously. He was famished and thought that he should be able to partake in the more wholesome fare of his colleagues.

  “Sorry, Garrison.” Ayman hung his head in apology. “For the first few days, NASA has ordered a strict diet of soft foods for you. You’ve been so unaccustomed to eating ‘real’ food that it will take some time for your digestive system to adjust.”

  “No worries, Ayman.” Garrison understood his predicament. “After a month of those cardboard bars and watered-down powder, this chicken soup and bread look more like a steak and lobster meal to me.”

  With that, Garrison commenced to devour his supper while Ayman briefed him on the duties of the afternoon.

  “As soon as you’re done there, Garrison, we’ll need to show you around. We’ll start with the central facilities, including the barracks here, and the workshop and bunker just outside. Then, we’ll drive the Mars Terrain Vehicle to the outer portions of the crater to show you all of the support structures which make life and work possible for us here at Camp Mars.

  “Dmitri and I have already taxied the Iowa into the hanger and have fueled up and positioned the Nevada for my trip back to the Moon, so we’ll finish the tour at the runway, so I can take off while there’s still some sunlight. NASA always prefers us to have the best visual conditions as possible when landing or launching from the crater.”

  Dmitri interjected an important item which Ayman had omitted from the agenda. “We must remember to get new headset at SAR pad. It should be there now.”

  “Thank you, Dmitri,” said Ayman. “I almost forgot that my communication headset has been flaky the last couple of days. I certainly want to make sure that I depart with a set that I know will work on the trip back to Mars. It would be awful to lose communication from Mission Control.”

  After he had finished his meal, Garrison felt adequately refreshed and strengthened for the tour. They began, logically enough, with the barracks. Comprising four bedrooms, each with a private bath, the barracks were sufficiently appointed for comfort and peace. Each bedroom had a full-sized bed with unaesthetic, yet comfortable, bedding. Each bed had a wall-mounted light bright enough for reading. Next to the bed was a nightstand with a lamp. The lamp was designed to provide soft lighting, and certainly wasn’t sufficient to read by. It was, however, adequate to extract any personal items off from the drawer of the nightstand or make a trip to the bathroom. There was also a large wardrobe, consisting of underwear, sweat suits, and spacesuits for outside activities.

  The dining room and kitchenette were cozy, yet adequate. A round kitchen table was could seat four astronauts, since there were rarely anymore than this on Camp Mars at any given time. In the kitchen area, there was a sink, microwave oven, and a small refrigerator. Garrison opened the fridge to reveal that it was only stocked with beverages and condiments. Cupboards revealed dishes, glasses, mugs, utensils, and spices for meals as each astronaut may desire. There was also a stock of snacks—pretzels, popcorn, chips, and candy bars—available to the astronauts as desired.

  In the middle of the hallway was an exercise room

  A trip down to the other end of the hall revealed a small foyer with some plush seating and tables with magazines and newspapers. Two rooms extended off of each side of the foyer. The first revealed a study with plenty of books for reading—fiction and non-fiction were equally represented, and there was a sufficient amount of light reading and some that looked calculated to help an astronaut endure an evening of insomnia. There were two reading stations, which consisted of an overstuffed recliner, a throw blanket, pillow, and an audio station with wireless headphones. A side table was within reach of each chair, allowing the astronaut to store his current book of interest and any beverage or snack that he might be enjoying at the time.

  The second room on the opposite side of the foyer was a room that Garrison was frankly surprised to see. He had not been told about the entertainment room, and this proved to be a significant perk. By far the largest room in the barracks, this room consisted of two plush theater-style rocker-recliner chairs that sat in front of a coffee table directed towards a bare eight foot wall. On the ceiling behind the chairs was a high-definition digital projector, whose image covered the top half of the wall, for a full eight-foot wide image. A media center between the chairs came equipped with a high-quality Holographic Video Disk player and sizable library of HVDs. The latest audio technology was included in the form of a 540-degree surround sound system. Developers used the term “540-degree”, because it provides a more immersive audio experience than the 360-degree system. At 360 degrees, there is a full wall-length speaker on each of the walls in the room, so that sound can come from all angles. The 540-degree effect comes in from the set of four speakers mounted on the ceiling as well, to give a more dome-like effect to the audio. A video game console was also connected into the projector, and a few titles were available, but this was not as popular a piece of equipment for many of the astronauts. Either way, Garrison thought he was sure to give it a try, since he would have plenty of time ahead of him for the next couple of years. Behind the chairs was a fully equipped mahogany pool table with a billiard lamp and two bar stools.

  “This is amazing!” Garrison admitted. “Why hadn’t I heard about this.”

  “It’s actually a well-guarded secret,” smiled Ayman. “After enduring the long journey, all Mars astronauts have agreed that this little fringe benefit really makes their day.”

  “Or in our case,” Boronov interjected, “it makes our two years. It is, as the American say, icing on cake, I think?”

  “Icing on the cake?” Garrison reacted. “This is the whole darn bakery, Dmitri.”

  “Come,” Ayman put his hand on Garrison’s shoulder. “You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy this room. First, we need to show you the rest of the compound.”

  They exited the foyer and wandered back down the hallway. They opened a door, previously unexplored by Garrison, and turned on a light inside. This was not a room but instead a staircase which led down to a tunnel under the ground. The tunnel was lit by fluorescent lights mounted to the concrete ceiling. The walls and floor were also concrete and were sealed to maintain the pressure and oxygen needed by the astronauts. After walking for about thirty feet, a staircase took them back up to another closed door, which Ayman, leading the way, opened up for the three astronauts.

  As Garrison emerged from the door, he found that he was in a very large open room, clearly a workshop. There were tools and electronic devices of all different types. Workbenches complete with electrostatic discharge mats allowed the astronauts the ability to work on all types of electronics. A twenty-foot tall roll-up door was visible at the end of the building. Just inside the door was a vehicle which looked like a jeep but had four axles underneath the chassis. Each axle had two wheels on a side for a total of sixteen wheels. This was the Mars Terrain Vehicle or MTV. He recognized it instantly, as he had practiced driving prototypes through obstacle courses at the China Lake Naval Weapon Center just outside of Death Valley, California. He knew how this little vehicle could climb over boulders, and almost vertically up the sides of canyon walls, a useful ability, considering the vast number of cratered walls that would have to be encountered and handled on Mars.

  After a brief introduction to some of the equipment and safety procedures of the workshop, Ayman confessed that there would be much about this building that Garrison would have to become familiar with due time. Dmitri would provide him with full training on all of the facilities within the next month. During the three or so months of transition, there would be no scientific missions or planetary explorations in order to allow the new astronauts a full briefing of the cam
p.

  The group returned back down the stairway and then proceeded into a different corridor that Garrison did not notice during his first trip down the tunnel. It led to a bunker 150 feet below ground. The bunker was a huge cavern about 300 yards wide by 500 yards long. Despite its size, it was well-lit with a regular array of fluorescent lighting along the ceiling and walls. There were racks full of emergency supplies. Should anything go wrong on Camp Mars, the astronauts would be able to survive in the bunker for three months—long enough for a rescue mission to arrive and return the astronauts safely back to Earth.

  The most likely and devastating scenario for such an emergency was a meteor impact. Mars was situated very close to the asteroid belt, which made it particularly vulnerable to meteor impacts. Fortunately, the thin atmosphere was still sufficient to mitigate the threat of constant meteoric bombardment, so the odds of a meteor landing in the vicinity of Camp Mars were very remote. While the possibility of this event was certainly weighed by NASA early on in the planning of the Camp Mars project, there was still good reason to justify the 120 billion dollars that the mission has cost NASA since its beginning a couple of decades earlier.

  Ayman was proving to be an excellent tour guide, effectively showing Garrison the most important aspects of Martian living and working. They now returned to the workshop and suited up to go outside. Garrison was surprised at how quickly his fellow astronauts were able to fully suit up, and while he was finishing this laborious activity, the others had already rolled up the large garage door, fired up the MTV and drove it into the decompression garage.

  After Garrison joined them in this new room, Dmitri pressed a button on a control panel to close the garage door behind them. Then, pressing another button, a loud hissing sound indicated that the room was losing most of its precious oxygen. Once the valves and gauges of the pressurization system had detected nearly equivalent pressures inside and outside of the garage, a second roll-up door slowly elevated.