A Step Beyond by Christopher K Anderson Read Free Book Online Page B

at the blue-green planet everyone knew to be Earth. “Two days later, trans-Mars injection will commence with the ignition of the main engines. The burn will establish a trajectory that will take the ships around the sun and past Venus. Shortly after the first stage has been jettisoned, the ships will extend their habitat and lab modules and begin a point-four-g spin.”
    Nelson placed his finger on a red-dotted line at a spot near the sun. “As we pass by the sun, our primary concern will be solar flares. The storm shelter will automatically be inflated with water by the computer when it has determined with eighty-five percent certainty a solar flare will occur. An alarm, similar to
Unity
’s, will sound. Jean Paul.”
    A high-pitched siren rang through the air, causing everyone to wince. It continued for five seconds, then mercifully stopped. “My apologies,” said Nelson. “The Russian alarm, I understand, is not quite as loud—partly owing to the fact that your habitat module is adjacent to the shelter.”
    “If our alarm fails,” said Satomura, “I am certain we will hear yours.”
    “The solar radiation will be one of many concerns,” Colonel Schebalin said, his stern voice bringing a quick end to their laughter.
    “Our next encounter will be Venus,” Nelson said, pointing at a rotating gold sphere. The sphere increased in size. “The gravitational field of Venus will accelerate the spaceship in relation to the sun. At Venus, the
Liberty
will release the probe,
Greenhouse
. The probe will land on the planet and deploy a robotic rover. We will control the rover from the
Liberty
as we pass over. This will eliminate the long delay associated with an Earth-based system. The surface will be photographed, and soil samples will be collected and analyzed. We will be looking for clues as to what might have triggered the greenhouse effect on a planet so similar to Earth. Surface temperatures on Venus can reach as high as nine hundred degrees Fahrenheit, mostly because of its thick carbon dioxide atmosphere. We will also be looking for evidence of life.”
    “We should not underestimate the importance of this project,” said Satomura. He was disappointed by how little press the
Greenhouse
probe had received. In his mind, they treated it as they would a sideshow at a circus. Endicott signaled his agreement and was about to launch into an explanation of how Earth could very easily meet with the same fate when Nelson, perceiving Endicott’s intent, pressed on with the flight plan.
    “The passage from Venus to Mars will take six months,” he said. He touched the red planet, and it increased in size until it filled the entire screen. The room assumed a pink glow.
    “The god of war,” said Schebalin to himself, but his voice was picked up and amplified by a sensitive microphone connected to the communications console. He smiled awkwardly.
    “Both ships will use the Martian atmosphere to aerobrake. They will strike the atmosphere at thirty-thousand kilometers per hour. The rapid deceleration will produce a force of five-point-five g’s. This is essentially the same maneuver that caused the aerobraking accident seven years ago. We lost three of our best astronauts then. They were good friends of mine. The problem was an unpredicted atmospheric disturbance that shifted the angle of entry. The onboard computer failed to compensate correctly for the change. We have since updated the program and are highly confident the aerobrake will be successful.”
    The next chart showed two dotted lines circling the planet Mars.
    “Once the maneuver is completed,” Nelson continued, “both ships will assume a twenty-four-hour elliptical orbit with an inclination angle of approximately thirty degrees. After several days in orbit, we will initiate descent operations. My landing crew will consist of Lieutenant Carter, Major Brunnet, and me. Dr. Endicott is to remain aboard the
Liberty
.”
    “Our crew,” Schebalin said, “will