First Steps (Founding of the Federation) Read online

  Several raised their hands. "Okay Doctor Oxburg correct?" Doctor Zubrin asked. A white haired woman nodded as she stood.

  "One year to design, test, and fly a craft on an unknown rocket is impossible!" she glared.

  He chuckled. "Well, actually, we have most of the basic design specs already worked out in concept and even in blueprint form. We will even have mock ups, blueprints, and 3D models for each team to look over."

  She looked confused. "Second of all, we've snuck these craft into the wind tunnels and computer simulators for some time now. NASA even tested Mars Semi-direct hardware in the early 90's so we have that data to use as well. We only need the MAV to fly this year if there is a major problem with the design of the other platforms. Personally I don't foresee much difficulty in their design; they've been mocked up for over a decade." He nodded to her as she sat dumbly and then looked to someone else. "Next?"

  ...*...*...*...*...

  "We're designing the MAV, that's Mars Ascent Vehicle around the Orion Command pod," Mario explained to his group. Mario looked around the design team then nodded. "We're going to use as much off the shelf hardware as we can get away with. But, we want to save weight, so we're going to try to squeeze in some composites like carbon fiber where ever we can." He smiled to a pair of young men. "That is where Mister Oldstone and Forth come in; they have extensive experience with carbon fiber in aviation."

  Several people looked over to them. Forth raised his hand in hello. "Right, now the MAV doesn't need a large propellant stage, since it will be docking in orbit. It will dock with the ERV, which will then return the crew to Earth. Before entering orbit the crew will return to the Orion capsule, jettison the ERV, and dock with the ISS," Mario finished.

  "Um, why the ISS?" A woman in the back asked. "Can't they just land?"

  He sighed. "Well, there is some concern about contamination, so the powers that be decreed that the crew has to be quarantined at the station until they can pass a vigorous health check," he explained and then grimaced. "Trust me; none of us are looking forward to that part," he grumbled.

  Mario looked over the crowd of NASA, JPL, and international scientists and engineers and tried not to gulp. He felt like a piker, an outsider. Many of the men and women in the room had been in the space program for years, some for decades. "All right listen up. We are on an extremely short and terrifyingly tight deadline." He cleared his throat as the room settled down. "Now, most of you caught the overall lecture, and you have the hand outs in front of you. We have two weeks to redesign the Orion back to the five point five meter width, and somehow shoe horn in another two seats, with attending life support upgrades."

  The group began to mutter. A few stared at him. "Right, now....”

  A man with a crew cut stood. "You’re kidding right?"

  Mario gave him a long look. "No, I'm afraid not. Now...” The man shook his head. Mario sighed and looked at him. "Yes?" he growled. He seriously didn't need a pissing match or to get bogged down in the concept.

  "It's just, there is no way we can do that, redesign the entire Orion in two weeks? It took years to get where we are!" the man said, spreading his hands.

  Mario nodded. "Precisely why we are doing it in two weeks." He stepped around the podium to better face them. "You've got mountains of data, models, and tests to use. The initial design was for the five point five, there should be data on it," he said firmly. Several scientists nodded. "Most of you better consider living here; you’re not going home much for the next couple weeks." Several chuckled at that. "Seriously, not kidding. Nick is putting in some government issue trailers behind this building right now for us to crash in." The room quieted into disbelief once more.

  "And yes, there is overtime," he smiled at the various expressions. "But you all know the plan; we're going to do the impossible. Most of the work is done, we just have to dig it up and apply it. The vehicle is going to be launched with a lower stage, on an Uragan." Several murmured at that. "So no need of a crew escape system," he finished and then smiled. "See? Weight saved right there. We have one hour to go over the basic design. Then I have to split for another meeting," Mario sighed.

  "I've been in the Constellation program from the beginning. The CEV..." the man paused in expectation.

  Mario smiled. "Right, I know, Command Entry Vehicle I was watching the program." He waved. "Not a problem to get the acronyms sorted. Let’s move on. I've dug up the five point five Orion data, the original spec sheets are in front of you. Now, we have to modify the CEV for long term use on the Martian surface, plus entry for the crew from the ground...." Mario used the grease board behind him to start bullet pointing out the changes. After a few minutes people began to participate. He could feel the air charge with excited energy as they wrapped their minds around the idea of really doing this.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  "Although three lander legs are the minimum required, it is better to have four or even five," the engineer making the presentation said.

  Mario nodded for a moment then frowned. "Why five? I would think that four would be enough," he said cautiously.

  Nick nodded. "Yeah, we can save a lot on weight." He'd stuck his head in to check in on things.

  The engineer sighed. "Gentlemen, this is a case where more is really better. If one leg fails, then with four we have a chance of compensating. On a five legged vehicle it is much easier. On three? You topple over." The engineer used his soda bottle and a pair of pens to illustrate.

  Nick nodded. "Right, so compromise and go with four on the MAV's and five on the habs?" Nick asked.

  "The MAV's are top heavy; their center of gravity is higher. We should go the other way, but I can't see it."

  The engineer pulled up a cad drawing on the table top computer. The computer was a new addition; Nick had managed to get it and a few others out of Microsoft and Intel. They also had a couple rooms with poor man super computers nearby crunching numbers and running simulations. "The problem is weight and space on the MAV, if we have five legs it means we have to redesign the tanks on this side. That means either we have an odd shaped tank and loose fuel, or we have to shoe horn it into somewhere else and move it around."

  Another engineer shook her head. "Not going to happen, we are already building the first prototype in parallel to this design review, it can't be done without the schedule slipping big time. Not to mention everything else is where it is because it has to be there!" she said and then waved in anxiety. "The only things we can re-arrange are in the lower module. Not going to happen."

  Mario took a look and hummed. "She's right, it isn't possible. We could shift a few things here and here, but they are minor." He took the cad drawing and moved around system modules. He pulled out the tank then cloned a leg and moved it over. He spun the design with his hands, getting different views. Casey tapped the box at the top and the view split so they could see it from multiple angles at once.

  "Yeah, see, they won’t fit," Mario replied. "So we're stuck with four on the MAV. The hab is different you said?" he asked turning to the engineer. The engineer's nodded.

  "Anyway to go with five?" Nick asked.

  "Why?" Mario asked mildly, too mildly.

  "Now don't go riding up on me and turn into super Mario." Nick raised his hand. "In this case redundancy has its uses. You don't want to topple over with people inside. If we get a breech they could easily be killed."

  Mario grunted. "What is it designed for now?" he asked. He watched as the engineers changed the design to the Hab.

  "Four legs, but we have a little space here and here. If we shift these over this way..." They watched as the engineers pulled modules over and created a void. “Now drop a leg in, and cut the others legs down a little..." The cut the legs scale down a little.

  "Why cut them down?" Nick asked.

  "More legs mean less weight each has to support. So... We can do this," she said. The woman looked up and removed her hand to show the Hab with five legs.

  "Nice. Any con
flict with the ramps?"

  She looked the design over. "Maybe this one and this one if the legs articulate to far over." She sketched in a zone.

  "Can we compensate somehow?" Mario asked.

  “I don't see how." She sat back looking frazzled. She ran a hand through her unruly hair. "We fix one thing to mess something else up!"

  Mario smiled. "Not so fast. What about a floating hinge? Or a flexing hinge? Something that allows a little articulation at the joint to move the bottom of the ramp a little?" he asked.

  She nodded. "Could work. Do the habs have to have wheels?" she asked.

  Mario nodded. "Yes, we need to be able to move them together so we can link them up."

  She nodded. "Why not add some motors and walk them?" another engineer behind her asked.

  Mario shook his head firmly. "Not going to happen. Too much to add to do that. Wheels are simple. Stick with simple. Works for me every time." Mario didn't even look up. He was becoming infamous for taking the straight simple path in engineering discussions. "Besides once we hook the habs up, we can prop them up on blocks and pull the wheels for other things." Mario added. The engineers started to babble.

  Casey smiled. "I didn't think of that. Recycling... huh..."

  Mario chuckled as he looked up. "Folks hold it down." The room quieted. "You are all thinking in terms of one shot or one use application, I want you to step back from that. Look at the bigger picture. We want to use this hardware a lot, and we want to recycle some of it into other things once their primary job is done. The fuel tanks?" He waved his hand to them. "Great for storage." He waved to the rockets. "Rockets? We can make a lobber or hopper, or reuse them in the SSTO," he said and then smiled.

  "Or strap it on the back of a rover for a race car," someone in the back chuckled.

  "You saw that old movie? Plymouth?" Mario asked and then chuckled. "So did I. That was cool," he smiled. "Think about it folks. The wheels have to be big to support the hab, but once they are off, we can use them on a construction vehicle..." he said suggestively. The babble suddenly started again. He smiled. "I want everyone to think about that. Get me a recycling idea in your spare time. You all know my e-mail address." He waved. "I have to go."

  ...*...*...*...*...

  "Eight wheels? Are you people totally nuts?" Mario slapped the papers down then angrily flicked them onto the floor. Every time he thought he had a handle on something someone somewhere had to muck it up. He'd just gotten done with the MAV landing group and now this. One look at their render was all he'd needed. They had recycled the rover design from the Constellation program.

  "What moron came up with that idea? Do any of you geniuses know the whole Kiss concept? There is a reason we have a saying about Murphy folks, and every engineer should know it by heart." He glared at the assembled team. Several looked down at their shoes.

  "But, we designed it for the moon," someone in the back replied.

  "Now here this! We are not going to the moon!" Mario slapped the table. "And whatever possessed you to design the most complex piece of shit I have ever seen? There are so many points of failure it isn't funny! Each wheel has its own motor, its own tire, brake system, suspension, and axle... bearings GAH!" He threw his hands up in the air.

  He pointed to the back. “You get that guy from that Spike show on the horn. I want him in on this. The guy from Extreme four by four. He knows how to design a rig. Get him here and get him to show you how it is done. KISS people KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID! Four tires and a spare! Keep it simple!" Mario stomped out before he really started throwing a tantrum.

  Wanda met him down the hall. "Feel better?" she asked. He growled. "Hey." She grabbed him by the waist. He stopped and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Easy big guy, just breathe." He let out a long suffering sigh as people passed. He closed his eyes. "That bad huh?" she finally asked. Mario had been going all out, alone time together had evaporated. Hell, sleeping time had evaporated. He was catching naps on a couch. It was thesis and test time all over again.

  He shook his head. "You have no idea. It is like herding cats. Designing things with the most whiz bang gadgets that cost a mint and break down all the time," he sighed.

  "Yeah, that sounds bad," she said quietly. He squeezed her again then relaxed his hug. She smiled up at him. "Dinner tonight?"

  He nodded. "I don't know when I will be done, I have to deal with this mess, and then throw another tantrum in the lander design team's face."

  She smiled. "Well, I'll keep dinner warm." She gave him a lurking smile she knew would perk him up. It did.

  He returned the smile, and then kissed her. "Go on, get back to work. Go play with your rocks," he said gruffly. He patted her backside as she walked off.

  "That's sexual harassment you know," she teased over her shoulder.

  "Promises promises," he returned with his own grin.

  She grinned. "Later dear."

  ...*...*...*...*...

  "Mario is going to blow a blood vessel at this rate! Heard his rant yesterday?" Nick asked Luigi on the plane.

  "Yeah, I had to talk to him a little about it. I see his reasoning though; it is like working with kids," Luigi sighed.

  Nick blinked at him. To hear a twenty year old talk about people twice his age like that... it was an eye opening experience. "Hey now, we got it to work before!" Nick grumped.

  "Yeah, for a mint. We don't have that kind of budget. If he can get us a rover design that works, and costs less than a tenth of the cost of the current planned version?" Luigi asked. Nick nodded sobered. "That means we can send more." Luigi smiled. "More bang for the buck."

  Nick chuckled. "I'll have to remember that one."

  ...*...*...*...*...

  "The first missions are going to need a flat place with a lot of features nearby. I know Doctor Mackenzie is lobbying for the Shackleton crater, and Bob, you're after an equator landing, but I was thinking we land here."

  Bob looked at the chart. "Thirty degrees longitude by thirty degrees latitude... there's nothing there... Oh I see, flat." Bob looked at is and tried to see what his understudy was getting at. Luigi hadn't broken in the constant political circus. If anything he'd truly blossomed.

  "Yes, but look at this. If we map out the range of the rovers..." Luigi picked up a clear piece of plastic with a yellow rim around it and overlaid it, centering it over the landing zone. "You see? We are within range of Olympus Mons, Valle Marines, plus this entire section here. Most of these canyons look like water ways; we should get a good cut of geological time there. Within the marines canyon we should get an even better and deeper look at Martian history," Luigi explained.

  "Ah," Bob said softly. He took a look at the map, rubbing his chin.

  "It is also in the north, so we have fewer problems with southern dust storms, and we are not as exposed to solar radiation events as the southern equator is," Luigi added looking at his boss.

  "You’re going to have trouble building a base there, no hills to dig into," Zubrin cautioned. Mario nodded.

  "Yes, but with a good trencher we can dig a trench, then widen and deepen it as needed. We can take samples for the egg heads to drool over too," he said. He grinned at Wanda who wrinkled her nose.

  "The lack of hills will make it much easier to land the craft. If we place beacons out around the perimeter, we can form a landing zone to make guidance of follow on vehicles much easier," Luigi finished.

  "All right, go with that for now. The steering committee will have to have final approval though, but we need to get this programmed in a week, the first launch is in five weeks," Zubrin said as he sat back tiredly. "Damn, I can't believe we're really doing it this fast." He shook his head. "I was never sure we could do it in my life time," he admitted. Wanda chuckled.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Luigi looked over to the Senator and smiled. "Senator, it's a pleasure to see you again, how can I help you?" He was still feeling out the political side of things but kept a firm suave
appearance up.

  The Senator chuckled. "Well son, I was looking over your plan and I was curious. You’re not following the Apollo model?" Senator Kingsforth asked.

  Luigi shook his head. "The Apollo model called for a shotgun approach sir, we shoot the crews all over the place, they do a little science, then return. We are following the Antarctic model."

  The Senator looked confused. Luigi smiled. "At first the Antarctic was explored by the shotgun approach, but then Mcmurdo base was established. From it explorers centralized there, building a beachhead, and infrastructure to be able to explore every inch of the continent," the younger man explained, using his hands to help in his description. The Senator's face cleared.

  "Biggest bang for the buck?" he asked slyly.

  Luigi chuckled. "Yes sir, we want to give you and the tax payers your money's worth. We are hoping we can build a base that can support dozens of people, and allow them to explore the planet in detail."

  The Senator nodded. He wasn't at all sure about this, but it was interesting. The party was behind it and the Republicans were torn or in full retreat. "I'm still not sold on the package, but it does sound much better than the ninety day report or some of the other reports NASA has tried to pass," he said dryly. The kids were alarming, NASA was moving at truly breakneck speed. No one had seen such activity since the days of Apollo.

  Luigi sighed. "Yes sir, we've done our best to keep it simple, using as much off the shelf hardware as we can get away with." He waved to the model sitting on his desk. "So far so good, and with the international partners we should see some improvement in foreign relations as well."

  The Senator nodded. "All right, good to know, I am going to finish my tour, then I'll get back to you with some questions." The Senator shook his hand then motioned to Wendy who smiled slightly.

  "I'm looking forward to it Senator," Luigi called as they left.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  “Konnichiwa, Mister Ambassador,” Luigi bowed to the Japanese ambassador who had one heck of a poker face. He was starting to get used to the international position he now had. Playing tour guide was annoying but if it helped them in the long run...