2
Delegation
The next day the two rangers, with trailers attached headed to the shuttles to continue unloading them. On the landing day—April 16, 2023—the rangers had managed to haul two tonnes of consumables and personal property to the outpost. The next morning they unloaded the heaviest items—Habitat 3 on board the Hadriaca and the Mars life science facility on board the Apollonaris—and hauled them to the outpost on their wheeled trailers. Then, while some crew went back to the shuttles with the rangers to unload equipment, others turned to setting up the two inflatable structures.
Unlike Columbus 1, Columbus 2 arrived after considerable local preparation had been done. During their nine months of running the outpost, Will had excavated the foundations for both structures and Ethel had manufactured the metal and plastic parts needed to complete them. As a result, once the two inflatables had been wheeled into place, all the crew had to do was add air. Habitat 3 was the same size as the others: shaped roughly like a flying saucer, twelve meters in diameter, with a domed top and a curved bottom giving it a maximum thickness in the middle of seven meters. It had to be inflated into a bowl-shaped depression and Will had been very careful to get the dimensions exactly right and cover the surface with a layer of soft Martian dust and sand; Habitats 1 and 2 had been placed in hastily excavated depressions and later they had to devote a lot of time to filling gaps underneath the structures. Inflating the habitat into its final shape was quick and easy; in a few hours they had filled the interior with oxygen, nitrogen, and argon and they could walk around inside. But vast amounts of work remained after the simple act of inflation. The habitat had some one hundred independent inflatable “ribs” to keep it stiff if it suffered from a puncture, and each required careful inflation with Martian air. Once inflated, the floors and walls were all in place, but they were soft and tended to sag underfoot or deform from the pressure of a hand; they had to be stiffened with hard plastic panels. But the panels Ethel had made were rather flammable and an unattractive gray, so Columbus 2 had brought a special flame-proof cover layer that they could apply, and it was decorative as well; they called it “wallpaper.” Finally, the floor of the main level had to be stiffened with horizontal and vertical metal beams Ethel had made with the metal carbonyl unit so that it would be firm underfoot and strong under the weight of furniture, equipment, and people. The “balcony” level required similar reinforcement if it was to be used, and the basement level needed some walls if it was to be used at all. Finally, life support equipment had to be installed and pipes laid to carry water, air, and sewage. It was a solid month of work for three people.
The Mars life sciences facility was almost as much work. It was the length of a Habitat—twelve meters—and six meters wide. It was essentially an inflatable Quonset hut, with a slightly curved floor and a wall and ceiling that formed a semicircular profile, punctuated by three windows on each side. A flat floor of hard plastic panels had to be installed, with short plastic supports every two meters to hold it above the curved bottom. The airspace beneath—no more than half a meter high—would house pipes and wires.
One shuttle had brought a greenhouse, a tough, airtight, transparent plastic cylinder twenty-two meters long and six wide. Another would arrive on one of the automated cargo vehicles. Will had excavated curved depressions for them, and the first one was set up quickly. But transferring soil to the two new greenhouses from the two existing ones, setting it up in plastic frames, adding Martian regolith to bulk it up, and starting plants growing would take months.
Also on board the shuttles were solar power units. Like their two predecessors, each one was a transparent cylinder thirty meters in diameter and thirty-two long, with two strips of solar panels opposite each other. One strip of panels ran through the length of a silvered area that covered half of the cylinder; it was kept facing toward the sun at all times by rolling the cylinder along the ground. The silvered areas reflected sunlight onto another strip of solar panels that ran along the middle of the opposite side of the cylinder; that strip of panels had silvered wings to reflect any stray light back toward the panels in the middle of the silvered side. The result was that nine hundred sixty square meters of area that constantly pointed toward the sun—and was exposed, on average, to four hundred eighty kilowatts of solar energy—reflected all the energy onto ninety-six square meters of high-efficiency solar cells, generating a continuous one hundred sixty kilowatts of electricity. Since the intense sunlight made the panels quite hot, compressed Martian air was circulated against their backs to cool them and capture about one hundred sixty kilowatts of heat as well.
Columbus 1 had drilled a series of wells into the bedrock under Aurorae and after two years the six shafts had penetrated almost four hundred meters. The rock they passed through was porous and about five percent ice by mass. About a year after arrival they had capped the shafts tightly on top with Martian concrete; this meant they could pump compressed Martian air down several shafts after it was heated by the solar power units. The hot air penetrated the pores in the rock, heating it, melting the ice, and evaporating the water; when the cooler air escaped up the shafts it was humid, and by condensing the water they could harvest as much as two tonnes of water a week. After over two years, tens of thousands of tonnes of rock were heated up to fairly high temperatures and were thoroughly dried out; the heat steadily escaped horizontally, melting ice and making a pool of liquid water at the bottom of the shafts that they could pump up if necessary; and if the Outpost needed spare heat during duststorms, when the solar power units were useless, they could pump it out of the ground. By adding two more solar power units, they had even more energy available for harvesting water and storing heat. Two people were able to set them up in four days.
Two wind turbines were on their way on the automated cargo vehicles, due to arrive in Martian orbit in a month. Each had blades twenty meters long; in a forty-kilometer per hour wind, as was typical on the top of Boat Rock every afternoon, they had a power output of three kilowatts. Normally, six occasional kilowatts of power was not worth worrying about; but in a dust storm winds typically blew steadily at fifty kilometers per hour or more on the mesas and gusted often to 100 kilometers per hour or more, and at a hundred klicks the wind turbines could make twenty kilowatts each, plenty to run the outpost at emergency rationing power levels.
Sebastian decided to make the new Habitat 3 their main habitat for eating and socializing. Only Paul Renfrew lived there and he liked to stay up late, which was just as well, since the habitat tended to be noisy. In a fit of generosity Sebastian agreed that pairs of single rooms could be merged by cutting away the wall between them, so the six private bedrooms in each Habitat became three. Removing the walls in such a way that they could be replaced later was tricky, but could be done; they spent several days on the task, then wallpapered the larger rooms with fresh patterns. Sebastian also agreed that Roger and Madhu could have a two-room apartment of their own on the balcony level of Habitat 2, which left Will and Ethel with the two rooms on Habitat 1’s balcony. While the wallpapering went on, another team reinforced the balcony of Habitat 2 and enclosed the apartment there.
Setting up Habitat 3, the life science facility, the new greenhouse, the docking units, the airlocks, and tunnels to connect them together took about two weeks of continuous work by all eleven of them. Modifying Habitats 1 and 2 took another week. As a result, by the end of the third week after the arrival of Columbus 2, set-up work began to wind down. They had beaten the nominal schedule, which was to be expected because it assumed minimal work and maximum delays. The automated cargo vehicles were not due to arrive at Mars for two more weeks, so the crew turned temporarily to scientific and other tasks. One morning, Ethel gave Paul Renfrew a thorough tour of the plastic and metal-making facilities, since he was now in charge of them.
“For a small facility, this equipment has really been quite good,” she said, in conclusion. “Over two years I’ve probably run the plastic making facility the equivalent of two months, which has been enough to make about eight tonnes of plastic sheets and special items, like cups, sample bags, soil trays for the greenhouses, etc. The metal working facility has been used even less; maybe the equivalent of one month, and that’s been enough to make three tonnes of metal beams, pins, forks, etc. When we ran either one we have to draw a lot of power, so much that we ran the fuel cells in the shuttles and used up their stored fuel to make enough power. Now, with four solar power units, that won’t be necessary. But with the new equipment coming next month our power needs will grow again.”
“How familiar are you with the cargo manifest?”
“Oh, pretty familiar; I’ve scoured the website. The new metal processing unit and metal-working tools should complement the carbonyl unit well and greatly increase what we can do with the metal we can make. Set-up will take a month or so. I’m very interested in getting a chance to use the new chemical synthesis unit; it’ll greatly broaden our capacities. I’ve never been satisfied with the glues we could make here, for example. Now that will change. And of course, being able to make more advanced chemical feedstocks will greatly increase the capacity of the plastic making unit.”
“It’s very exciting,” agreed Paul. “And the new industrial facility will allow us to house these units in a much more convenient fashion. We’ll have plenty of room for items to cool and be stored, too.”
“That will help a lot.”
“I’m sure; I can’t imagine how you made all the plastic sheets you did in a space barely longer than the sheets! I gather you really want to be involved in running them?”
“Oh, definitely. I’ve really enjoyed it. You’ve seen how much I like construction; this is the same.”
“Good. Because as you may know, I was sent here to do several jobs. One was to run the plastic and metal-making units. Another was to repair and run the Prospectors. Prospectors are my passion; my doctorate is in robotics. So I’m perfectly happy leaving you to the tasks of chemical, plastic, and metal synthesis and fabrication of items from them. And I know if we have someone devoted nearly full time to that area, we can make a lot of useful items.”
“Definitely. The greenhouses’ needs are nearly inexhaustible. The new equipment on its way includes better catalysts, so we should be able to make higher quality plastics, which means stronger ones. The metal synthesis equipment allows a much wider range of production, tighter control of the characteristics of the resulting metals, and the new lathe allows more precise cutting. In a few months we’ll have some very powerful capacities and the power output to run them; we just need the human resources.”
“Well, I think we now have that.”
Ethel smiled. “Thank you, Paul. You’ve made my day. I was concerned that my work would be rather limited.”
“I wouldn’t want that. We’ve got eleven people here; we need to use all of their abilities. We need plastics and metals and as much time as possible devoted to the Prospectors; we’ve now got eight functioning ones, plus two broken ones that we need to recover if we can. So I’m glad to give you the work you want to do, because it’s not what I want to do!”
“I had better consult with the experts in Houston and draw up a plan for manufacturing over the next eighteen months.”
Paul nodded. “Yes, Sebastian will want that.” He turned and headed to his work area in Habitat 3 while Ethel turned back to her equipment. So many possibilities! The Sunwing hanger had to be extended to accommodate a third aircraft. That required about a tonne of additional metal parts. Will had talked about making a large metal water storage tank insulated under a meter of regolith to improve their water supply. There was even the possibility of making metal buildings.
She was still thinking about the possibilities that evening when Will, Roger, Sebastian, and Monika returned from a day-long field trip to Little Colorado Canyon. They raved over the natural beauty of the place during supper.
“I had no idea that Mars was beautiful,” exclaimed Roger. “It’s like Earth!”
“What, the moon’s not beautiful?” asked Monika, who, as an exobiologist, had been there only briefly for Mars exploration training.
“It’s very different. Softer, rounded; very little cragginess and few cliffs. You can get lost in a boulder field, but never in a canyon.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Will. “I saw some pretty spectacular slopes on the moon. Tycho’s rim is very impressive. The Mountain of Perpetual Sunlight is rather dramatic.”
“Perhaps.” Roger was irritated by the contradiction. “I’m glad the Outpost is in an area with dramatic scenery. The escarpment is a spectacular thing to look at every day.”
“It is,” agreed Will. “You should see it in Gangis, where it’s even higher. That’s one reason I think we should explore up canyon as well as down canyon; the escarpment in Melas and Ius is up to six kilometers high! Think what a Sunwing can photograph.”
“We’ve already got some Sunwing reconnaissance there,” replied Roger, shaking his head. “No, our destination must be northward: Chryse, then the old ocean bottom of Acidalia Planitia. We need to haul the driller up there and see whether it penetrates into ocean sediments, or even ice. That’s the place to find life, alive, frozen, or dead.”
“Don’t forget the hydrogen emission in the central Mariner Canyons,” replied Will. “It may reflect residual spring activity and life, too. I’d favor exploration in both directions, and maybe southward as well; we need to penetrate through the chaotic terrain and reach the southern highlands from here. Then vehicles can range freely to Argyre and Hellas, and maybe the south pole itself.”
Roger shook his head adamantly. “Maybe eventually. Columbus 2 is heading north.”
Will grew angry. “Don’t you think some consultation and give and take would be helpful? We don’t have to put all our eggs in one basket. We can explore a substantial distance northward, but still travel eastward and southward as well.”
Roger looked at him, then shrugged. Sebastian leaned forward. “Will, we can talk about this later. But Roger is in charge of exploration. He makes the call, ultimately.”
“Oh? I was unaware of that,” replied Will, surprised.
“I apologize if I didn’t make the administrative chain clearer. Roger’s in charge of exploration. Madhu’s in charge of the greenhouses and Paul of manufacturing. I’m in charge of the spaceport.”
Will nodded, trying not to look too surprised. Ethel had no problem looking surprised. Everyone else was silent. In fact, there was very little talking for the entire remainder of the meal.
Will and Ethel left Habitat 3 and went back to their room in the balcony of Habitat 1. Before they could talk at all, there was a knock on the door.
“Oh, Shinji. Come in.”
“Will, I don’t know about you, but I’m furious. I don’t think I’ve been this angry in several years, in fact. I’m ready to go to Sebastian and tell him off.”
“I almost wanted to do it, too.” Will shook his head.
“So, have we been totally disenfranchised?” asked Shinji. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be doing here. I can’t do medical work because Armando wants the sick bay. Monika controls the Bio Lab now, so she controls Mars life science. And Madhu is in charge of horticulture.”
“We’ve got to straighten that out,” said Ethel. “It’s ridiculous. There are only eleven of us here; we don’t need to have four serving as bosses. Everyone can report to Sebastian. Shinji, I think you should be able to choose what you do. You’ve been here two years, after all; you have seniority!”
“The irony is that the people with seniority are the people with no say,” said Will. “We’re being treated like we’re an appendage to Columbus 2.”
“Which is no way to get people to stay more than one cycle!” exclaimed Ethel. “I’m comparatively lucky. Paul told me that he’d leave chemicals and plastics completely to me; he needs time to run the Prospectors.”
“And he’s good at that,” added Will. He looked at the others. “Well, I guess we have to go talk to Sebastian about this.”
“Tomorrow morning after breakfast?” suggested Shinji.
Will nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
-----------------------------
The next morning the three of them were quiet at breakfast. Will yawned several times; he had not slept well because of the worry.
Sebastian was the first one to finish breakfast and hurried to the bridge in Habitat 1 at the other side of the Outpost. A few minutes later Will and Shinji followed. They had decided Ethel’s situation was alright and she wouldn’t join them, so as not to look like they were ganging up on Sebastian. The Commander was already hard at work reviewing the outpost’s inventory, dictating notes over the videophone to secretarial assistants on Earth.
“Sebastian, we need to talk to you about something,” Will said.
The German seemed to grasp a potential problem immediately, but that did not provide him with an incentive to act. “Maybe we can make an appointment for 11 a.m.? I’ve already got a line open to the inventory manager in Houston. We’re both reviewing the database and cleaning it up. Unfortunately, when I arrived the inventory was in real disarray.”
“When you arrived, there was practically nothing left to inventory, and we knew where all of it was,” replied Will, rather pointedly.
“Be that as it may, now we have to maintain a careful and detailed inventory, and I’m in the middle of the task.”
“This is rather important.”
“Eleven o’clock.” Sebastian sounded insistent.
“Alright.” Will and Shinji turned away, and as they walked to their work areas they grew more and more angry. Indeed, it was impossible to get any work done while there. They returned almost three hours later, at eleven. This time, Sebastian was conciliatory.
“I’m very sorry I couldn’t meet with you earlier, but the Inventory Manager had to leave the office at 10:40 a.m. our time. It was our last chance this sol to work together on the inventory. Now, how can I help you?”
“I’m not sure where to begin,” replied Will. “Aurorae is an outpost of eleven people; it isn’t a town of eleven thousand or a city of eleven million. In my experience, efficiency is enhanced by having relatively little administrative structure. So I’m not sure we gain by having directors of exploration, manufacturing, and horticulture.”
“And I’m the prime example of the problem, because my work has always fallen in three areas: horticulture, medicine, and Mars life science,” added Shinji. “Right now I have three different bosses, and they either want me to serve as their laboratory technician or go work for someone else.”
“Oh? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. Has anyone actually said they want you to serve as a lab technician?” asked Sebastian.
“Not in so many words, no.”
“Shinji, what do you want to do?”
“Life science is what I like the most. We don’t need two physicians. We can manage with one horticulturalist supplemented occasionally by outside help.”
“Okay, and I’m sure there’s plenty of work to go around for two researchers.”
“Of course, and we have the equipment, too.”
“Then I’ll talk to Monika for you. I’ll tell her that the two of you are equally project scientists and you must be treated that way from now on.”
“Thank you, Commander,” said Shinji, satisfied. “But what about Will?”
“I’m not sure what Will’s problem is.”
“We had a bit of discussion last night, with Roger,” replied Will. “I don’t want to be unreasonable or anything, Sebastian. I don’t have any objection to Roger’s goals, either. But I am concerned that he thinks he can make all the decisions without listening to anyone else. We have to explore the Marineris canyon system, not just escape from it. NASA could have set up the outpost in Chryse if it had wanted to focus on northward exploration. And I don’t see why there isn’t time for both.”
“We still have to decide what exploring schedule we want to maintain,” said Sebastian. “So there probably is a question of whether we can do both. If a team is going to push to the edge of the northern layered terrain, they have to clear a route at least four thousand kilometers long; probably five thousand, when you add twists in the route and side routes. That’ll take a long time at ten kilometers per day and every other month off! In fact, it can’t be done.”
“We have to improve the rate of exploration,” agreed Will. “With three Sunwings we can now fly supplies to the expedition; we can even rotate crew. Expeditions can go for a lot longer than a month if they want. With three vehicles there’s greater safety and three bulldozer blades means faster progress on clearing a route. The conestoga represents a significant increase in living space, comfort, and lab capacity. A continuous expedition could get to the northern layered terrain in nine to twelve months.”
“If the Sunwings are finally passenger rated, if people want to stay out longer than a month, and if Mission Control approves changes to our standard routine. If not, we can’t even get to the layered terrain; just to Acidalia Planitia and the old ocean bottom. And we don’t go anywhere else.”
Will shrugged. “I can see that the biologists should get some priority; Martian life is the issue driving exploration right now. But don’t forget that in the central canyons we’ve got an escarpment over six kilometers high to study. That’s quite a gash in the crust; quite an exposure of geological time. We may learn more about life on Mars by finding earlier fossils there.”
“It’s a gamble,” conceded Sebastian. “But it’s Roger’s decision and my call. I assume you want to participate in the missions? Otherwise, I could reassign you to the Outpost. You could help with horticulture or play a supporting role.”
“Of course I want to participate! And Ethel and I have talked about longer trips, up to two months at a time. If she comes along—she could do repairs for the trip—we could stay out even longer.”
“Commander, you’re slipping back into the idea that we should just play a supporting role,” noted Shinji, gently.
Sebastian’s eyes flashed. “It is my prerogative to decide who does what task. And the eight of us had divided up tasks and initiated our working relationship before the three of you decided to stay here. It’s a little hard to accommodate you now.”
“Considering we have seniority here, it would be helpful if you could reconsider some of those relationships,” said Will, irritated.
“Well, I am Commander here and that matter is up to me,” replied Sebastian abruptly.