AMERICA ONE (39 page)

“I also explained to him that within a year, and after one or two dozen more practice launches, I could complete a flight every ten days. He immediately asked my cost, I told him, and then suggested that I get on the phone to the Department of Energy. He suggested that I see if I can work out a way to help the U.S. dispose of its growing radioactive waste; there are thousands of tons sitting around waiting for Congress to pass some sort of bill to store this stuff. He thinks that the government would pay well for the expulsion of as much waste material as possible, and liked my idea of getting 3-ton loads in short-duration protective containers into outer orbit, and unloading the stuff in the direction of the sun.”

The pilots were looking at Ryan as if he had totally lost it. “Actually, I put this idea into his head about six weeks ago as an interesting alternative to merely taking passengers into space. I suggested that a better project would be to take our radioactive waste into space, release it at 19,000 miles an hour, and let it head into oblivion. The problem is that we need thousands of flights to get our current waste supplies out of here, but I told him ‘as with all crappy jobs, somebody has to do it!’ So he is enthusiastically working on getting more support in Washington for a new space program like this.”

“Now I’m going to drive a radioactive dump truck?” asked Jonesy.

“Mr. Jones, with the time it takes for anybody to make their minds up in Washington, I promise I’ll drive the dump truck myself!” Everybody laughed at the joke.

“These two ideas will show interested parties, that we might be beaten, but we are not out of ideas,” continued Ryan. I didn’t tell him about my ‘Project Gas Station’ yet. Part of my plan is to build a space gas station in a low to middle orbit, and anybody in the future can fuel up with xenon or liquid hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, helium and argon, when needed. This is where part of our mining project comes into play and brings us to our next mission.

“Mr. Jones and Ms. Sinclair will command
Silver Bullet II, whose call sign, Ms. Pringle, is Sierra Bravo II,
to fly her into space with the mining operation equipment in its hold. Suzi and Mr. Rose will be suited up and aboard the shuttle with several tests and experiments needed to be done while the space station ascends into outer space. Mr. Noble will be the fifth member on board, and will stay up there to help transfer our scientists into the safety of the station. Mr. Noble, I will figure out how to get an extra seat in the shuttle’s cockpit for you. There will be thirty-six canisters of cargo in the shuttle’s cargo hold. A dozen will be
Astermine One’s
mining equipment, food, water and liquid gas supplies, and you need to transfer them to
Astermine One
. Another dozen will hold supplies for the space station; six canisters are plants, soil and tests for Suzi and Mr. Rose, and six are empty. These are to replace the canisters removed from the mining craft to make sure
Astermine One
heads to DX2014 with her full quantity of thirty empty units for mining.

“Mr. Jones, your first job will be to connect
Sierra Bravo II
to the Russian Space Station’s Number 3 docking port with your rear rocket motors facing towards earth, the opposite way
Sierra Bravo I
is facing. Then, you and Ms. Sinclair will help the passengers exit, or leave them in the shuttle’s cockpit until the station can receive them. You will leave the computers of
Sierra Bravo II
on standby, pass through the space station into
Sierra Bravo I,
and reposition her to also face upwards into space. Next, you will link up both shuttles’ computer systems and control both rocket systems from
Sierra Bravo I
.

“Once the computers have completed the transfer of information, which will take about three minutes, you will use the side thruster of your shuttle to rotate the space station, and everything attached, to face the direction of orbit. Once the computers at ground control show that you have achieved that maneuver, we are ready for you to proceed with the mission. Timing is extremely important. Aiming in the direction of orbit, burn both of the shuttle’s rear hydrogen rockets for three minutes at 50 percent power; this first burn will increase her orbital speed by approximately 500 miles an hour after one orbit. When the first orbit is completed, get the computers to direct the nose to point outwards into space by three degrees and complete the exact same burn.

“After your second orbit, your speed should have risen to 14,000 miles an hour, instead of the 11,000 miles an hour she is currently orbiting at. After the second orbit—and this is important because at this time the ISS will be on the other side of earth—you increase the nose angle by another 12 percent to outer space, and burn the rear motors for exactly seven minutes at full power. This will increase the forward orbital speed of the space station to 20,000 miles an hour. The seven minutes of thrust will help her climb out of her current orbit and rapidly increase her orbital altitude by approximately 100,000 feet per orbit.

“Mr. Jones, your last maneuver will be the fourth burn of both shuttles’ liquid hydrogen rear motors on the sixth orbit for exactly ten minutes, allowing her to climb away from earth on an ever-widening orbit of 900 miles per day.

“For your information, Mr. Jones, your remaining bottles of vodka up there will be passing by the ISS orbit height on its third orbit, and with the added speed, 5,000 miles behind. By the time you pass close to each other again, two orbits later, the difference in altitude will be 200 miles; the “beer can” will be higher, there will be approximately 700 miles between the two stations, and one of the shuttles will have already returned to earth. These maneuvers, Mr. Jones, will leave you with just enough hydrogen for your usual low re-entry.

“Once your fourth burn is complete, you and Ms. Sinclair will return in
Sierra Bravo I
to your usual re-entry point. No Cloaking Device will be used on this trip. The idea is that we will have completed a perfect mission as we said we would; we will have propelled the space station upwards and returned to earth. Ms. Sullivan, Suzi and Mr. Rose will stay with Mr. Noble.

“Since your total flight time is twelve hours, the next flight up will be ten days, twelve hours after your return. This will be our fastest turn-around flight to date. The next cargo is the first set of eight flat aluminum panels into space. You will fly with Ms. Sinclair. Use the Cloaking Device while Ms. Sullivan, with Suzi as co-pilot, re-enter the other shuttle. We still need to hoodwink any interested parties into thinking that this launch was just another routine test flight. Shortly after that, Mr. Jones, you and Mr. Noble will be heading out to DX2014.”

After VIN’s suggestions about banning Frank Sinatra, the meeting came to an end. Now it was time to train ten hours a day for the next flight.

Three days later the news was full of the British team reaching space and connecting with the International Space Station, and more bottles of champagne and smiling faces visiting the station for the first time. This news made Ryan a little subdued. Maybe he should have won the race for his team, but that would have brought the government closer; they would then be nipping at his heals. He knew that he was correct, especially when a member of the European government on the television feed stated that was what he was worried about. The high-ranking European government official stated that the British CEO would be working with them on their new projects, something the British CEO quickly declined on a news flash less than ten minutes later, adding that when he had asked for financial assistance the European Union had ignored him.

Eleven days since their last re-entry, the C-5 left Terra Firma for the next flight up to 50,000 feet. Ryan and Kathy Pringle were in the Galaxy’s cockpit to view the launch.

Inside the fully-loaded shuttle, Jonesy, Maggie, and VIN, were ready for their next trip. Suzi and VIN had a sort of double seat to squash into, on one side of the docking bay, while Penny and Mr. Rose had the other one.

VIN smuggled a fifth of Jack Daniels into Suzi’s cargo. He had told her that there were only three bottles of vodka left on the “beer can”, and he hoped that he could tempt his partner not to play Frank for the odd swig of bourbon every now and again. He laughed when her sealed cargo unit was finally weighed with the bottle hidden inside.

Bob Mathews expertly ejected the shuttle at 53,000 feet and was complimented by Jonesy on a great job; the shuttle wings were extended, and ignition was achieved.

As usual Jonesy lined up the sun to his back, and the shuttle climbed into the sky with the mining supplies and cargo heading skywards; they carried the equipment VIN and Jonesy were going to get rich off, mining platinum and other valuable rocks.

At absolute maximum payload, Jonesy monitored the computers as they took over and, ever so slowly, the morning sun came up to kiss the nose of the shuttle as they reached the blackness of space. Maggie sat silently next to him.

“At $20 million a pop, this must sure be emptying Ryan’s bank account,” commented VIN as they entered a low orbit, every one removed each other’s helmets, and the craft went into space-mode.

“What did he say? Maybe ninety flights? That must be about one-and-a-half to two billion bucks!” replied Jonesy, monitoring the readouts and computer LEDs. “You guys OK in the back? You must be pretty squashed?“

“Cozy and warm, and feeling very light headed. Is this real space yet, Herr Jones? Just like I had in the International Space Station?” Suzi asked.

“Yes, Superfraülein, this is real space. Welcome to Mr. Richmond’s dream. Pity Ryan will be one of the last to actually feel space. Maybe he will change his mind or his dream once he’s been up here for a month or so. I will be igniting the hydrogen rockets for a three-second burst, and then switch onto our ion drives to get in close to my favorite “beer can”, Jonesy added. “You will not feel the burn since we are now weightless, but stay secure in your seats until we reach the space station. I will align the shuttle so that you can have a clear view from the side viewing ports. Twenty minutes to reaching the space station. She is 3,200 miles ahead of us and two miles above our current altitude. We can’t see her yet, but I’m sure I saw a silver glint a minute or so ago and, we are clear of the ISS watching us. VIN, this won’t be a walk in the park like last time, and I don’t want to have to come and fetch you out there. If you lose your safety connections, you are history, understand?” VIN nodded.

“Setting up exit hatch,” VIN responded, the only one now floating around checking the hatch for his entrance to check the station.

Maggie watched the instruments as the Russian space station grew large in the cockpit glass. She couldn’t believe that they were travelling at 11,000 miles an hour.

Jonesy noticed that the “beer can” had revolved slightly; the other shuttle was on top of the space station, and not on the side furthest away from earth. He would have to rectify that. As he approached the upper craft, the forward speed of the shuttle slowed, with the computers using the thrusters to make minute adjustments every few minutes.

“We are forty-nine feet from the bottom of the station; I am inverting the shuttle for docking.” Jonesy stated.

He was getting good at this and had the shuttle docked twenty minutes later.

VIN entered the hatch as Jonesy sealed it behind him. Jonesy then opened the middle hatches, and the lights flickered from green to orange.

“Have we used this docking port before?”
VIN asked.

“Negative,” Jonesy replied.

“That’s why I think the lights are orange. I will open the hatch to the station and the inside air should clear this old stuff out.”

“I think you are on the ball, partner,” replied Jonesy as he watched VIN enter the last hatch into the space craft.

It took a while, but two of the three lights turned green.

“Air and air pressure are OK, temperature minus five
,” stated VIN a few seconds later from inside the station. “
The passengers can enter; it’s cold but fresh in here. I’m turning up the heater.”

Since all the passengers were suited up with full helmets again, it didn’t really matter.

“Suzi, Penny, Mr. Rose you may undo your seat belts and you are free to float around the cabin. Please no smoking, or drinking my vodka once you are inside the “beer can”!” he joked.

Jonesy and Maggie got the shuttle ready and also exited. They checked on the passengers already inside the station, Jonesy holding Maggie’s hand to guide her, VIN already showing the others, all holding onto magnetic shoes to stop them from bumping into each other.

They entered
Sierra Bravo I
and went to work turning on the systems. Jonesy revolved the station with a short side thrust so that the shuttle they had just left would disappear from earth’s view on the station’s dark side. Then he gave the computers time to download their upgrades from the other shuttle. Finally he turned the shuttle to face outwards and got ready to begin the blast phase.

Ryan watched the news while he monitored his shuttle’s progress.

“
Astermine’s shuttle has just reached the dark and uninhabited twenty-year old Russian Space Station, we have just learned from its CEO, Ryan Richmond. Astermine came in last in the three-company race to space this week, losing out to Earth-Exit by a week, and the private British company just three days before this successful launch,”
stated a CNN Newscaster in Atlanta.
“The Head of NASA announced today that Astermine’s mission has been changed, and even though they won’t win any awards for reaching the derelict Russian Space Station instead of the International Space Station, they are believed to be preparing a halt to the station’s descent to earth. This significant piece of dead space junk would have re-entered earth’s atmosphere sometime next year; Ryan Richmond’s shuttle will help the station orbit further out, which will solve this dilemma. The Russian government has been refusing to comment. If Astermine succeeds on this mission, it will stop this satellite from possibly hurting people or property down here on earth, but won’t bring the lucrative first prize back to Richmond’s Astermine.”