"Kevin J. Anderson -1993- Assemblers of Infinity (v1.0) (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anderson Kevin J)

Assemblers of Infinity - [1993]
by Kevin J. Anderson & Doug Beason



PART I - GRISSOM MEMORIAL PROPOSED

A space activist group, "The Future Today," has presented the Newsnet Access Service with seven different concepts for a memorial to be erected in honor of the Grissom station, which was destroyed on 17 October 2007. All seven of the designs in some way incorporate either the names or the likenesses of the two astronauts killed in the disaster that shocked the nation.

Ramona Gonzales, spokesperson for The Future Today, claims that her organization has already selected several candidate sites for the proposed memorial, including the Challenger Foundation; the Johnson Space Museum in Houston, TX; the International Space Museum in Alamogordo, NM; or the Tourist Center in Cape Canaveral, FL.

"This tragedy affected our public mind-set more deeply than anything since the Challenger explosion," Gonzales said. "It hasn't been hard for us to obtain donations. People want to erect such a memorial. It means a lot to them."

United Space Agency Director Celeste McConnell, whose husband was killed in the accident, appeared lukewarm about the idea, however. McConnell said, "What we should get out of this disaster is a lesson, not a statue."

--FINAL FRONTIER, on-line access date April 2014.


*SIMULATED MARS MISSION MARKS 300-DAY ANNIVERSARY*

The "practice" mission for a manned voyage to Mars passed the halfway point of its Antarctic isolation yesterday. Crewmembers opened special packages of treats and celebrated by sending a general message to the people of Earth.

Bingham Grace, commander of the practice mission, gave his assurances that everything was going according to schedule, though he admitted that "my people are starting to get a little anxious for the real thing."

After orbiting Earth for three months to simulate a trip to the red planet, the crewmembers landed at an isolated base camp in Antarctica, where they are required to survive using only the equipment available to them on Mars. In another 300 days, after successful completion of their Antarctic simulation, the crew will blast off again for another three months in Earth orbit, to simulate the return trip to Earth.

The crew will use the Mars Simulation facility on the Moon in two years, to refine training in the much harsher lunar environment. The thirty day lunar stay is intended to be the final training mission before the expedition to Mars.

Though the tedious-sounding practice schedule has received attacks from critics who claim it takes too long and costs too much, United Space Agency officials insist that "it is the safest and most cost-effective way to ensure a successful mission to Mars." A high-ranking official said, "It's like practicing in a swimming pool before diving to the bottom of the ocean."

-- freelance space agency newsrelease, picked up by AP, UPI, and CNN Associated Newsnets


*CHAPTER 1* - MOONBASE COLUMBUS

The helium-3 processing plant looked like a lunar rover thrown together by a committee of abstract artists.

Standing two hundred meters away, Jason Dvorak recognized the large wheels and the heavily shielded nuclear power unit. Triangular heat radiators the size of old ship sails jutted up and out at an angle, giving the impression of a stegosaurus lumbering across the crater floor.

The front of the He-3 processor opened up in a cylinder of diamond-tipped teeth used for scooping and grinding the top layer of moon dirt, or regolith; at the opposite end, a jumble of hot debris was deposited like excrement.

As the leviathan crawled along the surface, swallowing regolith, Jason felt pressure on his spacesuited arm. He turned and, in a habit he could not seem to shake, looked at the reflectorized spacesuit visor of his companion before glancing down to the namepatch. Never look at the face to recognize someone outside, he kept telling himself. After a year, you'd think he'd be used to it.

Cyndi Salito's contralto voice came over his speaker. "You haven't moved for minutes, Jase."

"Can't help it." Jason turned back to the mobile processor. "I can't believe it's finally working. You beat your deadline by a week. This'll really look good for us. Especially for me -- two weeks in command and already I have a major milestone to show off." And it's a miracle the base hasn't fallen apart, he added to himself. He still couldn't figure out why the space agency director, Celeste McConnell, had named him -- an architect, of all people -- commander. He was still getting used to the title.

"If it's working," corrected Cyndi. "The ten metric tons of dirt it's processing should yield a hundred milligrams of He-3. If the wizards back dirtside keep their part of the bargain, we could have a working fusion plant by early next year. We're due to receive another proton transmission from the Nevada Test Site next month."

"I'll turn this place into a resort yet." Jason laughed.