A Colony on Mars by Cliff Roehr Read Free Book Online Page A

sand. They dried it on the surface of the planet, they seemed to cure better and quicker when exposed to the UV rays on the surface. The cement blocks were then carried back inside. They where as hard as concrete and could be used in many ways. Some were used for building walls to give people the feeling of privacy. Because a man could easily lift heavier weights on Mars the standard size for cement blocks was the same length as those made on Earth but twice the width. By using these larger blocks steel reinforcement was unnecessary for wal s up to eight foot. Cement could be poured indoors but it took it several days to cure. When a floor was leveled in a cavern it was first leveled with dirt then covered with the blocks, it made for very attractive floors. It was a standard practice to add color to the blocks when the cement was being mixed. Blocks were manufactured in eight standard colors. The different colors served to break up the starkness of the caverns, that way everyone's house did not look identical to everyone else's house. They were even using the cement to make furniture. You could form a chair out of the cement then put inflatable cushions on the seat and the back,it could be quite comfortable and attractive when using contrasting or harmonizing colors.. Juan was interested in hearing al the things that Tim was learning in his daily classes.
    Tim, Carla and the rest continued with their daily routine for the next two months. Carla no longer had to attend classes but was doing some of the food preparation in the kitchen and stil serving and helping with the cleanup. Tim had finished his course and knew all the people on list 11 pretty well. They all seemed eager to learn al they could about each other and about the planet that would be their home. The instructors all seemed friendly and competent. They were speaking from first hand experience when they talked about living and working on the planet surface and in the caverns. The instructors liked their jobs because they earned excellent money and had lots of time off on the return trips to Earth. Most of them were already too old to be al owed to work on Mars again. Tim suggested to Carla that maybe they could be instructors on flights out to Mars after they had finished their stint working there. Carla said “Yeah, but they would have to hire both of us.”
    CHAPTER - Tim and Carla arrive on Mars
    September 28, 2107: Mars now loomed bright as they looked out through the port hole in their stateroom. It was mysterious and fascinating, they sat and stared at it for hours. They were notified by Damien their room steward to be prepared to disembark at 0800 the next morning. The Mars Orbiter was still not in view but they knew it was out there and the Captain was sure to find it. They were awakened by a loud clanking sound at 0345 They peered out their porthole and could see nothing but the planet rotating below them. It was an eerie feeling, like they were just hanging in space. Carla noted that the planet real y was Red. Carla went to work at her regular time but was told that al she had to do was serve at 0600 and they would handle the clean up. After breakfast they returned to their stateroom then went out and wandered in the hall. They had never seen the hall that crowded, everyone was out wandering. They were allowed to keep their work clothes which is what they were told to wear. Their meager luggage was turned over to the baggage crew to be off loaded to the orbiter. They were scheduled for 0800 departure. The Shuttle Craft which was much like the one that had carried them Las Vegas to the Earth Orbiter would be making round trips for the next week. When they boarded the Shuttle they noticed that it was designed more to ferry cargo than people. There were sixty people at a time loaded on to the Shuttle , Tim guessed that the others would have to wait for the Shuttle to deliver them to the surface then come back for more. They took a seat on a bench along one