Chapter 3.2 - 2168 (Part 2) V2.1

Two weeks later and several million kilometers from Pasadena, on LaGrange Deep Space Station, number Four, Robert Scott and his partner Mynah ran the last dockside and captive tether tests of test vehicle number one. The drone was programmed to use its fusion engine to accelerate at 2.5g. The test vehicle was designed to verify the results of the lab experiments using the newly discovered artificial gravity technology. If it worked, the future of interstellar exploration would be drastically changed. They had enough confidence in the system that they were simultaneously installing the grav plate system in the unmanned probe drone as well as in the cruiser. Project watermelon was the design and fabrication of the FTL drive modules. Like the grav test, one trio of Scott–Mittal drive units were being constructed for the drone and one trio for the cruiser. Much of the work had been done in the newly constructed high-security facility which had been secretly built underground and out of view of the eyes in the sky not far from Scott's lab. The first test flight of the drone was scheduled for the next morning, 0600, station time.

In the control room of the classic doughnut-shaped LG-4 station, the team prepared the first free flight profile for test vehicle number one. The low RPM spin of the station provided just enough artificial gravity to keep the occupants healthy. The water filled walls of the storm cellars on each level provided just enough shielding in case of a solar flare or other cosmic ray event. If the Scott-Mittal system worked, spinning stations like it would become obsolete...

Mick and Mynah were at the two telemetry stations. Mick was controlling Test Vehicle-1 while Mynah was remotely controlling the power to the grav plates. Doctor Scott was standing behind the two attempting to orchestrate the test plan in a coherent manner. Standing in the corner pretending to be something he was not was Li Chen, the Chinese Hegemony observer. In accordance with their treaty obligations, the NAA has graciously allowed him to observe the test of the new technology. It was a fun kind of game where they know that he knew, that they know, that he was MSS-7; this game had been played since Cain first spied on Abel...

Doctor Scott looked at all of the data screens and then said to Commander McKenzie. "With station permission, we'll release the tether and proceed."

Colin smiled and answered loudly. "Permission granted!"

Doctor Scott nodded. "Okay Mick, on my mark, three, two, one, mark!"

Mick tapped the screen and responded. "Vehicle free. Thrusting to station keeping at one kilometer."

Mynah scrolled through several screens at her station. "Power nominal, grav set plates to warm idle."

It took about 20 minutes for the small test drone to use its pressurized gas thrusters to move a thousand meters North of LG-4. When it was established at the designated location, Mick said to his friend. "Okay Doc, whenever you're ready."

Scott looked at Mynah and nodded. She scanned her readouts one more time and said. "All nominal here, ready as we'll ever be."

In the background, Li Chen marveled at the efficiency of the team but also thought of his disapproval of the lack of respect of hierarchy and the informality of the subordinates to their superiors!

Scott then said glibly as if to reinforce Li Chen's observation "Okay, babe. Press the red button on three, two, one, mark!"

With that, nothing happened. Mynah stood up, smiled and said. "One g and steady. No fluctuations, vehicle stable. We got it!"

The room erupted in muted cheers. Li Chen remained in stoic silence at his station in the back of the small room. The ocular implant which had replaced his left eye recorded everything...

After ten minutes of observing the stable artificial gravity field on TV-1, Doctor Scott proceeded with the test run. "Okay folks, just like we planned. Run her through the wringer."

The station had no day or night, but there were clocks which from a long-standing tradition lost to history were synchronized to the time zone of Houston. At 0200 hours station time, the final test sequence was completed and Mick finally announced to the tired team. "Vehicle docked and secured."

A very tired Doctor Scott simply said. "Thanks, people, this went better than we could have hoped. We'll start up at 1300 hours station time tomorrow, good night."

With that, he put his arm around his brilliant wife and said. "Thanks, hon, I think we had a good day's work."

Mynah returned the smile and kissed him on the cheek.

The next morning Scott, Mynah, McKenzie, and Mick met in the dining area of the station. The food was not bad, but it was not good. Everything was recycled, reconstituted, and reused. It was hard for most people to tell the difference between the vat-grown chicken and the beef. At least the beer was good. There was a fine tradition on the manned stations and moon bases to compete for bragging rights to the solar system's best off-planet brew. The four team members would have to wait until that evening to sample LG-4's pale ale, for their morning meeting they were stuck with something which was masquerading as coffee.

As they sat down at the small dining table, Scott started the conversation to break the ice and avoid immediately diving into the usual tech talk and work discussions; he asked Commander McKenzie. "Colin, how was your leave in Toronto last month?"

Colin smiled as he answered. "Very good sir seems to get a bit colder every year. The lake did not melt 'till late July this year. But we Canucks are a tough lot; the old saying is that more snow just keeps the beer cold for free!"

Mick, who'd been born in what was now the home of the Earth's latest ice age in northern Scotland had to disagree. "That's what we Scots said until the Lochs began to glaciate again; damn solar cycle!"

By this time, Mynah had to break in. "Do you know that there are some people who still insist that all of the ice is just a pause in global warming!" She picked at the artificial scrambled eggs on her plate, they were a little too green...She then went on. "At least some of the climate change has made some of the former desert areas of Africa and Southwest Asia more suitable for farming over last hundred years or so..."

Scott shook his head, not wanting to re-open the discussion about why science was never open to a consensus or a vote. He thought to himself. ...and the consensus has always been that faster than light travel was impossible...

Back to business, Scott said. "Mynah and I are set on our end, Colin, Mick will you and the station crew be ready for free flight test number two?"

Colin looked at Mick who nodded yes and then answered. "Yes sir, right as scheduled."

"Great, we're looking forward to moving ahead with the test series."

Mynah smiled, placed her hand on Robert's and observed. "It's amazing to watch what everyone has accomplished in so little time on the most revolutionary technology ever invented."

Scott laughed and whispered. "Second most revolutionary technology." He then continued in a low voice. "All that being said; whatever the climate of our beautiful planet is doing, the local alternatives like Venus, Mars, Titan, and Europa are all pretty marginal. Maybe, just maybe we can find something out there with potential..."

They finished their meal, placed their trays in the recycle slots and left the Dining Hall. On his way out of the room, McKenzie noticed Li Chen quietly sitting at a corner booth, watching them.

At 1300 hours station time, the team reassembled in the cramped control room. Doctor Scott made a point to greet Li Chen. "I trust your accommodations are adequate Doctor Chen?" Scott knew that Chen's Doctorate was fictional, but played along with the farce. Li Chen answered. "Yes, thank you, Doctor. Our stations are not; how shall I say, so elaborate with the creature comforts..."

"Very well then, as was discussed at the briefing, today's test will be another free flight of TV-1. Please feel free to ask any questions."

"Thank you, Doctor, I will."

At the test and telemetry station Mick, Mynah, and Colin were verifying system status and conferring with local traffic control. It would not do to have a drone go out of control and collide with another vehicle manned or otherwise. As Doctor Scott returned to the test station Colin said. "Doc, the traffic manager requests that we move from fifty klicks to seventy before starting the test. Seems that traffic density is just a little high today."

"No problem, so let's get underway as soon as we can."

Colin tapped his sub-vocal communicator twice and nodded as he spoke to the traffic control section on a discrete frequency, and then said to Mick. "Major Jones, your clearance is to 72 kilometers, vector 270, mark 30. You are cleared to undock and initiate thrusters."

The navigation convention of 2070 established rather arbitrarily that north was the line from Sol to the Galactic center and that up was above the plane of the ecliptic towards Polaris. The course issued would put TV-1 west 72 kilometers, and thirty degrees above the plane of the ecliptic, well out of any in-system traffic.

A couple of hours later, Mick announced to the team. "Vehicle in position, thrusters at station keeping; ready to initiate test run."

Robert leaned over Mynah's station, kept his hand on her warm shoulder and asked in a low voice. "Are we ready babe?"

She grinned and answered in a whisper. "Sure are darlin'" She affectionately squeezed his hand.

In his best loud command voice, Doctor Scott asked the assembled technicians and Fleet personnel. "Okay team, go-no-go on test run number two."

Mynah answered first. "Systems-go!"

Mick was next. "Telemetry and guidance-go!"

Colin answered from the main console. "Station and traffic-go!"

Doctor Scott then said once again to Li Chen's annoyance. "Okay then, on my mark, press the red button. Three, two, one, mark!"

As with the last test, nothing happened at first. The test vehicle remained at station keeping. Mynah looked at her readout and announced. "Grav fields steady at 0.9g."

Scott smiled and said. "Okay, we'll keep to the plan; station keeping for 30 minutes, then we'll check field stability, power consumption, and temperatures."

The next phase of the test was to run the grav field up from minimum to the design maximum of 10g. At 10g all the human body could do was strain against the gravity and try to remain conscious. Early in the development of the project, Mick had asked Robert. "Doc, why do you have the design specs set so high?"

Doctor Scott looked distant as he answered. "Mick, it's a future, um, possibility. If the propulsion guys do half of what they promise, we may have engines which actually thrust at 10g. Not much good to the crew if they are all stuck to the floor..."

"Och, I see wha' you mean if we thrust with that much power we'll need the internal field to be equal to the maximum thrust.

Scott smiled, "you got it, but keep that under your hat okay?"

All of the static test runs went as planned. Some of the temperatures reached the top of the green zone, but all were within acceptable tolerances. At about 2000 hours station time, the team re-assembled after 15 minutes off. Doctor Scott asked. "Okay folks, thanks for the quick break. If everyone is ready we'll let her fly!"

The go-no-go litany went around the room and Doctor Scott finally said. "Major Jones, the vehicle is yours. Clear for the full envelope profile."

Over the next two hours, Mick remotely piloted the test vehicle at all available thrust levels, attitudes and internal gravity fields. The test results were all nominal or better.

At 0130 hours, a tired Mick brought the drone back to its dock and announced. "Vehicle docked and powered down."

Doctor Scott smiled. "Thanks again everyone, great job. Commander McKenzie, with your concurrence, I'll inform Fleet that my recommendation is that we proceed with manned tests on the Feynman."

Colin smiled and said. "Agreed..."