Earth fleet arrives on time but a ship short
Arrival comes after hundreds switch ships in space
ABOARD THE JOVE, Nov. 30 - The Earth fleet arrived in Mars orbit on time, but one ship short, Friday after a 253-sol, 472 million km journey marked by a dramatic finish.
“All passengers are now safely in Mars orbit, and we offer everyone coming to stay on Mars a very warm ‘welcome home,’” Mission Cmdr. Ceres Piazzi radioed from the Pontus Caelestist orbital station, better known as the Mars Carousel.
Nine passengers liners and 15 cargo and factory ships, carrying a total of 2,811 crew, scientists, new contract workers and other passengers, slid into Mars at midday (Tithonia time) and prepared for their rendezvous with the Pontus Caelistis orbital.
The tenth liner, the Wandering Star, was evacuated over the last week after a series of engine explosions forced the captain to jettison the propulsion stage, leaving the ship powerless and unable to make the trajectory adjustments to reach Mars orbit.
Wandering Star Capt. Hervé Xenokostas and 11 crew members remain aboard the stricken liner as the Space Rescue Tug Juno and the explorer scout Boudicca attempt to pair with the larger ship and reroute it to Mars.
‘We’ll mark the voyage finished when we get the Wandering Star back to Mars,” Fleet Admiral Ambrosius Coleridge radioed. “Overall, it was a successful journey for Mars DevCo and for the passengers coming to Mars from Earth, its orbitals and Luna.”
Passengers spend time on board training for life on Mars and fine-tuning the skills they’ll be using in their new lives and work assignments as well as participating in mandatory exercise programs to maintain their strength in space, Coleridge said.
“We try to keep the passengers occupied, if not entirely entertained over what is a long and slow journey,” Coleridge said. “Generally, we prefer no undue excitement, but we are very thankful that the three crew who were temporarily missing were located and rescued.”
Three engineering crew members working near the maneuver engines on the Wandering Star spent six days in an escape module until it they were rescued by the Space Rescue Cutter Jove.
The module tumbled out-of contact and out of control for nearly five days until the crew could stabilize it and re-establish radio control.
One of the crew suffered serious injury is undergoing treatment on board the fleet flagship Constant Star.
“He’s recovering but it will take some time before he can return to duties,” Coleridge said.
Getting ready to disembark
In Mars orbit, the fleet has to be organized to ensure that people and supplies can get to their destinations safely and as quickly as possible.
“After that long journey, no one wants to wait on board any longer than strictly necessary,” Pontus Caelestis (Mars Carousel) Manager Johannes Tycho said. “We’ll do our best to get the passenger fleet organized for quick de-boarding and than prioritize the cargo.”
The passenger liners will be stationed near the Carousel to facilitate passenger transfer over the next several weeks by the new Class 5 shuttles.
The passengers will remain aboard the Carousel for orientation and additional training, before moving on to their final assignments. Several hundred will remain on board for long-term assignments on the Carousel or in the orbital cargo, shipyards and factories.
The 11 cargo ships will be moored in the cargo yard while the four prefabricated, self-deploying factory ships will keep station near their final permanent orbital slots.
Of the 2,500 passengers, 2,010 will begin transferring to the Valles Marineris in December, whether to the Ares Port space port at the western end of Tithonium Chasma or to the City, now called Tithonia and previously Urbs Vallis.
Of those, 1,983 will move into the contract worker dormitories, called the cubbies in the Tithonia HabTube.
“Everyone arriving has an important role to help us build the future of Mars, a Mars that is home to thriving cities and thriving people, a Mars that fulfills the dreams of generations of people who have dreamed of coming here to build a new world,” Mars DevCo Planetary Manager Elric Balvicar said in a message broadcast to the fleet.
Read about Perseverance Rover’s trip to Mars
Blast did more damage than thought to stricken Earth liner
Space Tug to jump start and go
ABOARD THE BOUDICCA, Nov. 30 - The explosions that crippled the Wandering Star caused more damage to the half-kilometer passenger liner’s outer hull than initially thought, necessitating emergency repairs before the ship can be redirected to Mars orbit.
The extra time needed for those repeairs means the Space Tug Juno will only provide an initial burn to redirect the ship back toward Mars, rather than bringing it back with the help of the explorer scout Boudicca, Space Rescue said on Saturday.
“There’s no immediate danger to the Wandering crew, and we have a lot of ships to move around, including the new manufacturing modules,” Space Rescue Chief Delmer Hastings said. “In an over abundance of caution, we want to have the Juno on hand here.”
After the course adjustment, the Boudicca should be able to bring the Wandering Star back to Mars unassisted,’ Boudicca Capt. Attracta O’Ceileachair said.
“It makes it a bit tougher and slower, but we’ll get it done,” O’Ceileachair said. “We added a lot of extra power for our trip to the Belt, and that should be enough.”
When the tug returns to Mars, it will assist with positioning the nine passenger liners and with moving and mooring the cargo ships.
Engineering and shipyard crew aboard the Juno and Boudicca will begin with temporary repairs to the Wandering Star’s hull.
“Some of the force blew open an engineering compartment, which is why the crew had to use the escape module, but the rest of it was channeled between the inner and outer hulls,” Shipwright Dominique Martel said aboard Boudicca.
“That’s actually a design feature because it’s pretty much all habitational space inside the liners and there are a lot of people on board,” Martel said.
Baggage might be late, but it will get there
The damage to the outer hull extends well beyond the gash caused by the explosions, and that section will require some additional strengthening, Martell said.
“We’ll add some hull sheets from the Juno, and then place the self-welding pairing lattices, and then give it a boost and see how it goes,” Martel said.
The Space Tug Juno will remain long enough to give the Wandering Star a boost toward Mars later this week after the pairing system is attached to the liner’s hull.
After the initial adjustment burn, the Juno will return to Mars and leave the Boudicca to push it into a distant Mars orbit.
The Juno will also bring over any supplies that can be readily moved from the Wandering Star, but the rest will remain on board the liner, Hastings said, adding most of that is in deep freeze.
Passengers’ personal cargo will be offloaded to the Juno through the Wandering Star’s cargo bay and brought to the Mars Carousel, Hastings said.
“Even with 250 passengers, it doesn’t add up to too much as the personal and family limit remains very small,” Hastings said.
Fleet passenger held on assault charges on orbital
Spent 147 sols in fleet brig
MARS CAROUSEL, Nov. 32 - The Earth supply fleet transferred a male passenger under guard on a fleet tender Saturday to the Mars Carousel, where he is being held in confinement on charges of aggravated assault.
The man, whose name has not been released, has spent 147 days in the fleet brig on board the flagship Constant Star after being reported to crew for the alleged assault aboard the passenger liner Drover’s Star, about 100 sols into the fleet’s trip, a Carousel official said.
Because the man was in transit to Mars, his case will be adjudicated under Martian law by the Tithonia Superior Court.
The man, an incoming contract worker assigned to Ares Port, will remain in confinement in orbit while his case is adjudicated remotely on the surface, the official said.
The confinement quarters are isolated from the residential and working areas of the Carousel, which is largely unoccupied.
For ships in transit, captains may mandate confinement for minor offenses such as disorderly conduct, or in the case of the Earth fleet transfer the case to the admiral.
More serious offenses are handled at the destination, but in case of need may be adjudicated by the ship captain or fleet admiral with penalties up to de-boarding.
- Mirihi Merced, City Correspondent, aboard the Mars Carousel
Cargo ship sending strange signal to Mars Carousel
What's beeping in the hold
MARS CAROUSEL, Nov. 31 - Something’s beeping in the hold of the cargo ship Pallene, which arrived in Mars orbit on Friday.
“Something’s pinging us, but we don’t know what it is yet,” Orbital Cargo Supervisor Espen Trym said on Saturday. “We’re getting short bursts of static every 29 minutes or so, that is, an Earth half hour.”
The pinging is coming from a shipping container positioned in the row closest to the loading hatch, so it will be possible to check it out quickly.
While there are no indications that the cargo poses a danger, the ship will be isolated until the mystery is resolved, Trym said.
- Mirihi Merced, City Correspondent
Tithonia Council mulls more business, entertainment spaces
More city life in the City?
TITHONIA (URBS VALLIS), Nov. 29 - The newly elected City council wasted no time in addressing some of the lifestyle and development issues that saw three new councillors elected and three others unseated in the Nov. 6 election.
Among those were a proposal to add independent business, cafe and entertainment space in the as-yet unfinished third section of the Tithonia HabTube and to expand entertainment options in the first and oldest habtube section near the Council Hall and City Cinema.
“We can turn our residential sections into real neighborhoods that build a strong sense of community and create a real sense of City life,” said Councillor Luca Matteo, who came in first in the election. “With a little creativity we can create a real sense of City life in WestHill and in each of the habtube sections,”
Matteo proposed leasing space or access to kitchen and business facilities and allowing the use of common areas such as terraces to enable alternative dining and shopping options for residents.
“Right now everyone has to go over to the Industrial Tube terminal for the farmer’s market, for the arts and crafts and micro-businesses,” Matteo said. “Let’s put them in the neighborhoods. We have this beautiful space. Let’s use it.”
Many residents would welcome those choices, first-section resident Veronica Desiderius said.
The current habitations can seem a lot like a large hotel or even university dormitories, where everything is separated and standardized, Desiderius said.
The system of city-run canteens adds to that feeling, with cooking at home on heating pads the only alternative.
“You can host a dinner party or go to a dinner party at someone’s hab, but the habs are really only big enough for their residents,” Desiderius said. ““It’d be nice to go over to a little restaurant in the second or third sections or over in WestHill and meet new people,” Desiderius said.
Because dining and entertainment options are limited, people can feel isolated and lonely when they first move into a new hab. said new second-section resident Andi Ostrowski, who moved out of the first-section contract worker dormitories, or cubbies, in September.
“We tend to see the same people at work and in our city-assigned canteens,” Ostrowski said. “You can chat in the tray line at the canteen, but it’s not like sitting out on a garden terrace with a coffee and a pastry.”
Council President Claude Paddingbury cautioned against setting aside space for non-residential purposes as the number of habitations is limited, and the fourth HabTube section will not be finished until after the next supply train arrives in January 103.
The new section will bring the total length of the Habtube to 6.4 km and its residential capacity to about 64,000. Work on the fourth section began in July.
“Let’s not forget that our population is growing naturally,” Paddingbury said. “We’ll have welcomed about two thousand newborn Martians this annos, and a bit more than that next annos.”
The City will end the year with about 59,300 residents, not counting the 2,010 new arrivals who’ll be moving down in December, but they’ll add to the population growth next annos, likely bringing the City population to more than 63,000, Paddingbury said.
“Now, the infants don’t need their own habs, but we’re still filling up the available spaces, so let’s not overbook the space we have,” said Paddingbury, who has opposed independent businesses inside the City and development projects elsewhere in the Valley.
“Growing families will want more space, and we still have to make sure everyone gets fed,” Paddingbury said. “And I’ll remind everyone that any resident can go to any canteen at any time. They aren’t limited to just one.”
Second-section resident Jaspar Jackson said, “But they’re all the same,” drawing laughs and applause from the audience.
While the City does offer entertainment options such as the stages near the Council Hall on Terrace 8 in HabTube 1, Jackson suggested that more entertainment options could be spread throughout the City.
Jackson noted that an unapproved nightclub in the third HabTube section closed down by the City in September had proven very popular among residents from all City sections who are still meeting on the terrace outside for impromptu music and dance.
“People want a place to meet new people and socialize that’s not connected to City authorities or to their jobs. The new arrivals will certainly want that after a couple months in the Cubbies,” Jackson said.
“We all know that it’s important for residents to monitor what the Council is going,” Jackson said. “But right now going to Council meetings is about the only entertainment option on a Thursday night.”
Calendar
La Bandita live
You’ll fall in love too. “La Bandita,” a one-woman play by the author of the romantic threedee, “La Bandita - Thief of Hearts” will be performed by writer Phoebe Nyx at the Geryon Agora Saturday 21:00. The thief of hearts tells how she met her match, sparking a fiery romance. Held over until further notice
A city flower
Celebrate the City’s new name at the Tithonia Gardens display of bright yellow, orange and red blossoms at its display of Tithonia flowers. Habtube 2, Terrace 4
City farmers' market
Going green with veggie envy? Get to the City farmer's market. Stalls available by appointment. Industrial Tube Terminal. Saturday 0900-1500
City Strings Quartet
Quartet performs selections from Mozart's "Night Music." WestHill Terrace 4 Friday-Saturday 19:00
“Sail Away”
Fun Sci-Fi threedee about solar-powered ships sailing the far heavens of the future. Hoist up the sails! Stage 3 Hab 1 Terrace 8 Nov. 29-35, 18:00, 20:00, 22:00
The Opera Tithonia
Open rehearsal for the Strauss opera Der Fledermaus. They’re just practicing, but well worth a listen. Stage 1 on Terrace 8 (HabTube 1). Sunday noon
Melas Karaoke
You don't have to memorize the words, but you'll want to practice. Sing solo, in groups or just hum to yourself at the Bottom of the Sea cantina. Friday 20:00. Melas.
Pop. Pop. Pop music
Rayguns bring their electric pop at the Ius Forum. Friday 21:00
Acoustic Song Share
Everyone gets a song Cafe du Mont. Geryon Agora Saturday 16:00
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
Classified Ads
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FURNITURE Printer Stock. And cushions for a comfy seat IUS 278 58897
WALL PRINTERS All shapes and contours. MELAS 285 45672
SURFSUIT Refurbishing. Fabric and boot repair, seal replacement, visor refurbishing, comms upgrades. COPRATES 297-14210
CARGO HANDLERS. Space experience required. Contract exemptions considered. PONTUS 100 419
ROCKET SCIENTIST. Engine upgrade project, Ex-contract only. PONTUS 100 637
SHUTTLE MECHANICS. Experienced preferred, but we’ll train you if you have the skills. Ex-contract only. PONTUS 100 635
CONSTRUCTION All specialties. Some outside. Ex-contract only. GERYON 278 68034
DRILLING specialists, supervisors and crew. Ex-contract only MELAS 285 13941
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 Machine repair 8 annos (14 years) and up. NOCTIS 260 21188
APPRENTICES Hydroponics. 8 annos and up. URBS 269 44085
APPRENTICES Environmental systems. MELAS 285 74223
SPACE CAMP. Get ready for orbital work. All ages. ARES PORT 268 00910
BALLET Poise, strength, balance, beauty. Très grands jetés URBS 269 62577
RAAS / GARBA Dance performers for existing troupe. COPRATES 295 45788
CRICKET Mars style. Two teams. Unfamiliar? They’ll explain it. COPRATES 295 21508
MARTIAL ARTS. Conditioning and confidence. Weighted and natural. GERYON 278 71435
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)
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Photomosaic: Viking Orbiter: NASA/JPL-Caltech