Xanthe Terra crew’s tractor falls in cavern collapse
Crew still silent
SHALBATANA VALLIS, July 3 - A search crew located the missing Xanthe Terra survey crew’s tractor in a pile of rubble at the bottom of a collapsed cavern, but has had no word from the six-person crew, Survey Mars Chief Ian Kuyper said Friday.
The tractor crew, led by experienced explorer Chief Eustace Saint-Lazare, has not sent a distress signal since they entered the caverns June 20, nor have they made contact with the searchers, who are preparing to rappel down to the tractor about 30m below.
The tractor fell in an apparent collapse of the floor of the tunnel about 4km from the cavern entrance and nearly 1 km below the surface.
“The crew would be well protected for a fall of that height. Properly secured, they could drop a hundred meters without injury,” Kuyper said. “It’s possible the fall knocked out their comms, but the tractors are designed to keep crews safe.”
The search crew has moved to a stable position and will attempt to abseil down to the tractor as soon as possible, Kuyper said.
Two local tractors from Orson Welles are assisting and have just entered the cavern and are expected to reach the location within about two sols, Kuyper said. Survey Mars is sending additional supplies via airship to the site about 2,800 km from from Ares Port at the western end of Tithonium Chasma
“The Welles community will provide any help we can,” Welles Council President Sylvana Phison said. “The crews we’ve sent include very experienced surveyors and prospectors with the equipment to handle some really tough situations. We’ll send more if need be.”
The missing crew entered the cavern in Shalbatanna Vallis north of Orson Welles Crater more than five weeks ago on June 20, and have not reported back nor sent a distress signal since.
The caverns are part of a deep, extensive and complicated underground complex and the searchers have marked out a route that will accommodate both the size and weight of the Welles tractors.
Local explorers have previously investigated the caverns, but had not delved as deeply into the complex as the Survey Mars team, Welles team leader Perpetua Heathering told the Chaos Courier as her tractor moved deeper into the cavern.
“There’s been a lot of interest in the area, mostly because we think there’s a ton of water deeper down, but it’s tricky because it’s all a bit of a honeycomb,” Heathering said. “That makes it slow going because you’re never sure about just how well it can support the tractor weight—like that,” she said referring to a trembling that shook the tractor as she was speaking.
“Okay,” Heathering said when the shaking stopped. “Others have been in here before. We know that. There’s an older prospector on our other tractor who’s been in a few times. There are a lot of potential homesteaders in Welles who are willing to take more risks than they should. They don’t all succeed, or come back.”
Survey Mars would not comment on whether the collapse might have been linked to a marsquake centered beneath the caverns on June 35 and reported by an independent Welles-based research and survey engineer. Survey Mars repeated that it had not detected the quake, but did not rule out the possibility.
“The seismograph might have just picked up the collapse,” the Welles survey engineer admitted.
Even trapped in their tractor, the crew should have at least four weeks worth of supplies left, Survey Mars has said. Last year, a survey crew was rescued after a month stranded on the lower slopes of Mons Olympus.
Melas to begin deep water mining project
Rock Bottom won’t sink
MELAS, July 1 - - The Melas Chasma Council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a deep water mining project in the lowest part of the chasma, in an area once covered by ancient lakes and scoured by massive ancient outflows of water that left behind jumbled terrain.
The drilling project is set for an area about 9 km below the surrounding plateau in one of the lowest points on Mars outside of the Hellas Impact Crater. Geological and geospatial reports suggest the presence of substantial deposits of water in thick layers of ice well beneath the surface.
“We’ve been able so far to meet our own water needs, but further development will depend on securing larger and more consistent sources of water,” Melas Councillor Bryce Margate said. “If this turns out as we hope, we’ll have far more than enough water for our own current and future uses, but we’ll be able to export it to Ius and Geryon.”
The first test drill will be sited in a basin about 70 km west southwest of Melas itself, and will involve drilling to significant depths that helps shorten the depth of the test well while avoiding dune fields and alluvial fans of rubble closer to the chasma walls.
Melas has been grown rapidly over the last 10 annos and now has around 12,000 residents, but water development is not keeping pace with population growth, Councillor Amara Shah said, and asked for an estimated timeline.
Melas construction manager Niah Parnasse estimated it would be less than a half-annos before preliminary results were available, and about 200 sols after that before further development planning could begin.
“So we’re talking about mid-year 102 before we can actually start planning and building out the necessary infrastructure,” Parnasse said.
Asked how the costs of any water export plan would be allocated, Parnasse said that would have to await actual drilling results and the building of the support infrastructure to extract and purify the water. Any export costs, such as a water pipeline, would have to be equally shared between Melas and Ius, roughly 300 km from the drill site.
“Otherwise, we can use and store the water here, and only extract enough to meet our projected needs,” Parnasse said. “We can scale that up at will.”
Given the history of the region, some concerns have been raised about possible subsidence and marsquakes linked to removal of significant amounts of water, Melas resident Johanus Dao said, adding that he was only asking for clarification since, “We can hardly get any lower here in Rock Bottom,” a local nickname for Melas.
“It’s highly unlikely given the depth of the water, but if it did become a factor it would be limited to that local area,” Parnasse said. “Rock Bottom won’t sink.”
Fast packet Caraval reports thruster trouble
Still five weeks out
ARES PORT, July 2 - The fast packet Caraval, with five crew and 12 passengers, has reported trouble with its thruster engines about five weeks ahead of its scheduled arrival into Mars orbit, Mission Control said Thursday.
"They have plenty of time to figure out what the problem is," Mission Control Cmdr. Ceres Piazzi said Thursday. "They're on a ballistic trajectory for the next four weeks."
The Caraval will have to make a scheduled deceleration burn as it approaches Mars, and if the thruster problem has not been fixed, they should be able to use stablizer engines to reposition the craft to make the needed adjustment.
"The danger of them continuing on past Mars is very low. We are already planning several different scenarios to use alternative means to move into orbit," Piazzi said.
Docking may be another challenge, but as long as the ship is in Mars orbit, shuttle craft can bring needed equipment and crew to perform repairs, Piazzi said.
The fusion-powered fast packet is carrying high value cargo including nano- and quantum processors. Mission Control did not provide the names of the passengers, but such flights are generally reserved for so-called mission critical personnel.
The Caraval is captained by Mars-born spacefarer Peregrinus Aeolus, who has several lunar shuttle and research voyages to his credit.
“Perry is a very accomplished pilot," Piazzi said.
Labyrinth rambler walked on City contract
Noctis wants the surfsuit back
URBS VALLIS, July 3 - The man accused by Noctis Labyrinthia officials of stealing four surface suits last month was wanted by City officials for violation of a three-year contract as a construction specialist, a City Labor Council official said Friday.
Sylvano Antipodea, who was found alone and unconscious in a surface suit on the boundary of the Labyrinth about 40 km from Areas Port more than two weeks ago, disappeared in May from his assignment in the third section of the Habtube, just over one annos into the standard 3-annos contract, the official said.
While City officials have demanded an investigation into what they call an intentional stranding, the Noctis Council wants the city to return the surfsuit the man was wearing as it belongs to a local resident.
“We want the surfsuit back,” Noctis Council President Catarina Morelli said “It was stolen and should be returned to its owner,” Morelli said. “The city knows this. He’s a city resident. They can give him a surfsuit if they wish or replace the stolen one with a new one.”
Labyrinth residents said the man identified as Antipodea was found in possession of four surfsuits that belonged to others, including two for children.
Antipodea faces a minimum one-annos extension on the remainder of his contract from the City Labor Council which has taken a strict interpretation to contract terms, wording and penalties for workers still under their transport and labor contracts.
A one-annos extension would bring Antipodea’s remaining term to nearly 3 annos, the labor official said, adding that Antipodea has proved unwilling to provide any additional information about the incident nor where he had been living since leaving his post.
Eds note - the original story in the Sunday June 45 edition cited the location where the man was found as on the northwestern boundary of the Labyrinth. Read "northeastern" instead. We regret the editing error.
Greetings earthling!
URBS VALLIS, June 53 - A City councillor reminds the growing number of adult Martians that the correct term for people from that blue planet to the sun-side of us is Terrans.
“It can be viewed as a term of disrespect,” City Councillor Karina Hermetta told the council meeting Monday, while carefully avoiding the "E" word. She also suggested everyone stop using 'greenies' for the local born. “Let’s be polite.”
A quick survey of greenies, who wear that name with pride, shows they’re likely to ignore the councillor’s advice and pick their own words as Martians are wont to do. For those needing an explanation, earthlings once though Mars was populated by little green people.
When it comes to Terrans, most former earthlings don’t mind.
They’re quick to remind greenies about the dangers of that long trek from the blue planet as evidenced by the Stella Mariner wreck on the west end of Noctis Labyrinthus and the Planitus Barsoom last located nearing the Belts, back in 86.
- The editors
Contract Choas - Moving up!
Stars align for rocket scientist
URBS VALLIS, July 3 - The City Labor Council approved a request for a contract transfer from a rocket scientist seeking to take up a position on the Mars Carousel orbital.
Pontus Caelestis orbital management had requested the transfer for Linda Feliciana, who was developing new shuttles at Ares Port at the west end of Tithonium Chasma.
The council noted that Ares Port management had credited Feliciana with an outstanding contribution in the first half of her contract and that she had been actively sought to fill a specific role on the Carousel.
Ares Port management supported the transfer, saying Feliciana had trained a very capable team developing the new Class 5 shuttles now expected to go into service in January 102.
The Council stressed that Feliciana would serve the full term of her 3-annos contract, including the half-annos credit for the journey here.
- Mirihi Merced
Calendar
Don't idle, get down to the Coprates Tractor Swap
They’re just getting started. There’s plenty of time to get down to the Corprates Chasma Tractor Swap.
The event kicked off Saturday in the Chandrasekar dome fairgrounds with the classic tractor parade, which drew thousands of spectators and featured the newest explorers and cargo trucks as well as explorer trucks and scout rovers.
Sunday kicks off the beginning of the robot rover rally, a 25 km race across the crater limited to remotely driven vehicles less than 2m in length. The winner gets bragging rights and will have their name displayed with the golden model of the Perseverance rover in the fairgrounds office until next annos.
There’s music every night, but don’t miss the Friday barn dance and Saturday’s Raas and Garba dance and musical performances.
City sets vote on habtube extension
The City council will vote July 16 on a proposal to extend the Tithonium Chasma Habitational Tube by a fourth 1.6 km section, which would bring the length of the enclosed 800m high tube to 6.4 km and provide enough space for up to 16,000 additional people to live, work and move around in an open air environment without coverups and helmets.
The existing three sections of the tube were built to house up to 48,000 residents, though the current population is around 43,000. An estimated 15,000 live in terraced settlements on the adjacent slope, called WestHill, which runs north into the chasma.
Lots of greenery!
Go green at the Tithonia Gardens, which is showing off a massive bed of showy hostas across a gamut of greens, from soft and mellow to dark. They won’t flower for a couple weeks yet, but while the blue flowers are nice, it’s the green you crave. Through July. Habtube 2, Terrace 4
Books our parents brought from home
The Tithonia Museum is hosting an exhibition of some of the many hundreds of paper books that immigrants to Mars brought on their 500 million km journey to their new home. The exhibit runs through end-July. WestHill Terrace 12
Winter is Calling A hard-edged detective sets up in the Belts. A Space Noir threedee. Stage 3. Hab 1. Terrace 8 July 8-14, 18:00, 20:00, 22:00 18:00, 20:00, 22:00
Rock Hounds Old earthling-style trio (guitar, bass and drums) makes noise at the Ius Forum. Saturday 20:00
City Social. Mix and mingle with new arrivals and old hands. Hab 2. Terrace 4, by Tithonia Gardens. Every Friday 17:00
- Merry Grace, lifestyle correspondent
The Chaos Courier helps you over the rough spots.
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APPRENTICES Recycling systems. 8 annos and up. IUS 278 98559
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APPRENTICES Fabrics production, design. 8 annos and up. URBS 269-98523
AG ENGINEERS Hydroponics, aeroponics. Ex-contract only. IUS 278-71892
HYDRO ENGINEER. Water systems, recovery, purification. Ex-contract only MELAS 285-21095
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STRING PLAYERS. Guitar, mandolin, others for WestHill acoustic group. URBS 269 44070
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MARTIAL ARTS. Conditioning and confidence. Weighted and natural. GERYON 278 71435
YOGA. Get the kinks out. IUS 278-43256
Next - Sunday 12 July 101 (Issue 06)
The header photo is the iconic mosaic of the Valles Marineris hemisphere of Mars from 2,500 km above the surface taken by the Viking Orbiter. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The Candor Chaos Courier, Candor Chaos, Valles Marineris, Mars
The Chaos Courier gets you over the rough spots
Future News from Small Town Mars
正勝 吾勝
Copyright © 2024, M. Fitzpatrick, all rights reserved
Photomosaic: Viking Orbiter: NASA/JPL-Caltech