Robotic Expedition (4.1)

BACK ON JUPITER STATION, IT HAD ONLY BEEN twelve months since the Gatores children stumbled upon the strange creatures inside the Recreation Room. Even after a year, the Space Command Central scientists had no clues leading to the source of the alien beings that had invaded the station. Neither were they certain whether the life forms were sentient, or animal or related in some way to the carnivorous plant species of Earth. The entire incident was wrapped in top secret files and the study of the comatose creatures continued.

As soon as the station was deemed habitable, the intended staff moved in. Most of the station's crew were scientists who were specialists in planetary studies. A few were vacationing visitors from Earth and the Moon eager to enjoy the vistas from the observation decks. Views of the Solar System's largest gas giant were ever changing.

The Gatores children— Sarah, Jed, and Alice— spent a few hours each day with the station's resident teacher. The classes were small and were made up of the children of resident staff. When they had free time, they had an added advantage of participating in a school partnership project. Each child who regularly attended classes on the station was paired with a crew member or scientist. Under adult supervision, the children could join ongoing projects or Station maintenance and operations.

Sara and Jed had both been assigned to crew members in the robotics department. Their team had been working for weeks on the development of two semi-intelligent bots designed to explore Jupiter's moon, Ganymede. Jed and Sarah leaned forward on the edge of their seats, everyone watched their screens and instruments in intense anticipation.

Even though Jed knew the time lapse between each incoming data transmission felt longer than it was, he still counted off the seconds on his fingers as they waited for the incoming data from the two robots. The station's radar indicated that Ganybot and Medebot had entered the barely detectable atmosphere miles above the moon's surface.

'010110010… Taltex bios version 6.5… memory 10,000 GB… input device check… output device check…'

"I, Ganybot, am fully operational. Systems are go. Uploading operational parameters now. Begin observation at altitude of 5,000 miles. Mark…

"The light Ganymede winds are buffeting my protective shield of air-filled sacks but are doing little to slow my descent. I'm recording video of my descent to be transmitted to my designers for analysis." the Ganybot stated as its system parameters instructed it to narrate what was happening.

"Instruments suggest that I am nearing the surface. Preparing my hard drive… to slow… to a stop."

The large white collection of balloons was stopped in its decent by the icy surface. Back on the station, Sarah Gatores nodded her head, watching the information coming in, and feeling satisfied. The Ganybot had locked its hard drive to protect its system files. As Ganybot, encased in its ballooned bumper guard, bounced and rolled over the rocky surface, the exterior cameras were destroyed. The balloons began to deflate, and the rover came to a standstill.

"0100110010… Systems Check. Systems operational. Continue operation.

"My systems may be operational, but I have no input coming in from my external video cams. My parameters advise me to continue. However, I am in the dark.

"Parameters must be defective. I must try to reestablish contact with my video devices. Parameters say unload first. Triggering case pins…"

The pins were released in a small, contained explosion and the sides of the robot's protective case fell open on their hinges, exposing the Ganybot to the moon's atmosphere. The deflated balloons attached to these sides were withdrawn and an electric pulse was sent to the robot, triggering the next sequence in its operation procedures.

"Parameters say I must extend my onboard cameras… Transmitting surface images of Ganymede to supervisors in Jupiter Station. Onboard instructions require me to disembark from this platform and set my wheels on the surface of Ganymede." Ganybot turned on its motor and began its decent down the ramp from its platform.

"Error! Error! Evidence of extreme drop in altitude and rising acceleration. Systems overload… Systems overload… Systems shutdown…."

"What happened?!" Jed exclaimed, as the screen turned blank.

Jed looked at the crew in hopes of learning more details, but everyone else was as confused and exasperated as he was.

Meanwhile, Medebot landed a few hundred yards away from Ganybot. The scientists and the Gatores children turned their attention to the robot hoping to learn more about the non-responsive Ganybot.

Medebot rolled to a stop beside a large hole in the cold ground. Jed turned to his left, just in time to see one of the scientists punch in a command to the robot. As the visual flickered and then blacked-out once more, the visual input changed to an overhead satellite recording the activities of the robots below.

The Medebot curled itself into a protective ball, allowing it to roll down into the cavern through the hole into which the Ganybot unluckily fell. The Medebot rolled to a stop on the floor of the cavern, it slowly unfolded itself and turned on its onboard cameras once more. Small lights connected to Medebot's frame attempted to pierce the darkness around it. Everyone in the room held their breath while Medebot inched forward.

Sara watched, disappointed, as the screen filled with static. Through the fuzzy, fading visual, the crew could barely make out the crippled Ganybot beside a strange cylinder inscribed with unreadable markings.

*****

Back on Earth, the EASA Space Center slowly came to life. Scientists and technicians began to scurry about their assigned duties, preparing for a launch the entire population of Earth and the moon were waiting for. In the Quarantine Facility on the moon, Laurie was jarred awake by the clamor of her alarm clock. It was time get up and get ready for the launch! Walking out into the Quarantine Living Room, Laurie discovered that her parents, Dr. Smith, and Captain Mitchell were already up. She joined them for a light snack while they waited anxiously for the White Room Technicians to lead them out of the Quarantine Facility.

Escorted by a team in white, static-free suits, Laurie and the Star Traveler crew were led through the maze of halls and to the ship's airlock. It was 11:00PM and they were right on schedule. The crew stepped, unaccompanied, through the airlock and headed up the hall and through a set of double doors that led to the main deck of the ship. Without a word, they assumed their roles and sat in their assigned chairs as they began to go through their preflight checklist. Launch control, traditionally housed in the Kennedy Space Center down on Earth, coordinated with the Lunar Space Center to make sure everything for this maiden voyage of the Star Traveler was checked and double-checked.

"Retro- Go flight.

FIDO- Go Flight.

Trajectory- Go flight.

AVA- Go flight.

INCO- Go flight.

FAO- Go flight.

CAPCOM Star Traveler- Go flight.

Star Traveler, this is Launch Control; be advised, you have smooth countdown, all systems optimal…

This is Kennedy firing room; your computer registers you at T minus 1 minute to launch…"

"You are 'go' for auto-liftoff sequence start," an official inside the Lunar Space Center called over the radio to the Star Traveler crew.

"T minus thirty-one seconds." The countdown began.

"T minus twenty seconds…

Ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one..."

The ball dropped on Earth in New York's Times Square, welcoming in the New Year, and the whole world watched breathlessly as the Star Traveler made a smooth liftoff. Its engines lifted it straight up off the lunar surface and into the starry sky. Launch Control then turned the ship and its crew over to the personnel in the Mission Control Center inside the EASA facility on the moon; they would continue to track and maintain communication with the Star Traveler crew throughout their quest.

Ten-year old Laurie had been curled up in her bed in her small cabin onboard the Star Traveler, her lack of a good night's sleep was catching up with her. During her time on the moon, she had managed to pass EASA's special flight control training simulator. Captain Mitchell had been so impressed with her score he advocated that she be given flight permission. Captain Mitchell told her that he wanted to test her skills through the asteroid belt. She knew that this job would require a lot of focus, so while everyone else was waiting anxiously for the fly-by of Mars, she headed off to her room to take a nap.

Feeling rested, Laurie stepped out of her room and made her way to the command deck. Laurie's mom smiled in reassurance from her chair as she entered the room. Her father threw her an encouraging thumbs up as she passed between her mom's chair and his. Captain Mitchell tapped a few buttons in front of him, shutting down the autopilot. Laurie headed to the front to sit in the co-pilot's chair beside Captain Mitchell at the front of the room. Captain Mitchell reached over and depressed a blue button on the large surface of the computer console in front of the co-pilot's chair. Laurie's engineering console panel slid back and a new panel with a blue ball inset in its surface rose in its place.

As the Manual Flight Control device (M.F.C.) locked in place, Laurie leaned forward and closed her hands around it, and waited as it molded to the inner contours of her grasp.

"There are a lot of asteroids out there, Captain Mitchell!" Laurie exclaimed, staring transfixed at the viewscreen in front of her on the wall.

"I don't think the simulators they put you through at the lunar space station were ever able to display the vast numbers of asteroids we would actually come across," Dr. Smith focused on the panorama before them from his seat in the row behind her.

"Don't worry, Laurie, you have been through the simulations many times. You can handle this. You know you can," Captain Mitchell reassured her as he reached out to pat her elbow, "I'll be right here to back you up just in case."

Laurie reaffirmed her grip on the MFC and concentrated hard on the approaching asteroids. The mere size of them alone would be enough to worry anyone; Laurie paid attention only to the spaces between them. The crew watched and waited as the ship maneuvered around the many asteroids the number of which had grown since the outdated reconnaissance pictures that they had been shown during training.

The Asteroid Belt that separates the inner and outer planets of Earth's solar system was first mapped and photographed in 2099. A few years later EASA began a campaign to systematically deflect any comets or meteors at risk of endangering Earth, the Lunar Base, or our interests on Mars. A large comet headed for Earth was systematically destroyed by EASA in 2170, sending millions of huge rocks into space. These rock pieces were swept up into the asteroid belt, multiplying its collection of cast-off celestial debris into a minefield of danger for outer-space travelers.

All the crew cheered as clear, black, star filled sky expanded across the viewscreen Laurie breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully surrendered the ship back to Captain Mitchell, who punched in their predestined course and turned the ship back on autopilot.

"Good show, Laurie, you did exceptionally well!" Captain Mitchell exclaimed as he turned to face Laurie, giving her a short salute.

Eli stood to reach over and tousle Laurie's hair to which Laurie groaned at, then, laughing, batted back at him with her hands until her father stopped.

"Alright, now we can head to the first stop on the map from the alien relic: Jupiter's moon, Ganymede!" Captain Mitchell replied in an excited voice, tapping some commands into the ship's computer.

*****