Mars DevCo, City demand homesteading, development halt
Demand kicks up dust in the chasmata
URBS VALLIS, Aug. 43 - The City Council, with support from Mars DevCo, is demanding a pause in all developments in the Valles Marineris that have not received its approval as well as an immediate halt to all homesteading projects, citing concerns about safety.
“Any unsanctioned developments must stop, immediately,” City Council President Claude Paddingbury said at Thursday’s council meeting. “All projects must conform to the master plan for the Valles Marineris.”
Paddingbury said the City edict included the residential expansion at Geryon Montes in Ius Chasma, the ‘ring city’ project just approved by the Coprates Council and the industrial expansion underway in Candor Chasma.
At the council meeting, Mars DevCo Planetary Manager Elric Balvicar said the pause was necessary to coordinate future development and align it with the company’s long-term plans.
Balvicar, who arrived unannounced at the Mars Carousel in late July after being rescued from the stricken Caraval fast packet, stressed that the company is seeking orderly development of the Valley and to protect its concessionary rights as lead developer for orbital and planetary facilities.
“We have made an extraordinarily significant investment in the orbital and the landing facilities here, and in bringing people to live and work here, and in exchange have obtained development concessions that we intend to protect,” Balvicar said.
Growth will go on, chasmata say
“It’s not clear what master plan, Paddingbury is citing,” Ius Councillor Seamus Mitsutomi wrote. “To my knowledge, Ius hasn’t approved any such plan, nor has Candor, Melas, Coprates or Noctis.”
The concessions granted to Mars DevCo do not include the right to halt developments that do not rely upon the company’s facilities Mitsutomi wrote, adding that as a former City development manager he is well versed in the DevCo exploration and development contract.
DevCo has the right to exploit resources in orbit and in the Valley that it chooses to develop, but that exclusive right pertains only to Earth- and Earth-orbital-based concerns and not local Mars-based groups, Mitsutomi wrote.
Those rights do not in any way preclude or supercede the rights of Mars residents to develop their communities, as long as they are self-supporting, and to make use of the resources needed to support themselves currently and in the future, Mitsutomi wrote.
“That’s the agreement we’ve all made and the authority granted to local communities and homesteaders—which become local communities—under the Mars Charter,” Mitsutomi wrote.
For instance, DevCo cannot lay claim to existing homesteads and communities or independent projects already under development, nor the resources that support them, such as water, Mitsutomi wrote.
“Put simply, the company can develop what they will, but they cannot infringe on our local communities, they have no say over independent and individual projects. That includes homesteading,” Mitsutomi argued.
“Contractually, they may not abrogate our rights without our consent, which is why Paddingbury continues to push the idea of a Valley-wide council,” Mitsutomi wrote. “Mars DevCo cannot lay claim to the beautiful Martian communities we have built on our own. We have the right, according to the Mars Charter, to continue to build our communities as we will.”
Noctis Councillor Catarina Morelli said the City demand would have very little impact on the Labyrinth community, which is the closest to Urbs Vallis, which lies at the western end of Tithonium Chasma..
“No one’s listening to them. We’re all homesteaders here. No one’s going to stop. If Paddingbury wants to talk to us, he can come down to the Grange Hall sometime,” Morelli said.
Separately, Survey Mars announced that it has rejected the settlement claim filed by Jeremiah Volcan for the development he is leading in the Shalbatana Vallis but declined any additional comment.
Volcan said his group would continue to develop their community.
“It’s well outside the Valley and they have no jurisdiction whatsoever,” Volcan wrote. “We’re here. We’re staying here.”
Woman injured in explosion returns to Noctis homestead
Will keep building her home
URBS VALLIS, Aug. 43 - A woman, whose husband and brother-in-law were killed in a July drill sled explosion at her homestead, is returning to her Noctis Labyrinthus home as City and Mars DevCo officials call for a halt in homesteading until more stringent safety measures are established.
Juliette Florham, who was seriously injured in the July 42 blast at her family homestead, completed her treatments at City hospital last week, left for Noctis Labyrinthus Friday on a supply train with her four children, ages 2 to 8 annos, and her husband’s sister.
Florham’s husband, Sam Bondi, and his brother, Fergus, died in the explosion as they were boring a new tunnel from the central living space in the habitation, which is shaped like a hub with residential, environmental and farming tunnels radiating outward.
An investigation into the explosion showed that it was due to a fault in the drill sled’s propulsion unit, and not a result of the construction work, Labyrinthia Supply Capt. Icario Fletcher said.
“It was an equipment failure in a unit that had been recently refurbished,” Fletcher said. “It’s not like they were negligent in the maintenance or the building plans.”
Florham, a construction specialist, thanked the City for its offer of permanent housing and a position in the habtube expansion, but said she wanted to return to her extended family in Noctis.
“Really, they’ve been great, flying my kids and my sister-in-law here and putting them up in a nearby apartment,” Florham said. “Still, it’s my home. We’ve all been working on it, the kids too.”
The habitation sits among a group of homesteads built into the rim of a shallow crater beneath a 4,000m slope about 225 km southwest of Ares Port.
Florham said home is among those housing her extended family and others that form a close-knit community.
“We’re all building our individual homes as part of a growing community, and we’ll connect them as we grow,” Florham said. “I want to be part of it, and my children do too. They miss their grandparents and aunts and uncles and friends.”
The community will hold a memorial service for the two men after the family returns, Florham said.
“Then, we’ll get back to building our homes,” Florham said.
It's all downhill to Rock Bottom
Cantina at the bottom of a vanished sea
MELAS CHASMA, Aug. 44 - Sitting in the Bottom of the Sea cantina, it’s easy to imagine a community built a few kilometers underwater at the bottom of a massive lake.
Fish swim around and partly above the cantina’s main room, which is sits next to the largest aquaculture pond here, and the rock walls on the other side feature murals of the ancient sea that once covered Melas, complete with sailing ships crewed by green Martians and sea dragons.
“It’s been a few billion years since Melas was under water,” cantina manager Leda Hadar said. “But once we’re dreaming of ancient seas, we may as well have sailing ships and dragons.”
The cantina’s decor lends itself to the ancient theme with walls and arches that look like they’re built out of hewn stone.
It’s a favorite of the supply train crews that travel the long, dangerous routes between Melas, Ius, Candor and Coprates.
“It’s fun to daydream about what Mars looked like when it still had its northern Ocean, and what it might look like again—though I’m not volunteering to live underwater,” said supply train engineer Shoshana Tioman as she took a break after the 11-sol drive drive from Candor through chaos, over the Melas Labes and down into the chasma bottom.
“I love the ride down,” Tioman said. “The chasma bottom looks like it was a sea floor and the cliffs soar six, seven kilometers and higher.”
The cargo train’s stop at Melas came after an 11-sol ride through Candor Chaos, over Melas Labes and down into the chasma to deliver power units, printer stock, printer printers and other Candor-made equipment.
“And we love this cantina. It’s nice to take a break and be able to relax,” Tioman said. From here the crew and train continue onto a deep-water mining project about 70 km west southwest of Melas. From there, the cargo train returns to Melas to pick up outgoing cargo and from there back through Chaos to Candor.
Under an ancient sea
Sprawling across the chasma bottom, Melas’s interconnected domes look like they could be at home under an ancient sea.
Over time, the community has spread across the valley floor as it has grown to 12,000 residents.
While other chasmata have chosen to build into the valley walls and crater rims or climb up the Valley’s slopes in terraces like WestHill in Urbs Vallis, Melas is built mostly in one layer, with a core community separated by farms interspersed with smaller homesteads.
“We’re not diggers and delvers, we’re dome builders,” Melas Councillor Bryce Margate said while sitting with the supply train crew and an accompanying reporter. “We have good access to water right below us and it makes more sense to spread out rather than build up.”
The ability to choose different development paths has made a major contribution to the growth of the Valles Marineris, Margate said.
“You can imagine a scenario, where everything is built the same, standard huts and domes, but that’s kind of bleak. We could all be living in old-style balloon habs, but we’ve learned so much about building on Mars and it’s made us stronger communities,” Margate said. “That’s why local control is so important.”
The different farms, gardens, orchards and plantings make for a very varied interior landscape, though the Bottom of the Sea cantina is the most dramatic.
“The pond actually winds around a bit, like a stream with larger pools here and there, so a lot of people get the underwater feeling,” Margate said. “And people like to look at water and fish, particularly in a place as dry as Mars.”
- With Alade Jama, Melas Correspondent
Stranded Oudeman’s shuttle gets a lift
Engine tune-up next
OUDEMAN’S CRATER, Aug 45 - It took a mobile lift and some creative rigging, but a Noctis repair crew has managed to reposition a local shuttle stranded near the top of a small crater rim so that it can be repaired, Survey Mars said Saturday.
The shuttle from Ares Port made a hard landing Aug 28 on its approach to Oudemans Station, dragging a rear landing pod and getting stuck atop of 150m slope about 2 km from Oudeman’s Station’s landing zone.
“It’s still tilted, but once the pod is fixed, they can vary the thrusters to level out above the rim and move over to the station itself and have a look at that rear engine,” Survey Mars engineer Stella Regina said
Five passengers suffered injuries, none serious, when the older model shuttle made the hard landing, and all have recovered and are in good condition, Regina said, adding that Survey Mars has flown in replacement engine parts.
The Noctis repair crew traveled 250 km and arrived Friday after a 6-sol journey..
“Once, they get it fixed, they’ll fly it back to Ares Port without passengers and see how it does,” Regina said.
- Eun Isil, Noctis Correspondent
CONTRACT CHAOS - Skips out
City manager in AWOL worker case goes missing
URBS VALLIS, Aug. 44 - A City industrial staff manager referred to Tithonia Superior Court two weeks ago on allegations of helping contract workers leave before their work terms were completed has gone missing, the City Labor Council confirmed Friday.
The Council has alleged that Herman Zeiger, a staff manager at the industrial plant and factories between the City and Ares Port, took a leading role in procuring more than 20 skilled workers still under transportation contracts in the City for for Noctis, Ius, Candor and Coprates.
Zeiger, who failed to report for Monday, did not answer repeated messages and a his apartment was found empty during a wellness check.
An initial inquiry showed that Zeiger had not traveled through the shuttle terminal, and the subsequent investigation was centering on recent supply train departures for Noctis and Ius, a Labor Council source said.
While supply train and survey crews are logged in on arrival and departure, Zeiger may have been able to circumvent those controls using private rover and tractors.
“He’d have had a lot of contact with private rovers and tractors and even cargo trains,” the Council source said. “We’re re-checking the city and the industrial plant too.”
Zeiger’s Court referral comes as the Labor Council is investigating reports of more than 60 missing contract workers, down from 80 at the beginning of July.
The Council said it is working with authorities in the other chasmata to locate Zeiger and the other workers.
- Mirihi Merced, City Correspondent
Opera Tithonia triumphs in debut
Everyone leaves singing
URBS VALLIS, Aug. 44 - They’ll need a bigger hall next time.
The Opera Tithonia made a triumphant debut on Saturday, bringing the audience to their feet with a vibrant performance of songs from the old Earth opera “Carmen” at the Stage 1 Hall on Terrace 8 (HabTube 1)
The Opera, which combines the City Strings and City Voices classical groups with a beautiful assist from the Children’s Chorus, enchanted the audience with a variety of lively classical tunes and popular songs, but that was the tune up before the main event
Mezzo-soprano Lydia Tenerife, an atmospheric scientist, co-starred as Carmen and sent listeners into musical rapture with her beautiful renditions of “Habanera” and “Gypsy Song” from the Georges Bizet opera “Carmen.”
Performing as the toreador Escamillo, baritone John Belmonte drew thunderous applause with a more-than-stirring version of “Toreador.”
After four encores, Belmonte and cast led the audience out of the hall and onto Terrace 8, where the crowd sang “Toreador” over and over before ending with a thundering “En Garde!”
“We’re just a bunch of people who like to sing, so we were just amazed at the reception,” said Tenerife, a City atmospheric scientist. “The crowd was great, and John was incredible.”
Belmonte, a shuttle mechanic, said the march out of the hall and onto the terrace was a spur-of-the-moment idea.
“Everyone was so into the music, and we just got the idea and went with it,” Belmonte said. “The strings were a little jealous because we left them in the hall.”
The Sunday performance was nearly as lively, without the dramatic exit, but every bit as appreciated by the audience.
“We worked very hard at this, especially the children, so we’re really happy that people liked it,” Tenerife said after their second performance on Sunday.
For those who missed it, the Opera promises to repeat the performance in September.
- Merry Grace, lifestyle correspondent.
'Calendar
Mars master plan on the agenda
The Urbs Vallis Council hosts new Mars DevCo planetary manager Elric Balvicar to discuss a master plan for Mars. Council Meeting Hall. 18:00 Sept. 3
Outdoor survival
The City Labor Council hosts a lecture and demonstration on outdoor survival. Learn what makes a surfsuit safe and how to use it. Industrial Tube Terminal meeting room D. 10:00 Saturday Sept. 5
Gone Fishing
Visit the new koi pond in Hab 3, and learn all about aquaculture. All ages. Hab 3 Terrace 1, south side. 14:00 Saturday Sept. 5
By Jove, and Saturn
The Tithonia Museum is hosting an exhibition of an exquisitely detailed orrery with spheres that mimic the view from orbit of each of the planets. The distances and size aren’t to scale, since Jupiter, Saturn and the outer planets wouldn’t fit, but the detail is amazing. Through early September. East Terrace 12
“Winter is Calling” A hard-edged detective sets up in the Belts. A Space Noir threedee. Stage 3. Hab 1. Terrace 8 Sept. 3-Sept. 9, 18:00, 20:00, 22:00
Geryon Stuff Swap. Find your stuff a new home. Find new stuff for your home. Two items per person. Geryon Agora. Saturday, Sept. 5. 13:00-15:00.
Song Share Acoustic players swap songs. Geryon Agora. Two sessions. Saturday Aug. 45 16:00, 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.
Classified Ads
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SURFSUIT. Repair. Upgrade. Added sheathing. URBS 269 71765
PLANT AIR MAT. Get cleaner air, ease scrubber wear. GERYON 278-72903
WALL GARDENS. Custom seeded and sized. Illuminate, water, grow, eat. IUS 278-14275
DUST BUNNIES. Turn dust into dirt. Best for plants. MELAS 285-78329
ROCKET ENGINEER Engine upgrade project, Ex-contract only. PONTUS 100 637
WELDERS. Experienced welders seeking space yard qualification. Ex-contract only. PONTUS 100 639
PLASMA SPINMASTER Compact fusion designs. CANDOR 286 25120
CONSTRUCTION All specialties. Some outside. Ex-contract only. GERYON 278 68034
CARGO TRAIN HANDS. Outdoor experience required. Ex-contract only. MELAS 285-77172
APPRENTICES Recycling systems. 8 annos and up. IUS 278 98559
APPRENTICES Metal smith, forging, casting, 8 annos (14 years) and up. URBS 269-37728
APPRENTICES Fabrics production, design. 8 annos and up. URBS 269-98523
APPRENTICES Ceramics. 8 annos and up. URBS 269-98523
APPRENTICES Machine repair 8 annos (14 years) and up. NOCTIS 260 21188
SPACE CAMP. Get ready for orbital work. All ages. ARES PORT 268 00910
DANCING. All styles for adults. Hab 3 Rec Center. URBS 269 10311
MARTIAL ARTS Multi-style Strength and conditioning. WestHill Terrace 2 URBS 269 14420
STRENGTH Training for trainers. COPRATES 295 04716
CRICKET Mars style. Two teams. They'll explain it COPRATES 295 21508
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
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Copyright © 2024, M. Fitzpatrick, all rights reserved
Photomosaic: Viking Orbiter: NASA/JPL-Caltech