Margaritifer Basin (Margaritifer Trilogy Book 1) (14 page)

“But that was designed for a lunar
landing. How are you going to land it on Mars?”

“Well, it would require some
modification – chutes, bigger engine, more fuel – but it could be done. We’d
load it into the cargo bay of a lifting body then, like the rest of the cargo,
shove it out the back, or something like that, pop the chutes to slow it down
and get it vertical, then light the main engine and let Abby fly it down.”

Abby threw him a stunned glance,
“Huh?!”

Jeff turned and smiled at her, “You
didn’t think I hired you just to decorate the bathrooms, did you?”

“Oh good lord.”

He turned back to Gabe, “I’m
thinking only load it with enough fuel to get down, then refuel for the ascent
on the surface. That would save a lot of weight and make the descent much
easier.”

“Hmmm. Now I kind of like that
idea. And it’s been done, sort of.”

“The big problem with a LM or Altair-like lander is
the development time… and cost. I’m not the least bit convinced it could be
done in four years. The simple solution would seem to be an MSL-style lander
and an entirely separate, rather simple ascent vehicle. That should also save a
lot of weight. Hell, we may not even need to pressurize it. We’d have to suit
up to get into it, but we’d likely only be in it for a couple hours at most.
Basically, just a box on a rocket engine with a reaction control system and
guidance.”

“Hmmm, it’s a thought.”

Jeff clapped his hands together,
“Let’s take a break, I’m hungry. How about some lunch.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good
idea.”

Abby leaped out of her seat, “It’s
about freakin’ time. Come on Sue, let’s raid the fridge.” And the two of them
headed upstairs in a hurry.

As Gabe started out, Jeff gently
put his hand on her shoulder and she turned back to him. “Thank you for coming
back.”

She smiled softly, “Yeah.” As she
walked to the door she said over her shoulder, “I have learned one thing.”

Jeff started after her, “What’s
that?”

“You’re not crazy.”

Jeff chuckled. “May I have that in
writing?”

They put together a lunch of cold
cuts and salad, fresh sourdough bread and iced tea. It was a pleasant June day
with a light breeze coming off the Atlantic Ocean and Jeff suggested they eat
on the patio.

“This is just so incredibly
beautiful,” said Susan as she sat a tray on the table, absorbing the view.

“Yes it is. Alas, we’re going to
scar it a bit here pretty soon.”

“Huh?”

“As soon as I can get the permits
signed off, I’m going to build a pool here, right off the patio.”

Abby paused between bites, “Oh,
wow. That’ll be nice.”

“It’s been a bit of struggle, but
I’m hopeful we can get started in a few weeks. There has been some concern by a
few folks about me messing with Olmsted’s landscaping, particularly since this
was the first house, of many to come, that he and Hunt collaborated on. But,
that’s why we’re going to put the pool right here since there’s nothing but
grass. And if some future owner wants to return it to full originality, all
they’ll have to do is fill in the hole and lay out some sod. All done.”

“Gonna have a hot tub?”

“Oh, you bet.”

Without looking up from her meal,
Gabe asked, “How long have you lived here?”

“About four weeks.”

They all looked up in shock, “Four
weeks?”

“Sorry, guess I hadn’t mentioned
that. Yeah, I just bought the place two months ago and have been working
furiously to get it in shape. You’re my first houseguests.”

“Was it furnished?” Abby asked.

“Nope. Completely empty.”

Gabe tilted her head toward Jeff,
“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure. Fire away.”

“How did you make your money?”

“Ah. Uh, oh. I promised you there’d
be no more surprises, but I hadn’t thought of this since it, I dunno, it simply
hadn’t come up.” Jeff sat back and rubbed his chin, “I’d like to say
great-grandpa was a railroad tycoon, or I’d invented a new kind of light bulb,
or had been a casino developer in Las Vegas, but it wasn’t quite so noble. Fact
is, I won the lottery.”

The women bolted upright, mouths
agape, eyes wide in speechless astonishment.

Jeff looked around the table
smiling and raised his right hand, “Absolute truth. You probably heard of the
big Mega Millions jackpot paid out in California a couple months ago?”

Abby dropped her fork on the plate,
“That was you?”

“Yep. That was me.”

“Holy shit!”

Gabe stared at him and shook her
head, “For once, that’s an understatement.” Slowly her shock turned to puzzlement.
“But…” she paused, cautiously exploring her thought, “… that would mean you’ve
done all of this – the house, the Mars mission plan, the aerospace company,
everything – in just the past two months?”

He smiled and nodded, “That’s
right.”

“What did you do… before?”

“Taught earth science at a middle
school in Long Beach.”

Gabe sat shaking her head, “That’s
incredible.”

Given their earlier experience,
Jeff got a bit apprehensive, “You’re not pissed at me again, are you?”

She smiled and laughed softly, “No.
No, I’m not. Just amazed.”

Jeff sighed and said half under his
breath, “Well, that’s a relief.”

“With all that you have now, why are you doing
this? Why risk it all, even your life?” Susan asked.

Jeff leaned his head over and
rubbed his temple. “Now there’s a very good question; one that I’ve asked
myself several times a day for the past month. I don’t know as I have a good
answer. I’ve heard stories over the years of people winning the lottery and
blowing it all and ending up deep in debt within a year, or stuffing it in the
mattress and doing nothing at all, or retiring to a life of seclusion on some
Greek island. But I always thought that if I ever had that kind of money, I’d
want to really do something. I don’t mean donate it all to charity or something
like that, but personally do something. Do something that no one else has done
or was willing to do, but needed to be done and could make a difference. Make
an impact. I don’t think it’s a noble gesture kind of repay society thing, and
it’s certainly not seeking fortune and glory. Like you said, I’ve already got
that and now I’m prepared to throw it away. It’s just that I want to do
something, and this is it.”

“Why a manned mission to Mars? You
couldn’t find anything easier to do?” Gabe asked.

They all laughed.

“Probably. I don’t think I looked hard enough.
Actually, what sparked the idea was the Mars Science Lab. I’ve always, since I
was a little kid, had an interest in the planets and space flight. I was just a
kid when Apollo 11 landed on the moon and I don’t have any clear recollection
of it, but I remember the excitement. And it’s always been my hope that we’d go
back, sooner rather than later. And beyond that, I’ve always hoped that we’d go
to Mars while I was still around to see it. When the MSL launched, as
interesting and exciting as it was, I couldn’t help but think, all these years
and these billions of dollars just to send a robotic tractor up there to search
for signs of extinct bacteria? Can’t we do any better than that? So, I thought
about it for a while and decided, okay, if nobody else wants to do it then I’ll
do it. Besides, it seemed like a good way to meet interesting people.”

They all chuckled. “And how’s that
working out?” Abby asked.

Jeff looked around the table at
each of them. “Well, so far so good.” He pushed back from the table. “Everyone
get enough to eat?” All appearing satisfied, “Okay, shall we re-adjourn to the
dungeon?” And, turning to Gabe, “I’d guess you still have a lot of questions
that I probably can’t answer.”

She grinned, “A few.”

They cleared the table, leaving
things in the kitchen for later and took their time walking back down to the
conference room. Jeff ambled to the dry-erase board where he and Gabe had left
off with the idea of utilizing Gemini capsules, and tried to retrieve his
earlier train of thought. Abby and Susan took their seats, but Gabe stood
behind them, just thinking.

Finally, she took a deep breath,
“Before we get back to that, can I ask a question about something you mentioned
earlier today?”

Jeff turned around, “Sure, ask
away.”

“It’s about what you said about one
of us having a child on Mars.”

He blinked hard and cleared his
throat, “Ah, yes. That would be a subject best not swept under the rug and left
for later. Okay. Have a seat.”

They both took their seats and Jeff
pondered his response.

“I suspect your question is,
‘Why?’”

Gabe nodded, “That would be a good
start.”

“Well, as much as I hate to answer
a question with a question, my best answer is: Why not?” Jeff didn’t really
expect Gabe to reply, and she didn’t. “Okay, I’m not trying to be facetious or
frivolous, but the fact is we know almost nothing about conception, birth and
childhood development in space. Scientific literature on the subject
effectively doesn’t exist. Why? Because no one has ever done it, at least, not
so far as we know. There was a married couple that went up on the shuttle, may
have spent some time on the ISS, I don’t recall, and they may have exercised
their conjugal rights. But if they did, NASA’s not talking about it. In any
case, so far as conception and childbirth is concerned, hasn’t happened. The
Russians and Japanese have conducted a couple of studies on rats and mice, but
they’re hardly conclusive of anything. So what we have is this vast void of
factual knowledge and any – any – discussion of the subject is purely
hypothetical. Nobody really has any clue. Is conception possible in space? The
consensus seems to be, yes. Up or down, forward or backward, doesn’t seem to
make much difference.”

They all grinned and Abby nodded
her head, “Works for me.”

“Fetal development? We don’t really know. There are
some theories that low or microgravity may have implications for nerve and
inner ear development. But no one knows the extent, if any, or the
gravitational threshold between normal and abnormal development. It’s all just
guesswork. Childbirth? Well, baby’s got to come out. Shouldn’t be a real
problem, one way or another. Early childhood development? Well, there certainly
may be problems, particularly in a microgravity. A child would likely have
difficulty righting themselves because they’d have no concept of balance. But
in a reduced gravity such as Mars? Who knows? Mars may be enough but not the
moon. Again, we just don’t know because no one has tried it. But it’s a pretty
sure thing that someday, someone will. So, if we’re going to be the first ones
there: Why not?”

Gabe audibly expelled a breath and
shook her head. “But what of the child? Is the risk of long-term irreversible
damage one you’re willing to take?”

Jeff bowed his head and rubbed his
chin, “That is the real moral dilemma, isn’t it? Look, I’m not an utterly
uncompassionate ogre. There are enormous moral, ethical, philosophical, and
probably legal and religious implications, and I don’t have all the answers. Is
it possible that you could bear a child on Mars that is severely and
permanently handicapped in one form or another and we return to earth to become
pariahs, social outcasts? Yes, it is possible. But then again, we may return to
earth with a beautiful child, like no other in the galaxy… and all the answers
to all the questions.”

“But what gives you the right to
play God?”

“Because I’m the one that’s going.
I’m the one that raised my hand and volunteered for the job. What’s going to
happen if we put this to a committee? A convocation of all the high priests of
philosophy and religion and science? Can you picture this debate in the United
Nations? Or, worse yet, the United States Congress? They’d be wearing cobwebs
before they even agreed on the terminology. Let’s face it; some matters simply
need to be decided by a benevolent dictator. And on this mission, that would be
me. So, to answer your question, yes, I am willing to take the risk. There are
no guarantees. Hell, there’s no guarantee we’re even coming back. But I’m
willing to accept that risk too.”

Gabe turned to Susan, “Your field,
what do you think?”

Susan grimaced just a bit and shook her head, “I
don’t know. Jeff is correct, nobody knows, and this isn’t a problem that can be
solved with calculus and Newton’s Laws. Years and years of research in space
with lab animals right up through primates may give us the answers we need, or
it may not. Human physiology is remarkably complex, but it’s also remarkably
resilient. No other species possesses our capacity to adapt – mentally,
emotionally, or physically. I grant, the thought of flipping a coin on a
child’s future is terrible beyond measure, but how else do we find out? How
else do we answer the question?”

Gabe gently fell forward, landing
her forehead on the table with a soft ‘thud’.

Jeff leaned around to glimpse her
face, “You alright?”

“Calculus I understand, people I do
not.”

“That’s
okay, you’ll get used to us.”

“Um, I do
have one other question, have you given any thought to where on Mars we might
be going?”

Jeff
smiled. “Ah, now there’s a good question. Indeed I have. I’ll show you.” He
grabbed a roll of poster-sized papers off the counter and unrolled them on the
table. The first sheet was a high-resolution gray-scale image of Mars surface
with a couple dozen red and yellow circles drawn at various points. “Recognize
it?”

Gabe
shrugged. “It’s a THEMIS night IR image, but I don’t recognize the location.”

“The
Margaritifer Basin, at the upper end of the Morava Valles.”

She
nodded. “Oh, okay. MSL site 19.”