A Colony on Mars (3 page)

At the Orientation they learned that the ship which maintained artificial gravity had started with 85% Earth gravity. They all acknowledged that they had noticed the reduced gravity and were fascinated by it. “Here is how it is going to work” explained the Government speaker. “We start at 85% but that wil diminish as the trip progresses. By the time we reach the two month mark of this journey we we wil have the gravity down to thirty five percent. That is in order to get you accustomed to Mars gravity gradually so it won't be as much of a shock to your system when you actually arrive there. Prolonged exposure to a gravity of less than 1.0 which is the gravity off Earth will cause stress on your body. This need not be a problem, at least not while you are on Mars but it could be when you return to Earth. You could have dizziness, problems maintaining your balance, nausea and disorientation for several months after your return. There are things that we can do to minimize the effects living in low gravity. After this meeting you wil be given a shot which wil strengthen your bones and muscles, you wil receive a stronger dose of that medication each month of your trip. You wil continue to receive the shots monthly during your stay in reduced gravity, while on Mars and on your return voyage. You wil continue to receive modified shots monthly for the first two years after your return to Earth. It is complicated but the human body tends to circulate blood differently in reduced gravity. The system you were born with was designed to function best at 1g but we have found that system can function just well at thirty five percent of 1g if the proper medication is administered on a regular basis. These shots wil help prevent you from developing osteoporosis and muscle degeneration as well as adjusting your blood flow to and from your heart and brain. Missing the shots could result in serious medical consequences so be sure to get your shot monthly. The shots alone wil not do it. You will be furnished with special vitamins that are to be taken daily. It wil be necessary for you to enter a special exercise room on Mars, and on this ship every day. These exercise rooms are equipped with artificial gravity and wil Increase gravity gradual y by 50% during the hour that you are using the exercise equipment. You wil do some high impact exercise like weight lifting and some low impact rapid movement exercise such as treadmil and bike riding at each session. You wil need to do these exercises on a daily basis. If you shirk these exercises or don't give 100% you wil be shortening your life expectancy considerably, particularly after your return to Earth. Perhaps some of you have already found the gym on this ship and thought, well that is a nice touch for the exercise nuts but it is far more important than that. The exercise is vital and necessary for your survival. Because of the gravity change that takes place exercise periods commence on the hour every hour so plan your day accordingly. You must slide your ID card when you start your exercise period. Anyone who goes 24 hours without exercising will be held accountable. Get used to it as you wil be doing it every day for the next ten years, or for however long you remain in low gravity. Just so you wil know the gravity on Mars is at thirty five percent. The lowest gravity that human beings can tolerate over an extended period of time is 33% so gravity is your enemy. Regular exercise, shots and vitamins are your friend.”

“Next I would like to discuss the matter of time and date. The time that we use on the ship and the time that is currently being used on the planet is Greenwich mean time and the calendar is the ordinary Earth calendar that you have used all your life. We use Greenwich Mean time based on the 24 hour clock. We do this because an ordinary wrist watch can provide you with this information instantly The 24 hour clock is also called military time. The United States military has used this 24 hour day for over two hundred years. Please never refer to AM or PM again when giving someone the time.”

Since humans seldom go to the surface of Mars and when they do, it is for only one hour or less at a time, it is more or less irreverent what time it is on Mars or what the date is. scientists have worked out a Martian clock and calendar. The display also gives the current temperature and wind speed. If you are planning work on the surface it wil be necessary to consult the Martian clock and calendar that has been posted in several places in the Government cavern and adjacent to each elevator. You can continue by the same time and date that you have always used. It is important that humans only go out on the surface when the weather is warmest and the light is best.

“It is inevitable that a certain amount of work wil have to be performed on the surface but it is important that you know that you can not even tolerate the surface for one second without suffering serious health consequences. Fortunately we have developed Mars suits which are similar to space suits in appearance but quite different in many ways. They are special y equipped to handle the outdoor conditions on the planet. While wearing one of these suits in the middle of the day a man can work on the surface for up to an hour under optimum conditions but in no circumstance is it safe to work outdoors in a Mars suit for more than an hour at a time without coming in and removing the suit for an hour before venturing out again. Twice a year there are winds that blow across the surface at speeds ranging from two hundred fifty to four hundred miles per hour. If you are caught in one of these winds you wil be found dead if you are ever found at all and it won't matter whether you are wearing a Mars Suit or not. So no one is allowed on the surface to do any kind of work without obtaining a slip from the project safety engineer. The average temperature on the surface of the planet is -55 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmest temperature ever recorded on the surface of the planet was eighty degrees. Mice introduced to the surface for even three seconds just explode. Don't think that you can venture out through an air lock even for a second it would probably be fatal. Surface conditions are constantly monitored by the project safety engineer who has been thoroughly schooled in determining when outside work can safely be performed ”

“You are each being given a vitamin box with the date on each compartment. You wil be given a new box a few days before the end of each month. You absolutely must take that days vitamins every morning after breakfast. It may be desirable to take vitamin supplements on Earth but on Mars it can mean the difference between life and death. If you find that you have missed a day then report immediately to sick bay for a shot. It is vitally important on Mars that you properly maintain a human body that was never intended to be there in the first place. We don't want you to feel any trepidation over the things I have just told you. If you go by the rules you wil be fine. You wil be able to return to Earth safe and sound.”

“Now for an interesting little demonstration of artificial gravity. My assistant on the platform above me is going to drop a rubber ball at my feet. Go ahead and drop the bal Fred.” The ball hit right in front of the speaker but instead of bouncing back straight up to him it careened off into the audience, coming down near the back of the room where a woman prepared to catch it. Instead of her catching it the bal hit the man two seats down from her in the chest. He picked it up and the speaker said, “great, now throw the ball back to me.” When the man threw the bal he was off by about 20 feet. “What does this demonstration tell us? We are in artificial gravity in a relatively small enclosure. Even though this ship is as wide as a footbal field and four times as long it is stil relatively small as space objects go. Artificial gravity behaves differently from planetary gravity. The larger the object the less difference there is between artificial and planetary gravity. On Mars which is a planet that generates it's own gravity the ball would behave more like it would on the Earth but not exactly. You will eventually adapt to the differences without realizing it but at first it will seem strange to you because by that time you wil have become accustomed to the way gravity behaves on this ship. This difference could cause some nausea and equilibrium problems in some people but it is not serious. It is a temporary condition, it wil pass. It is caused by the inner ear trying to adjust to the new environment. If it causes you too much distress go to sick bay. They will issue you some medication that may help.”

“Are there any questions at this time?” “Yes,” a woman in the audience asked. “I thought it took six months to reach Mars even when Mars was at it's closest point to Earth, how is it that this voyage is going to take only two and a half months?” “The six months and more voyages were based on launching a vehicle into space and then shutting down the engines and allowing the space vehicle to continue on to its destination at the speed that it had attained when the engines were shut down. On this craft the engines are never shut down because the ship is powered by nuclear energy. We wil continue to accelerate for about half the journey then wil decelerate for the second half. That reduces the travel time greatly. At the maximum that we wil reach on this trip the ship wil be traveling at about one hundred sixty seven mil ion miles per hour, about one fourth the speed of light. Mars is much too close to Earth to go much faster than that. We would run the risk of overshooting the planet entirely and leaving the solar system. A far more sophisticated ship than this is presently under construction that wil exceed the speed of light but at the speed of light it would stil take approximately four and a half years to reach the next solar system knows as Alpha Centauri.”

“(Alpha Centauri (R Cen / R Centauri) is the brightest star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Although it appears as a single point to the naked eye, Alpha Centauri is actually a system of three stars, one of which is the fourth brightest star in the night sky. Alpha Centauri is famous in the Southern Hemisphere as the outermost "pointer" to the Southern Cross, but it is too far south to be visible in most of the northern hemisphere. The two brightest components of the system are too close to be resolved as separate stars by the naked eye and so are perceived as a single source of light with a total visual magnitude of about S0.27 (brighter than the third brightest star in the night sky, Arcturus).”

“Alpha Centauri is the closest star system outside our own solar system, being 4.39 light-years distant, about 25.8 tril ion miles . Proxima Centauri, often regarded as part of the system, is 4.26 light-years distant. Alpha and Beta Centauri are the second closest pair of first magnitude stars as seen from the Earth, and due to the effects of proper motion, they wil become the closest pair around 2166, overtaking Acrux and Becrux”.

“There being no more questions this orientation is adjourned. Be sure to pick up your vitamins on the way out, also be sure to visit the gym for your workout, on the hour, at some point that fits your schedule during each 24 hour cycle.”

The orientation lasted just over an hour. “Wel said Carla I guess I should take my vitamins for star date whatever it is.” “No, you are supposed to take those after breakfast, remember, we should start tomorrow.” After their workout and a lite dinner they returned to their room. By this time they had forgotten all about needing a nap, besides they would have to go to bed early if Carla was to be in the kitchen at 0400 to begin training.

“Training, that is a laugh, why don't they just call it what it is KP duty?”

“Oh, wel , Carla I might luck out and they may teach me how to nail 2x4's together.” They had intended to check out the coffee bar and day room but opted to watch a movie on TV, then turn in for the night. They found that could just select “Movie” on their remote control then a list of over three hundred movies were available, Including the latest releases that were just now reaching the box office. It didn't matter which movie they selected, they fell asleep almost as soon as it started.

July 8, 2107: Carla was kind of amazed when she arrived at the kitchen the next morning. She was directed to a classroom adjacent to the kitchen where she could watch what was going on in the kitchen through a large window. Within five minutes the room attracted twelve other students who began to get acquainted with one another. This was important to her because she knew that these were the people she would be working with for the next ten years of her life. Carla introduced herself to a couple of the others but mostly just listened as one after the other talked about their backgrounds in food service and how they had come to be here. She caught a few names but didn't concentrate on doing so because she would know each of them very well in due time.

About 0410 a man in cooks whites entered the room, he was a medium built man of about 40 “Good Morning Students, my name is Don Morino. I am a member of the ships crew not a member of the kitchen staff. My job is to provide you with the necessary instruction to enable you to hit the ground running when you arrive at your duty station.” The first thing he did was to introduce one of the students as their new mess boss. The woman's name was Hilda Gorman, she would be in charge of the kitchen operation for the employees of Mars Colony, Inc. “Hilda wil during this voyage select four of you to be head cooks. She wil also select three crews of three cooks each from the rest of you. So Hilda would you like to address your crew before we get started?” “I don't have much to say at this time but the other students should know that for the last nine years I have been employed in the kitchen of a major hospital. I am married. My husband has also been hired by The Company because of his background as a hydrological engineer for mining operations throughout the Northeast. We obviously have no children or we wouldn't be here. I have a BA degree as a dietitian from Arver college. I went to work for Central State Hospital in Trenton right out of college. I worked my way up from the bottom. When I left to take this job, I was in charge of the entire food service program of the hospital. I am pretty well qualified to have the position that I hold and I hope that I can adapt to the conditions we find on Mars, I hope we all can.”

When Hilda sat down Don continued “I guess I owe you an apology, you are going to have some problems when you first arrive on station. Your kitchen and dining room is in the hold of this ship, it wil have to be installed after you arrive. Until then you will be using an army field kitchen that is also in the hold of this ship but can be set up quickly. I am having the field kitchen brought up here one piece at a time so I can teach you how to use each item to feed three hundred hungry people. Your refrigerator and freezer space will be shared with the Government kitchen that is presently operating. Their mess officer has agreed to accommodate you to the best of his ability but expect some problems as they don't have that much refrigeration space to spare. You will have to serve a lot of canned and dehydrated food until your facilities are functioning.”