Martian Rebirth
by Walt Trizna
part 1 of 2
The last Martians clung desperately to life, knowing their situation was hopeless. They practiced a truth known throughout the universe: life is precious. The underground cities they inhabited were littered with corpses. Their scientists had predicted this turn of events, but none believed it true until it was too late.
* * *
The atmosphere of the planet had begun to thin, but since the Martians inhabited the planet’s core and manufactured their own atmosphere, the population worried little. As long as they had their magnificent oceans on the surface, the source of the life-giving power they required to exist, the declining atmosphere was of little concern.
The scientists tried to explain the impact of the loss of the atmosphere. One prominent scientist addressed the supreme council, “We are safe in our cities, we control most of the aspects of our life — the atmosphere, food production — but we do not control the oceans on which our lives depend.
“Our atmosphere is slowly changing, escaping into space. In the distant future, our planet will be much different. The atmosphere will be too thin to support life, but you say, ‘We make our own atmosphere’. That is correct, but we cannot duplicate the surface water that gives us life.
“Our oceans will disappear. With little atmosphere, much of the water will sublime into space. What water remains will freeze. No longer will the streams of life filter from the surface to fill our lakes. We may be able to farm the ice, but we will never be able to supply the vast amount our society requires. Understand, we can manufacture water, but it will not be the same life-giving water contained on the surface.”
Ten thousand years passed; the scientists’ prophecy came to fruition. The oceans began to disappear. The planet cooled, the atmosphere thinned and what remained of the oceans froze. Where once the deafening roar from the oceans above filling the lakes below echoed through the interior, there was silence.
Rationing began. The subterranean world held on for a thousand years. But in the end it was doomed. As the years passed, the lakes grew smaller and smaller. Eventually, they became ponds of mud, and then parched ground.
The last Martians huddled near what water remained. No one had the strength to venture to the surface to gather ice. They grieved for their magnificent cities, now vast wastelands filled with rotting bodies. All hope for their civilization was lost.
* * *
Jeff Granger and Tom Nariba, mission specialists and the first men chosen to walk on Mars, waved to the cheering crowd as they approached the spacecraft that would take them on their journey. Behind them came Bill Griss and Donald Summers, copilot and mission commander for the Mars mission. They would remain in orbit around the red planet, mapping and performing scientific studies while relaying communications to and from Earth to the team on Mars’ surface.
The astronauts craned their necks, taking in the massive rocket. The vehicle would take them on a sojourn that would last eighteen months. The rocket was half the size of the Saturn V used for the Lunar missions. Composed of two stages, the first stage would launch them and the second stage would take them to the International Space Station where it would be refueled for their journey to the red planet.
The fact that the booster could refuel at the International Space Station made the trip possible. Once refueled, the booster would take them to Mars, and then orbit the planet while their exploratory module descended to the planet’s surface.
Jeff turned to Tom and said, “I still find it hard to believe we are going to Mars. We will answer major questions man has had about the red planet. Was there ever life on Mars? Does life, in some form, exist there now?”
Jeff and Tom were in their thirties and had entered the astronaut program ten years before. Both had extensive training in space travel. They were excellent physical specimens, practically guaranteed to remain disease-free for the length of the mission. Jeff, with his short-cropped blond hair, startling blue eyes, and athletic build, would not look out of place on a California beach. Tom topped Jeff’s six-foot frame by two inches. His black hair and swarthy complexion hinted at his Arab roots.
In addition to age and experience, the two men had common family backgrounds. Both were only children of parents now dead. Both had never been married. Extensive psychological tests conducted for extended space missions indicated that the fewer relationships a man was tied to on Earth, the better the chance that he would have no problems during the lonely months on the planet’s surface doing research. That they had reached this age without any significant relationships spoke to the fact that they were both loners, comfortable with the isolation this mission would involve.
The psychological profiles of Bill Griss and Donald Summers, mission commander, were nearly opposite of that of the men going to the planet’s surface. Where Jeff and Tom fit the caricature of the isolated scientist, Bill and Donald were test pilots. The little science they knew had been spoon-fed to them in preparation for this mission. Their ability to make split second decisions under adverse circumstances was why they were important to the crew. They were also family men with wives and children they would miss during the lengthy mission.
While the two crew members were on the planet, they would be working in close proximity on various scientific projects. They were more gregarious — would find the isolating work on the planet’s surface distasteful. This also made for a good mix of personalities on the long journey to Mars then back to Earth.
The module, which would take them to the Martian surface, was already waiting at the space station, along with a vehicle for extended ground exploration. Both would be attached to the booster after it was refueled. The launch from Earth on their epic voyage was uneventful and on time.
Each man experienced a twinge of sadness knowing they would not set foot on Earth for eighteen months. But these feelings faded rapidly, replaced by the excitement of the adventure ahead. Donald Summers surveyed his crew as the bone-jarring launch made communication impossible and thought, We must prove that machines lack the flexibility that the human mind can provide, that man can digest data to answer questions that cannot be anticipated by robotic sensors. So much depends on the answers we provide.
Docking with the space station went smoothly. They would spend two days there with the space station crew before they made their final leap to Mars. The Mars module had to be thoroughly inspected while their booster was being refueled. Jeff and Tom had practiced checking and preparing the module countless times, yet after all the training sessions, this time the procedure felt different. This time it was real.
With all the supplies loaded, they released from the space station and the booster, along with its human cargo, slowly drifted away. With small positioning thrusts, the booster’s orbit decelerated. Before long the distance between it and the space station was more than one hundred miles. The booster fired signaling the beginning of the longest space journey man had ever undertaken. Bill Griss was the first to speak as the Earth grew smaller and details blurred, “We’re leaving our comfortable planet to explore a dead world. I wonder what we will find and if we will answer the ultimate question: Has Mars ever harbored life?”
The astronauts were kept busy on their trip by a host of experiments to accomplish and observations to make. Their spacecraft contained a refractor telescope for visual observations and an infrared telescope. Once free of the Earth’s atmosphere, their jobs would make time fly during the seven-month long journey to Mars and their return flight home.
On Mars, Jeff and Tom would spend four months exploring the red planet, looking for life, and confirming the presence of water detected by unmanned probes, along with geological observations before their return flight.
Each had unique specialties. Jeff was a geologist. His mission was to explore a series of rock formations identified by previous unmanned missions. Tom was a biologist. His task was to explore for water, try to determine the amount contained on the surface, and to examine the water for signs of life — bacteria or viruses. With Jeff’s help, he would also drill into geologic formations that might harbor secrets of the planet’s past.
One day, when they were halfway to the red planet, Jeff asked Tom, “Since I was a kid, I’ve heard about little green men. My favorite movie was War of the Worlds. Now I’m going there and I still can’t believe it. The closer we get, the more anxious I am to know if some form of life could be waiting there for us.”
Tom answered, “I’ve been thinking about the prospect of finding life, too. It will be a great discovery if we do. But it will also signal the end of our civilization’s conviction that it holds a unique place in the universe. I hope we find some sign of Martian life. But at the same time, I sometimes fear the consequences such a discovery may involve.”
The four men were surprised how fast time passed on their journey. While they were conducting their assigned experiments, Mars went from a distant point of light to a discernible disc to a moon-sized sphere, and finally to a new world.
With the help of the onboard computer, the booster inserted itself into orbit around the red planet, an orbit that would take the craft over a previously discovered ice field.
Jeff and Tom prepared to make their momentous journey to the surface. They separated their module from the booster and headed toward Mars. Their module resembled the lunar craft used long ago, but on a much larger scale. When time came for them to return to the booster, the lower part of the module would remain behind with instrumentation that would continue to monitor the planet’s surface. Their living quarters would rejoin the booster and reattach for the voyage back to Earth.
The touchdown on the Martian surface set both their hearts racing. Each had wondered about the feelings this moment would produce. In the end, pure awe was the product. They viewed the pale orange landscape outside their portal, contrasted against a pure ebony sky. Jeff said to Tom, “I know it’s against regulations, but I think we should both take the first steps on the surface together.” Tom happily agreed.
An hour later, they were suited up and ready to leave the module. As they stepped on the Martian surface, they said the lines they had practiced for the audience back on Earth. “We bring the presence of mankind to our sister planet Mars. Fiction has dealt with the prospect that this red planet harbors life. We have journeyed to seek the truth behind the fiction.” Once the excitement of their first steps wore off, both men settled down to complete their assigned tasks.
The module had landed on the intended ice field. Tom took core samples and made seismic tests to determine the depth of the ice. He found the depth to vary between thirty and fifty feet. He already knew the dimensions of the field from orbiting observations; it was over ten thousand square miles. This would supply an abundant amount of water for future explorations and make possible the establishment of colonies that would serve as a stepping-stone for future space exploration.
Copyright © 2007 by Walt Trizna
