Margaritifer Basin (Margaritifer Trilogy Book 1) (34 page)

(Chairman Stoddard) “Thank you, let’s move on. Senator
Grayson?”

(Sen. Grayson) “Thank you Madam Chairman, and thank you Dr.
Lú, most enlightening. Captain Grey, I’d like to follow up on that line of
testimony, if I may. Supposing just for argument’s sake that the regulatory
requirements for sample return were somehow met and the cost borne by, um,
someone other than you, would you then be willing to return samples?”

(Capt. Grey) “Senator, we would, of course, consider it. But
we can ill afford to invest the time in participating directly in what we
anticipate would be a regulatory review process of monumental proportions, nor
would we be interested in sample handling protocols of such stringency that the
time and effort involved would impose serious constraints on our ability to
perform the other goals we have set for ourselves. Thus, Senator, it would all
depend on, shall we say, the strings attached. And I might add, the regulatory
process, in my opinion, would be almost inconsequential compared to the
litigation that would surely follow. All of which is why we have no interest
whatsoever in pursuing this matter. But if someone else wants to, be my guest.
Just leave us out of it.”

(Sen. Grayson) “I completely understand and sympathize with
your position, Captain Grey. I’m curious, in response to an earlier question,
Dr. Frederick noted that you intend to land on Mars utilizing an MSL-like
lander? MSL, as we all know, is a robotic rover. How is this going to work?”

(Capt. Grey) “Well, since Commander Nolan will be piloting
the vehicle, I’ll let her explain it.”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “Senator, given the payload mass involved,
the MSL is, to date, the only platform with the demonstrated ability to perform
the task. In essence, we will simply replace the MSL rover with a crew module.
Assuming a successful landing of our habitat modules utilizing a bent biconic
lifting body aeroshell, that may well be another option. However, time
constraints for design and construction of a biconic crew lander effectively
preclude that option. So, we intend to go with what we know works.

“From orbit, we will utilize the native MSL cruise stage for
deorbit burn and entry alignment. After we are properly aligned on the TACAN
and have jettisoned the cruise stage, we will enter Mars’ upper atmosphere
wherein deceleration will occur due to atmospheric friction. Owing to its
offset center-of-mass, the capsule is steerable, similar to the Apollo command
modules, and, using the Reaction Control System, we will continually adjust our
course as necessary, homing in on the TACAN. When we have slowed to mach two,
the parachute will deploy, further slowing our decent. That will be followed by
jettison of the heat shield and backshell separation, and engine ignition and
deployment of the descent stage, eventually bring us into a stationary hover
approximately thirty feet above the planet surface. From there, the sky crane will,
we hope, gently lower us to the ground.

“By that time, our rover should already be on its way to us,
having been remotely informed of our landing position, and we will exit the
lander and, well, wait for the bus.”

(Sen. Grayson) “Commander, I stand in awe of your courage.
Are you really certain you want to do this?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “Senator, I wouldn’t miss it for the
world.”

(Chairman Stoddard) “Thank you. Senator Ellis.”

(Sen. Ellis) “Thank you Madam Chairman. Dr. Lú, I apologize
for continuing to harp on this issue of planetary protection, but it is one of
primary concern to both this body and the public. Isn’t it true that no matter
what precautions you might take, there is a distinct possibility of both
forward and backward planetary contamination, as analysis of parts returned
from the Surveyor 3 probe by Apollo 12 proved conclusively that bacteria can
survive in space for years?”

(Dr. Lú) “Senator, I would take exception with the phrase,
‘proved conclusively,’ as the ‘proof’ was anything but conclusive. There is in
fact no proof that the Streptococcus mitis found on the Surveyor 3 camera upon
its return to Earth was in fact present on the camera at launch. There were two
occasions following retrieval in which the camera was very possibly contaminated.
First, following retrieval by the Apollo 12 crew, the camera was placed in a
non-airtight nylon bag and subjected to the atmosphere – which the Apollo 12
crew was breathing – in both the lunar and the command modules. Second, NASA
admits that an instrument used to scrape samples for analysis from the camera
was subjected to a non-sterile environment during the process. As such, it is
very likely the Surveyor 3 camera was contaminated either during its return
trip to Earth or, more likely, during the analysis itself.

“Nevertheless, though the Surveyor 3 example is dubious, at
best, that certainly does not rule out the possibility of long-term bacterial
survival in space. Indeed, NASA’s Long Duration Exposure Facility demonstrated
that spores of Bacillus subtilis are capable of surviving completely
unprotected in space for at least six years, albeit with an attrition rate on
the order of four magnitudes or more.

“Thus, in response to your question, yes, both forward and
backward contamination are theoretically possible. Indeed, as I noted
previously, if we are to pursue manned exploration of Mars, forward
contamination is, in the final analysis, unavoidable and inevitable. However,
in my opinion, the question of backward contamination is less a function of the
likelihood that microbial organisms can survive in space, and more a question
of are there any organisms there to bring back? And it is our intention to
spend a year and a half on the planet answering that very question, first
hand.”

(Sen. Ellis) “So are we to understand that a substantial
portion of your mission will involve the search for life on Mars?”

(Dr. Lú) “Not in so many words. Our collective opinion is
that life on Mars does not exist, at least not on the surface where we will be.
Thus a ‘search’ for life, per se, we believe frankly to be a waste of time and
effort, not to mention money. Nevertheless, as we will not be returning samples
to Earth, we will of course thoroughly analyze many, many samples in situ, both
for geologic and biologic properties.”

(Sen. Ellis) “And if you do find something?”

(Dr. Lú) “At present, that is a question I cannot answer,
Senator. It would depend on what we found. One step at a time.”

(Sen. Ellis) “But you do acknowledge that discovery of some
life form on Mars that might present a serious hazard to Earth could spell your
doom?”

(Dr. Lú) “Of course. Senator, the exploration of space is a
risky business. This is only one of many, many potential problems that might
prevent our safe return to Earth. However, were any of us unwilling to accept
that risk, I am confident we would not be sitting here today. In any case, we
agree that our lives would be a pitifully small price to pay for the knowledge
that Mars is dangerous and mankind should think twice about going back.
Honestly Senator, we have no burning desire to become martyrs; we really would
like to come back. But if conditions on Mars necessitate a ‘Danger: Keep Off’
sign, we’re perfectly willing to be the ones to post it, even if it means lying
dead at the foot of it for the rest of eternity.”

(Sen. Stoddard) “Thank you. Like Senator Grayson, I too
applaud the courage of all of you, though I fear it may be foolishly misplaced.
Senator Sullivan.”

(Sen. Sullivan) “Thank you Madam Chairman. Dr. Frederick,
you noted previously that your goal this coming December is to conduct four
simultaneous launches and, presumably as many or more two years hence. Don’t
you think that many launches in such a short time frame might tax launch
facilities beyond safe limits?”

(Dr. Frederick) “No, Senator, I do not. First, we don’t
intend to conduct four simultaneous launches. The launch window extends from
December 7
^th
through December 15
^th
and, weather
permitting, our intention is to conduct one launch on the 7
^th
and the
remaining three on the 13
^th
through 15
^th
. Only one pad
will see two launches, Atlas Vs. Further, once the vehicles clear the gantry,
they will be handed over to our own Mission Control, with no additional
services required beyond radar tracking for about one and a half hours through
the orbital coast phase, and the upper stage reignites and inserts the payload
into a trans-Mars trajectory.”

(Sen. Sullivan) “You have your own Mission Control? You
won’t need Houston?”

(Dr. Frederick) “That is correct, Senator.”

(Sen. Sullivan) “Where is your Mission Control?”

(Dr. Frederick) “At our facility in Newport, Rhode Island.”

(Sen. Sullivan) “What about communications? I presume you
will require the services of the Deep Space Network.”

(Dr. Frederick) “Indeed we will. However, during the transit
phase, all payloads will be grouped together, comparatively close, in space
terms, and should require nothing more than pointing an antenna at them once a
day for a systems update. The same will hold true once we are actually on the
planet. This should present only the most minor of inconveniences to the DSN.”

(Sen. Sullivan) “What about when you are landing all these
payloads on Mars? Won’t you require several days of uninterrupted DSN support?”

(Dr. Frederick) “We’ll certainly take it if we can get it,
but it’s unnecessary. All our landers are equipped to communicate with one
another, as well as our Mars-based TACAN site, and are equipped with artificial
intelligence software programs that will give each lander the ability to
‘learn’ from the experience of the ones that have gone before. Thus, each
successive lander will possess the cumulative navigational, atmospheric and
surface condition data obtained through previous landings. We really only need
to land the first one, the rest can take care of themselves.”

(Sen. Sullivan) “And you are confident all this is going to
work as designed?”

(Dr. Frederick) “We are, Senator. We have run the entire
sequence from initial launch to final landing through literally thousands of
simulations, throwing everything at it but the kitchen sink. Barring mechanical
failures, it will work.”

(Sen. Sullivan) “Thank you Dr. Frederick. Captain Grey, this
appears to be an extremely ambitious but very well thought out operation.
Still, don’t you think you might be better off waiting a few years until a much
heavier lift launch vehicle is available to simplify matters and potentially
reduce the cost?”

(Capt. Grey) “That would certainly be nice. However,
Senator, in my opinion your assessment of ‘a few years’ is overly optimistic.
Space Launch System, Atlas V phases 1 and 2, Falcon Heavy, have all experienced
substantial developmental delays and continue to do so, owing to the cost of
development and, more to the point, the lack of demand. Indeed, as you are no
doubt aware, there is much discussion going on right now within the government
and NASA about whether or not to even proceed with the SLS.

“A launch vehicle that can lift 125 metric tons, or more,
into low Earth orbit is entirely unnecessary for ISS support or launching any
conceivable satellite. Further, the International Space Station’s days are
numbered. The only practical application for such a heavy lift vehicle is
manned exploration of the moon and beyond. And until such time as there is a
firm commitment to that, no one seems to have any real motivation to spend that
kind of R&D money. That said, ULA has indicated that an Atlas V phase 2 may
be available for our second launch sequence in 2016. But for now, they’re
understandably noncommittal. At present, the Falcon Heavy is it, and there are
very few of them available. As such and for the present, in the absence of any
viable alternative we plan to go with what exists now. And that being the case,
there is no point in delaying the mission.”

(Sen. Stoddard) “Thank you. Senator Fairchild?”

(Sen. Fairchild) “Thank you Madam Chairman. Mr. Grey, I
don’t mind saying that I’m a bit skeptical about your ability to pull all this
off. You are not a professional astronaut, in fact, you’re not an astronaut at
all. You’re a self-proclaimed CEO of an aerospace firm you created. What
qualifies you to lead such an ambitious and dangerous venture?”

(Capt. Grey) “Well, Senator, It’s my mission and I’m signing
the checks.”

(Sen. Fairchild) “And this government and the American
people are supposed to put their faith in that?”

(Capt. Grey) “Senator, I fail to see what the government or
the American people have to do with it. This is an entirely private venture;
funded, organized and led by me – not NASA, not Congress, not the American
people.”

(Sen. Fairchild) “Mr. Grey, perhaps you don’t understand.
The government owns space. For that matter, the government owns Mars. You don’t
make the rules, we do.”

(Capt. Grey) “Senator, first of all, there are 190-something
other independent nations on this planet that might take exception with your
position. Second, the United States government derives its authority from our
Constitution, which I have read. And Senator, I don’t recall seeing either
‘space’ or ‘Mars’ mentioned. The United States government has unquestioned
jurisdiction over U.S. airspace, but I doubt there are many that would argue
that envelope extends upwards to the far side of the universe. Besides,
Senator, as the Earth rotates, that area would change by the second.”