Category Archives: Mars calendar

Bad Attitude

11 Thursday Feb 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Tuesday, Sol 38 (1.1.38)  7:47 AM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Wednesday, 10 February 2016  2:30 PM PST

Rear Admiral Jenna Wade, Commodore Ken Hart, and ship’s Counselor Wendy Stevens had all just been informed by the ESEP Director, Nick Castillo, that their pilot, Dane Paris  had just lost his wife and mother-in-law in a car accident after his father-in-law had been taken to a hospital following a severe heart attack. Castillo had said he couldn’t inform Dane of the tragedy until Wade had made a decision, but he didn’t say what that decision was about.

Wade, Hart, and Stevens knew what he meant. After the commissioning of the ship and crew, ESEP had to let the Mission Commander make any decisions that impacted the ship or mission. Wade turned to Hart and said, “I’m willing to hear Dane out if he wants to stay, but I think he has to go to his daughter. What’s your view?” Hart didn’t hesitate, “If he wants to stay I will try to talk him out of it. For his sake and for his daughter’s sake.” Castillo jumped in, “Wendy, do you concur?” “Absolutely. How soon can we get him down?” she asked. Castillo glanced back and said, “We have a shuttle that just left 30 minutes ago. I’m calling it back and we can have him with his daughter sometime tomorrow.”

Castillo was about to say more when his assistant came up to him and whispered to him. Castillo turned angry and exclaimed, “What the hell?” and then he looked at them and said, “Standby, I still need to talk to you.”

With that he turned and went to his assistant’s station and put the conversation on speaker. Castillo said, “What’s the problem, Jake?” Jake was one of the pilots running shuttles and equipment from the surface to the orbiting spaceport, Earth Prime, where the Queen Elizabeth II and the Carl Sagan were currently docked. Jenna and Ken recognized him from past trips and when he interviewed with them to be on their crew. Jake answered, “No problem, it’s just that Captain Williams is asking me for further information and has ordered me to continue to de-orbit.”

Wade knew Captain Richard Williams. She had also interviewed him for the position on her crew. Williams was a former naval fighter pilot who had close friends in high positions in the U.S. Navy. He was arrogant and self-confident to the point that you couldn’t trust him to be realistic or honest about his crew or ship. Wade had no problem rejecting his application.

Castillo went into a low, measured tone in his voice. It was as if he was about to kill someone or something. Castillo slowly said, “Let me speak to Richard.” Jake looked over his shoulder and said, “Captain, Director Castillo wants to speak to you.” Behind Jake a man with short blonde hair that had receded far back on his head floated up behind Jake. He told Jake, “Put me on speaker, please,” and then said, “Good morning Nick, look we’re already on our way down and we’re at our maximum weight. There’s another shuttle leaving tonight, so we’re just going to stay on schedule and de-orbit.”

Wade hadn’t seen this in a long time. During her first years in the Royal Navy she would run into some arrogant Commander that would attempt to counter her decisions. What they didn’t know is that she always made sure that her superiors were well-informed and in complete agreement with the plan she had initiated. Typically, she would watch a Commander self-destruct in front of her when they tried to slap her down and humiliate her in front of her boss. She knew that Williams had no clue of what he had just done. It was uncomfortable to watch and she had a good idea of what was coming next.

Castillo became eerily calm when he said, “Richard Williams, you are relieved of Command effective immediately. You are to leave the Command deck and you are not authorized to make any further communications. You are to report back to Earth Prime where you will take the tonight’s shuttle back to Earth. Jake, I am temporarily promoting you to Captain. Just a minute.” Castillo could see Williams still floating behind Jake with a look of confusion on his face. Castillo continued, “Dick! Get off the Command deck!” Williams blinked, then turned and floated away.

Castillo then said, “Jake, can you get the ship back to Earth Prime immediately.” Jake smiled and said, “Yes sir, I’ll have her docked within the hour.” It was pretty obvious that Jake wasn’t smiling at the promotion, but at Williams visit with karma. Jake obviously disliked being under Williams command. Castillo then said, “Do you have anyone from Security on board?” Jake replied, “Mr. Soon is on board.” Castillo said, “Have him contact my assistant immediately and once you are back at Earth Prime contact my assistant for further instructions. You can plan departing within the hour after you return. Thank you, Jake” 

Castillo touched an icon on his pad and a voice said, “Security Actual.” Castillo quickly said, “Mr. Duncan, Richard Williams is no longer employed. I am asking Mr. Soon to take charge of him on the Tortuga, at Earth Prime, and then on the shuttle tonight. Would you deactivate his authorization and have a detail meet him with his belongings when he lands tomorrow and then escort him home and collect any ESEP material.” The voice replied, “Done.”

Castillo then touched his pad again and another voice with a French accent said, “Earth Prime Actual, how may I help you Director?” Wade and Hart recognized it to be the voice of Claude Dubois, the Commodore of Earth Prime. Castillo said, “Claude, the Tortuga is returning to you under my orders. We have a crew member on the QE II that has had a family tragedy and he needs to get back on Earth ASAP.” Claude somberly replied, “Very well, we will take care of it.” Castillo continued, “Claude, I have also fired Richard Williams. Would you confine him to quarters and then send him back on tonight’s shuttle. Mr. Soon will be in charge of him.” Claude’s voice betrayed his glee, “Of course.”

Family Crisis

10 Wednesday Feb 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Tuesday, Sol 38 (1.1.38)  7:17 AM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Wednesday, 10 February 2016  2:00 PM PST

Each crew member on the ESS Queen Elizabeth II carries a personal tablet or pad that connects them to the ship and the onboard communications system. It can be used for video calls between crew members or to any department of Earth Space Exploration Program (ESEP) Command.

However, normally tablet communication is audio only and off ship communication is channelled through the Comm Center on the ship or through workstations around the ship. This protocol can be bypassed under certain circumstances, so when Rear Admiral Jenna Wade pad indicated she had an incoming call on her tablet from ESEP Actual, she knew it was important.

“This is Mars Mission Actual,” she said. The Director of ESEP, Nick Castillo was not usually somber, but his voice had a very serious tone as he skipped all pleasantries and said, “Jenna, I need you in your quarters for a video call. I also need Ken and Wendy there.” Wade knew there was no point in asking why. Castillo clearly needed to discuss something without anyone else hearing the conversation. Jenna said, “On my way.” Wade was about to end the call when Castillo added, “Jenna, I also need Dane to go to his quarters and wait for a call.” Wade simply said, “Acknowledged.”

From Castillo’s tone and instructions Wade knew there was some type of emergency and everything else would have to wait. Wade called Commodore Ken Hart and Counselor Wendy Stevens and told them to report to her quarters immediately. She then decided to have Paige Flores, the Comm Officer, contact Dane Paris. The Comm Center contacting Dane for a private video call would not be unusual, but coming her it would indicate something ominous.

Wade had surmised that this must be a personal issue for Dane as the ship’s Counselor would not be needed if the emergency involved the ship or the mission. As she arrived at her quarters Wendy Stevens was waiting outside. Stevens said, “What’s up?” Wade said, “Nick wants to talk to us, but it must be something about Dane.” As they were going in Ken Hart arrived and asked the same question. Wade said to both of them, “Nick has something for us and Dane has been asked to go to his quarters for a call, my best guess is a major personal issue.”

Wade crossed to her office and touched a flashing icon. Immediately Castillo was on the bigger video monitor over Wade’s desk. He was standing in his office talking to his assistant who was a younger woman whose focus was solely on her boss. He turned to them and said, “My apologies, give me a moment.” He then turned back to her and said, “Tell the pilot to hold station until further notice. Let him know the Tortuga may have to go back.”

At that point she turned to a console behind them and a man sitting at a Command station on a shuttle appeared. She was talking to him she was on a headset and was obviously trying not to disturb her boss’s conversation with them. Castillo came closer to the camera and said, “Jenna, Ken, Wendy, we have a problem that is going to affect your team. About seven hours ago Dane’s father-in-law had a severe heart attack and was picked up by ambulance.”

Wade’s heart sank, but Castillo went on, “For whatever reason his mother-in-law stayed behind until Dane’s wife arrived. The two of them were driving to the hospital, and I don’t have all the details yet, but apparently they arrived at a light that had just turned green and the went through when another car was racing through the intersection trying to beat the red light. They were hit square on the driver’s side and both Dane’s wife and mother-in-law were killed.”

Wendy spoke immediately. “Does Dane’s daughter know?” Castillo said, “Not yet. She gets out of school in about 45 minutes and we’ve asked the police and the school to let us handle it. Dane’s mother and sister live in Denmark and his wife’s sister lives on the East Coast. There is no family near his daughter…uhm…,” Castillo glanced at his pad, then continued, “Abigail, to pick her up or stay with her.”

Two minutes ago, Dane Paris was preparing for a trip to Mars. Everything in his world was about to change.

Castillo continued, “I asked you to order Dane to his quarters so he would be occupied while we talked. Dane has checked in with us and is standing by. Before we talk to him I need your decision Jenna.” 

The Missing Piece

09 Tuesday Feb 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Friday, Sol 34 (1.1.34)  9:51 PM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Sunday, 7 February 2016  2:00 AM PST

The wine and the late hour was starting to wear on both Wade and Stevens. They had gathered at 5:00 PM for the Admiral’s Mess with the rest of the Command team. It was now five hours and later and they were still dealing with ship business.

It was Counselor Stevens job to constantly assess the crew and tonight was her first chance to speak privately to Rear Admiral Jenna Wade since she came on the ship. Wade shifted in her chair and leaned forward to pick up the wine bottle and pour more wine in Stevens’ glass, then she finished off the rest of the wine in her glass. Wade said, “You’ve read my file, you been on board for a week, what’s your opinion?”

Stevens was being backed into a corner, but she expected nothing less from Wade. Normally she would turn this around and tell the crew member that she needed to ask the questions, but Wade was not a normal crew member…or normal human.

Steven’s began, “You are one of the most interesting persons I’ve ever encountered. Your father was an engineer and your mother was a psychologist. Both had advanced degrees and you were a late, only child. You honored both your father and your mother by double majoring in engineering and psychology and you did it in five years. You then got your masters degree in social psychology with a thesis that involved the social dynamics of sailors on a Royal Navy ship.”

Stevens stood up, took a sip of wine, stretched, and then continued, “And then things become interesting. Whether it was because of your thesis or because your grandfather was an officer in the Royal Navy, you joined and attended officer training at Dartmouth. Upon completion you served ten years in the Royal Navy, the last five on the HMS Illustrious. As I said before, you were probably in line for a prestigious post on the newest British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth II, but you left the Royal Navy in 2010 to join the ESEP.” Stevens paused again and sat down.

Wade sat in silence. She knew Stevens would have looked at her record, but she was surprised at the detail that Stevens could recall. Stevens either had an amazing memory or she was very intrigued by her history.

Stevens resumed, “I couldn’t find an unenthusiastic review of your work in your file. Everywhere you’ve been your superiors gush over your skills of managing people, logistics, and just getting things done. It seems like the harder the task, the more you dive in and find the answers.”

Wade said, “You certainly know my history. I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone my grandfather was an officer in the Royal Navy.”

Stevens replied, “It’s my job to find out more than what’s in the file; however, I’m missing part of the picture.” Wade knew what Stevens was probably talking about, but decided to play dumb. She inquired, “What part?”

When you were vetted they only found one significant relationship and that was for two years and you ended it with her shortly before you joined ESEP. My experience has been that work is often a substitute for harder things like relationships and that usually is a personality time bomb. Care to fill me in?”

Wade knew that any good psychologist would see the obvious lack of a personal life and be concerned. She had self-assessed her lack of relationships and it was the part of her life that she found uncomfortable.

Still, she confronted challenges and she knew it would be better to be open with the Counselor than to let her guess. Wade looked down at her glass and then looked at Stevens and began,

When I was in Secondary school I fell in love with a young man who I believed was my perfect match. We were together for over a year and I was sure we would get married after graduation. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the same plan and we broke up. My mother helped me work through the loss, but it changed our relationship. From then on she questioned me incessantly about any potential relationship and it became easier to simply avoid them. College gave me a chance to focus on my education and career goals and I didn’t have time to become romantically involved.” Wade took her last sip of wine.

After a moment Wade began again, “The Royal Navy was virtually the same as school. No time to become romantically involved and there were the of issues with rank and sex. I did have one night stands, but never with a sailor or officer. I also discovered that I enjoyed being with a woman as much as a man.

While I was still in the Royal Navy I had met someone in Portsmouth and we kept in touch. At some point we started becoming serious and we moved in together. It was fine as long as I had time away, but it became tedious the more time I spent at home. I eventually decided to make some changes in my life and leaving her and the Royal Navy were those changes.”

Stevens sat in silence for a moment then suddenly said, “OK,” and stood up. She continued, “Another psychologist would have a field day with this, but I just want you to be aware that we should talk about any romantic feelings you develop on this mission for a crew member. You know from your naval experience the complications of romantic relationships; however, ESEP’s position is that crew romances are okay as long as they are consensual, open, and don’t distract from the duties and mission.

My concern is that if and when you begin having romantic feelings that you might need help on how you construct a new personal life within the confines of this monster of a task you have taken on. You are an extraordinary person who has done extraordinary things and will continue to do amazing things. I will be there if things get out of your comfort zone and I don’t expect you’re going to give me much work unless you catch a love bug. Fair enough?”

Wade smiled and stood up. “Fair enough.” Stevens then said, “Get some sleep, tomorrow is another long Mars day.” With that Stevens turned and walked toward the door. Wade followed her, told her thanks and good night and closed the door.

Wade was impressed. She had not expected Stevens to validate her life path and put her lack of relationships as a cautionary concern, rather than a psychological red flag. She began to realize why the Nick Castillo, the ESEP Director, recommended her as ship’s Counselor. She collected the wine glasses and the empty bottle then stopped.

“Damn, she’s good,” Wade quietly said to herself.

Wine For Two

08 Monday Feb 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Friday, Sol 34 (1.1.34)  9:21 PM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Sunday, 7 February 2016  1:30 AM PST

Roman Guzman, the Director of Engineering had left the Rear Admiral’s quarters 45 minutes ago, and the ship’s physician, Kayla Summers just left. Rear Admiral Jenna Wade was now alone with Wendy Stevens.

In the last two hours they had discussed the mental and emotional health of the entire crew, with the exception of the four people who were in the meeting. Wade knew what came next.

Stevens began, “Why did you select Guzman?” Wade replied, “You mean to bring into this meeting?” Stevens responded, “No, I know why you did that. He needs to see the bigger picture and you included him so he would understand the human aspect of this mission…but why did you select him for the crew, and as the Director?”

Wade had been asked to be the Director of the first Mars mission almost three years ago and the given the Commander position in late 2014. She didn’t immediately pick her crew, but rather choose people to work in various functions on the project and evaluated them as potential crew members. She had brought Guzman into ESEP within weeks of taking the Director job in 2013, and he was the first person to be selected on her crew. No one had ever asked why.

Wade said, “You know I brought him into ESEP before right after I was made project director.” Stevens said, “Yes, and I know he came out of the Royal Navy like you did, but he served on one of the ships after you, correct?” Wade smiled and said, “Sort of, I was a Commander on the HMS Illustrious until 2009 and then left the Royal Navy for ESEP in 2010.” Stevens interrupted, “You were a shining star on the Illustrious and the Royal Navy probably wanted you for the HMS Queen Elizabeth II.”

Wade laughed and said, “I was good at handling events and planning and we were the best ship the Royal Navy had left for PR events. As for the HMS QE, I would have liked to serve on her, but I’m not convinced she’ll ever come out of dry dock. Regardless, after I left the Illustrious was put into a refit. As it was it was coming out of the refit they were having multiple systems problems. In early 2011, I was asked to take a short leave to return to the Illustrious to get it back on schedule.”

Stevens interrupted again, “And that’s when you met Roman Guzman.” “Not exactly,” Wade replied, then continued, “There was a Chief Engineer on the Illustrious that was a blowhard. I kept after him for answers to a fuel flow problem we were having and he kept giving me excuses. Then one day the problem is solved and the Chief Engineer claimed the solution came to him in a dream. I didn’t buy it and six months later I learned that it was Roman Guzman who figured out the problem and fixed it. I started looking into his record and realized he either was consistently lucky, or very talented in solving problems.”

Stevens said, “He tends to have a myopic view.” Wade replied, “Show me an engineer who doesn’t. He’s loyal to the cause as long as he knows he’s part of it. Are you concerned?” Stevens thought for a moment then said, “Knowing his history helps. It sounds like he is very protective, but that’s okay providing he doesn’t mark out his territory and go to war with you.” “Not a concern.” Wade said, “If he jams in his heels it’s for good reason, otherwise, he’s a team player.”

Wade decided it was time to move on, “Dr. Summers?” Stevens took a drink of wine and said, “I can’t tell much about her that you don’t know. Unfortunately, it will be a crisis situation where I’ll have the best opportunity to assess her, but that probably won’t happen until we’re in route to Mars.” Wade tried to reassure her, “Summers has a lot of ER experience. I think she will be fine.”

Wade knew they had come down to the final crew assessment and said, “And what about me?”

After Dinner Conversation

07 Sunday Feb 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Friday, Sol 34 (1.1.34)  7:21 PM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Saturday, 6 February 2016  11:30 PM PST

The first Admiral’s Mess was now approaching two and a half hours. Rear Admiral Jenna Wade said, “Let’s save something for us to discuss at Mess tomorrow. I’d like Wendy and Dr. Summers join me in my quarters. Roman would you join us also.”

Roman Guzman was the Director of Engineering so he could see no logical reason he would be invited to join the Admiral and the ship’s Counselor and physician for a meeting. At the beginning of the Admiral’s Mess he had made the mistake of complaining about the Counselor, but the Admiral had already dealt with that in an not-so-subtle manner.

They cleared their food containers and then divided up. Pierce was on duty tonight and headed to the Command deck to check in. Hart went to his quarters below and Lanny Deaton headed to his quarters in the Science Quill. The rest of the Command team followed Wade to her quarters in the same section as Commodore Hart.

Command quarters were twice the size of the regular crew quarters and included a bathroom with a shower. Crew quarters were roomier than one might expect on a spaceship, but they were primarily a place to sleep. Command quarters were a place to sleep, work, and meet with small groups.

Rear Admiral Wade’s quarters were functional, and well kept. The video displays on the wall showed a live view of the outside of the ship with Earth in the background. This view wasn’t an accurate placement of the real scene as the Quill they were in was spinning at the rate of two revolutions per minute. The rest of the walls were of a two-hour looped recording of a tropical scene with a waterfall. The exception to this were a video console and monitor over a work station in her ‘office.’ There the displays were of ship systems and status reports.

Wade invited the three to sit as she gather glasses and a bottle of wine from a locker on the wall. She started pouring wine and Guzman quickly said, “None for me, Admiral.” She replied, “Do you have a drinking problem?,” She knew the answer as she would not have put a recovering alcoholic in charge of Engineering. He said, “No.” Then she followed up and asked, “Do you drink wine?” Again, she knew the answer when he said, “Yes.” Wade then smiled and said, “Good. Consider this an order: You will drink a glass of wine. That goes for the you two,” Stevens and Summers looked at each other and said, “Aye, aye, Rear Admiral.”

As Wade passed out the glasses of wine she said, “Roman, I wanted you to join us so we could talk about the process of ongoing crew assessment. As I said at Mess, we are entering the unknown when it comes to the impact of stress and isolation on our crew. We can’t just fire someone and get a replacement, so we have to assess and respond to issues before they become a crisis. Wendy, would you explain our system.”

Wendy set down her glass and said, “I look at every crew member from three perspectives. I talk to them and try to understand their self perception, I talk to others to determine what they perceive about the crew member, and finally, I develop my own perceptions of the crew member. I then send a video report of my findings to a team of psychological and sociological professionals on Earth. They then develop a plan for me, for the Team Director, and for the Command staff that is designed to meet that crew member’s psychological and emotional needs.”

Guzman said, “It sounds like you have us down to a fine art.” Wade replied, “We don’t, but it’s not like we’re working with a propulsion gun and we know exactly what output each pellet will have. We are working with perceptions and with imperfect humans. We are not trying to manipulate people, just keep a constant awareness of their mental state and, when needed, step in with support.”

Stevens said, “You should also know that our assessment process on this first mission is as much about research as it is counseling. The hope is that by closely monitoring our crew, the ground team will develop better strategies to help crew members on future missions.”

Wade took back the conversation, “At least three times a week the three of us will meet to discuss crew member assessments. When the plan involves taking action to address the acute needs of a crew member we will likely bring the Director over that crew member into our meeting so that everyone is on the same page. Periodically, we will bring in a Director to review all of their team members. Since you’re here tonight, Wendy, let’s run through the Engineering team.”  

Guzman took a big drink of wine.

Admiral’s Mess

06 Saturday Feb 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Friday, Sol 34 (1.1.34)  05:21 PM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Saturday, 6 February 2016  9:30 PM PST

During the construction and configuration of the ships people tended to adapt to the pattern of sleeping and eating that worked best for them and the team they worked on; however, now that the crew worked in shifts a pattern of eating and sleeping at coordinated times began to take hold.

It had been six days since commissioning of the ships and crew and Rear Admiral Jenna Wade decided to resurrect a time tested naval tradition, the Admiral’s Mess. Wade served ten years in the Royal Navy and though she had been with ESEP for the last six years, she still kept the military culture as her internal guide.

Almost all of the Command team had gathered already and had selected and prepared their supper. This was a process of grabbing the ration container scheduled for the meal, placing in a doorless, microwave-type device and attaching it to a sensor/tube connector. The sensor identified the meal, added appropriate amount of water vapor and/or steam to the each section of the container to hydrate and thaw the food. At that point the induction plate under the ration heated each section to its correct temperature.

When the ration was ready the person disconnected the tube, removed the top cover, and the food was ready to eat. The ship did have some raw food on board, and the means to prepare it; however, preparing meals was among the lowest priority on this mission, and with the exception of special occasions, it was designed to take the minimal amount of time.

Six of the seven members of the Command team had gathered in the fifth section of the Command Quill. They were already eating their rations and were sitting at a bar-like table that surrounded the central corridor of the Quill. It was an odd place for eating because anyone moving up from the Command living quarter or moving down from the Command deck would pass through the eating area.

However, it did provide an eating arrangement where everyone faced each other, which promoted interaction between people. That was considered vital by ESEP as the crew would function better if involved in social activities during the months and years they would be disconnected from civilization.

Already at the bar were Rear Admiral Jenna Wade; Commodore Ken Hart; the Communications Director, Naomi Pierce; Science Director, Lanny Deaton; Engineering Director, Roman Guzman; and Dr. Kayla Summers, the ship’s physician.

Admiral Wade broke in on the casual conversations, “Our Counselor will join us in a minute, but we should probably begin.” Guzman jumped in, “Regarding Dr. Stevens, I know our team members have to meet with her after we are underway, but she has already been taking my team away for her sessions. Is there a way you can tell her to back off until after were underway?”

Wade calmly looked at Guzman, and said, “First, no one is ever to call her ‘Dr.’ Stevens. She has doctorate degrees from both Stanford and Harvard, but she and ESEP share concerns about the perception of the title of Psychologist or Doctor. If you go to someone to get medical help you want to know they are a professional, but if you want to have someone open up about their concerns and fears they need to be perceived as someone they can talk to at their level.”

The rest of the Command team looked uncomfortable in their chairs. Wade’s had yet to respond to Guzman’s question, but everyone knew he was about to be slapped down hard.

Wade continued, “Each person here has an important function to perform for the success of this mission, but none of us can function without the entire crew working together. In addition, we are about to leave civilization as we know it and experience stress and separation that will test even the most stable person. Wendy’s function is to assess our crew and determine the needs and limitations before we have a crisis.”

Wade paused and nobody said a word. Then she continued, “Before we leave Earth I want to know if we have anyone who shouldn’t be leaving with us, so in answer to your question, yes, Wendy will be interviewing, and re-interviewing your crew, and unless it is at a critical time in your area, Wendy will have full access to everyone on board at anytime.”

“Sorry I’m late. What did I miss?,” Stevens said as she joined the rest of the Command team at the bar. She was met by silence, then Wade said, “I was talking about the crew evaluations your conducting. How are they going?”

Commissioning Ceremony: Queen of Mars

05 Friday Feb 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Sunday, Sol 29 (1.1.29)  1:41 PM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Monday, 1 February 2016  2:37 PM PST

The promotion of Captain Hart to Commodore presented an interesting problem. Normal navy ranking placed a Commander below the rank of Captain. This had not been an issue as Commander Jenna Wade had been placed as the ranking officer of the Mars Mission and Captain Hart’s ships were to serve that mission.

However, as Commodore, Hart’s rank was two steps over Commander Wade and the difference would be hard to ignore as both Hart and Wade were both former naval officers. Wade was not the type to be concerned with a rank or title, but it did raise the question of what would happen if Hart and Wade disagreed on an issue?

The crew may have been aware of this issue as quiet discussions among them continued after the applause died down. Castillo became aware of this and decided he needed to keep the ceremony moving. The Director of ESEP once again gave Mr. Duncan a signal. Mr. Duncan moved forward to the edge again and then announced, “COMMANDER WADE, REPORT!”

Mr. Duncan’s attempt to bring order to the section have the effect it should have so the new Commodore stepped forward next to Mr. Duncan and announced, “CODE ALERT!” The crew instantly returned to attention as Mr. Duncan and Commodore Hart stepped behind Castillo. By this time Wade had arrived at the side of the ESEP Director who began again,

Commander Wade, the Earth Space Exploration Program has designated you as Commander of the Mars Mission. We also designate your crew of 27 astronauts listed in your orders, and any subsequent additional and/or replacement personnel to be under your command until such time as you are relieved of you duties on the Mars Mission.

Unlike the promotion of Captain Hart to the rank of Commodore, this announcement was merely a formality. Jenna Wade had been their leader for the past year and she had already been designated as the Mars Mission Commander. There was polite applause, but it wasn’t the wild applause of the last announcement. Castillo quickly waived for the applause to stop and then resumed,

However, in order for you to fulfill your responsibilities we are promoting you to the rank of Rear Admiral in accordance to naval tradition.

The Command deck exploded with applause as Wade’s new rank was not only deserved, but necessary. Castillo was not finished and he continued,

Jenna Wade, ESEP has decided that while the Mars Mission is one of exploration, it is also one that must consider the human and societal aspects of creating a community on another planet. Therefore, on the day that the first plant sprouts in any habitat on Mars, that location will be considered a colony of Earth and you are designated to act as Governor of Mars until such time as relieved of that duty by order of ESEP.

Castillo had done it again, but this time surprise was more of shock. All the discussions of ESEP’s mission to Mars had carefully avoided the mention of colonization for fear of reviving memories of disastrous efforts on Earth to colonize less developed countries in past centuries.

However, there was a reality that the ESEP administrators knew had to be addressed. Three more missions would arrive at Mars while Wade’s team was still there. Would the new missions have a different command, and how would each mission integrate with the priorities established by the first mission? Someone had to be that leader and the highest ranking officer of the first mission was the logical choice.

Commander Wade’s personality and background also qualified her for the position. The problem was that no one had discussed this with her, and making the announcement to the world at the same time she learned of it was forcing her to accept the decision.

She knew she would be the ranking officer until she returned to Earth and she knew she would have the most information and knowledge of any mission Commander, but Governor of Mars was a more powerful position and it came with more responsibilities.

Still, the declaration was a smart move for ESEP. It gave them over two years to assess the situation and determine who should be the next Governor of Mars. When she returned to Earth they would have a new Governor in place and the program would move on. With Wade as Governor, it effectively ended any issues of an arriving Commander conflicting with the established procedures and protocols.

Still, Wade was caught off guard. She felt flashes of embarrassment, pride, and anger. She knew the public announcement was meant to avoid discussion and forced her to accept the decision, but to the people watching it was a great honor that was being given to a rising hero of humanity.

She composed herself and fought back the emotions. At this moment she must show humility and acceptance of this honor. Later she would take Castillo to quiet place and inform him of her displeasure of how this was handled.

Commissioning Day: A New Command

04 Thursday Feb 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Sunday, Sol 29 (1.1.29)  1:29 PM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Monday, 1 February 2016  2:25 PM PST

The possibility that carbon dioxide was building up to dangerous levels in the Command deck once again crossed Castillo’s mind. He shook off the thought and continued the ceremony. He leaned to Mr. Duncan and quietly gave him a ‘go’ signal. 

Mr. Duncan was a former Marine and he was all business. His function at ESEP was Director of Security. Castillo knew Duncan was the person to bring order and dignity to this ceremony.

Duncan marched to the edge of the platform, looked straight ahead and announced, “CAPTAIN HART, REPORT!” Captain Hart, also former military, moved to Castillo and stood at attention. Castillo began,

Captain Kenneth Hart, you are given the command of the Queen Elizabeth II and also of the Carl Sagan. Upon arrival at Mars you will establish and assume command of Mars Spaceport Prime.

However, we have learned we have a problem.

When her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth was briefed on this mission she apparently pointed out an issue we have overlooked. She asked how can one person be Captain of two ships. She is, of course, correct. For this reason ESEP has promoted you to the rank of Commodore effective immediately.

During the enthusiastic applause Castillo took a small open box with his Commodore’s new insignia and a folder containing documentation of his new rank and his written orders and gave it to Hart.

Hart was not forewarned that he was being promoted. As he absorbed the announcement he realized that ESEP had solved an issue that he hadn’t thought of before. His status as Commodore would place him in charge of all activity to and from Mars Spaceport Prime, which would be odd for a Captain. Promoting him to Commodore made perfect sense.

Castillo reached out and shook Hart’s hand and warmly congratulated him, then leaned into him and quietly asked, “Are we going to have a carbon dioxide issue in here?” Hart replied, “You mean too many sets of lungs in here?” Trying not to show concern Castillo said, “EXACTLY!” Hart leaned into the Director’s ear and said, “No, we’ve upped the air. We’re good.” The Director smiled with relief and said, “Oh thank goodness, the last thing we need is alarms going off during the ceremony.” Hart replied, “Oh we turned off the alarms. If there is a problem we’ll all just die.” Hart smiled and backed away. Castillo hoped he was joking.

Commissioning Day: Queen Elizabeth II

03 Wednesday Feb 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Sunday, Sol 29 (1.1.29)  1:10 PM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Monday, 1 February 2016  2:06 PM PST

Many of the same people present on the Command deck of the ESS Sagan were now present on the Command deck of the ESS Queen Elizabeth II. The main difference was the presence of all 28 members of her crew.QE II Plaque

For years engineers, scientist, and crafts people had been thinking, planning, designing, and building on a dream to send humans to Mars. Now the entire program became real. Today, two ships and a crew of 28 would officially become Earth’s first interplanetary ambassadors. 

Commander Jenna Wade began the final Commissioning ceremony with a nod and one word, “Captain.” At that Captain Ken Hart followed the same procedure he had done earlier in the day and broadcast a “Code Alert,” which meant everyone to standby for an important message to the crew.

As the Captain, anyone on his ship, with the exception of Commander Wade, was subject to his orders; however, this ceremony included many more people than those standing in the Command section. Around the world millions of people watched as this group of people orbiting 2,500 kilometers above Earth were witness to history. Today Earth would commission the ships and crew to be committed to take humanity to the fourth planet.

After this morning’s ceremony Earth had commissioned the ESS Carl Sagan. Now, the second ship, the ESS Queen Elizabeth II and the entire crew would be commissioned.

Again, it was Nick Castillo, the Director of the Earth Space Exploration Program or ESEP, that would conduct the ceremony. In his hands he held two cloth covered plaques. Everyone knew one was the ship’s plaque, but the other object was a mystery.

Castillo stepped to the edge of the platform near the center of the Command deck and began,

For over a century we have pretended that we still had ‘frontiers’ on Earth. There are many things we still need to explore and understand on our planet, but no place on Earth is really a frontier. This ship and crew, along with the sister ship the ESS Carl Sagan, are reviving the exploration of a true frontier.

Since 1960, Earth has sent 46 unmanned missions to Mars. Only one-third of them made it. The ones that did make it have given us volumes of data; however, the knowledge we have gained about Mars and interplanetary travel will double within one year after we set foot on Mars.

Human exploration is the most efficient way to truly explore a frontier as vast as Mars, and now we are ready to step past the millions of kilometers between Earth and Mars and write the next chapter of human knowledge.

Castillo paused as the everyone applauded. He looked around and realized that this was the largest group of people to ever gather in space. At that moment it hit him. His smiled suddenly disappeared. What would happen if the carbon dioxide in the air rose to toxic levels? He briefly considered stopping the ceremony, but then quietly reassured himself that alarms would go off if there was a problem, so he continued and hoped that the ceremony wouldn’t end in an embarrassing scramble for oxygen,

On the 24th Earth day of this month, and the 51st Mars day of Sur One, this ship will lead humans to another world and they will do so on a ship named after one of history’s most constant leaders, Queen Elizabeth II. For over sixty years she has served as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Today we thank her for service to humankind and name this ship in her honor.

Castillo removed the cloth from one of the covered objects and held it up for the remote cameras to zoom in on while the section was filled with clapping. He then handed to plaque to one of the ESEP VIP’s standing behind him, and then Castillo continued,

As the first ship to begin our human journey to Mars it has been designated as the Flagship of Earth’s coming fleet of ships. It will pass this designation to the ESS Carl Sagan once the two ships integrate, but it will retain Flagship status anytime she flies as an independent ship.

It has also been decided that the ESS Queen Elizabeth II will be the first ship to carry back a crew from Mars in April 2017.

He unveiled the second plaque designating the QE II’s Flagship status and again held it up for all to see. After a brief period of applause Castillo handed the second plaque to the man behind him and turned to one of the other ESEP VIP’s who looked more serious than the rest and said, “Mr. Duncan, if you please.”

Commissioning Day: Seeking the Incredible

02 Tuesday Feb 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Sunday, Sol 29 (1.1.29)  9:10 AM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Monday, 1 February 2016  10:06 AM PST

Several of the remote-controlled cameras inside the Auxiliary Control Deck, or ACD, were active and broadcasting the scene on the ESS Carl Sagan. One of them zoomed in on a man standing on the sixth deck of the ACD holding a flat object covered in a soft cloth. He was Nick Castillo, the Director of the Earth Space Exploration Program or ESEP. Castillo looked at the 21 people in the Command Deck and then began,

Carl Sagan said, ‘Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.’ Today, I stand on the Command Deck of a ship that will take us in search of the incredible. Often space programs justify their existence by explaining that what we learn out there will help us better understand our world. This is true, but the exploration of space elevates us as a species.

Sagan Plaque

We are not merely seeking a better understanding of Earth, but a better understanding of the human being and the context in which we all exist.

The incredible awaits us and now we have Archimedes’ lever that will take us there. This ship, the Earth Space Ship Carl Sagan, is that lever that is big enough to move our world to Mars.

Almost fifty years ago we took a step off our home world and landed on the Moon. The impact of taking that small step has carried humans into a new age of technology and economic success. It is long overdue for us to take the next step.

The Carl Sagan will not take our crew to Mars to touch it and quickly run back home. Almost all of this ship will stay in orbit around Mars, or serve as human’s first habitat on the surface of another planet.

With this ship we honor Carl Sagan for his vision, his brilliance, and his love for humankind. Without people like Carl Sagan we would still be nomadic tribes subject to the whims of nature and superstition.

And so, on behalf of the Earth Space Exploration Program, I commission the Earth Space Ship Carl Sagan. May she take us to the incredible and beyond.

As everyone applauded he uncovered a plaque that had the name of the ship and an image of the man for which it was named. People moved to Castillo and shook his hand.

Captain Hart moved over to Commander Wade and said, “Do you suppose Carl Sagan ever imagined this?” Wade looked at him and said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he meets us on Mars and offers to show us the sights.”

Commissioning Day: The Carl Sagan

01 Monday Feb 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Sunday, Sol 29 (1.1.29)  9:04 AM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Monday, 1 February 2016  10:00 AM PST

There was no doubt this was the Auxiliary Command Deck or ACD, but it was odd. It was designed to be functional in a weightless or gravity environment. It was a ten meter diameter section with multiple layers of control stations down its thirty meter length. It looked like a nine-story silo with partial decks reaching out to the center. On each deck there were chairs facing the outside wall.

The walls had video displays that extended up to the ceiling and on each screen were live images of inside sections of the ship, the view around it, data or information vital to ship operations, or personnel on the QE II, Earth Spaceport Prime, or at one of the ESEP Earth-based Centers.

Each deck hung in space. They extended toward the center, but stopped leaving a two meter circular corridor the length of the Command section. In addition, each floor had three gaps with ladder-like rungs protruding out of the wall to allow crew members to easily move between floors.

Only six mission members were in the ACD of the Earth Space Ship (ESS) Carl Sagan, named for the famous scientist who rebooted science in the minds of millions of people.

Eight more managers and directors of Earth Spaceport Prime were also loitering in the ACD. They needed no tour because most of them had been intimately involved with configuring both ships in advance of this first human mission to Mars.

The rest of the crew was on board their sister ship, the ESS Queen Elizabeth II or QE II. In three weeks all 28 crew members would leave Earth orbit for Mars. This ship would be piloted by remote control to meet up with the QE II a few days after it left Earth orbit.

Carl Sagan, 1934-96, Scientist, Author, Educator, Visionary

Carl Sagan, 1934-96, Scientist, Author, Educator, Visionary

Ann Flores, the First Officer, kept checking her monitor. She was following the progress of the VIP tours being conducted by Captain Ken Hart and Commander Jenna Wade. They were leading six Earth Space Exploration Program (ESEP) executives around the ship in two groups. The ESEP Center Director, Nick Castillo, was with Captain Hart’s group and they were returning down the Quill to the ACD.

Captain Hart and his tour slowly descended down the guide pole in the central corridor into the ACD. Flores quickly turned from her monitor and stood at attention and announced, “CAPTAIN ON DECK!” Immediately the crew moved to the edge of each of their floors and stood at attention.

The Captain said, “At ease.” and then he looked at Flores and frowned. “We’re not going to do that all the way to Mars are we?,” he asked. “It is protocol, sir,” she replied.

The Captain moved his VIP’s to the Command Floor. Just as they settled in on the Captain’s section Flores announced, “COMMANDER ON DECK!” Again, the crew stood at attention as Commander Wade and her tour descended to the Commander’s section across from the Captain.

Wade looked at the Captain and said, “That’s going to get old, quick.” Hart replied, “She’s enthusiastic,” and then added, “Today is a day for formality. I’m sure we won’t be ‘announced’ once were underway.” “Good.” Wade said, “This isn’t the Enterprise.”

Castillo interrupted, “I believe it’s time.” Wade looked at Castillo and nodded, then turned back to Hart and said, “Captain.” At that the Captain pulled out his tablet and hit the COMM icon and said, “All hands, all ships, this is the Captain, CODE ALERT!” At that all the crew members on both ships stood at attention their stations watching the screen in front of them. Around the Command Deck life-sized screens showed astronauts at attention on both ships ready for what was to come.

Hart then announced, “Crew of the Carl Sagan and Queen Elizabeth II, standby for an announcement by ESEP Director Nick Castillo.”

Celebration Surprises

31 Sunday Jan 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Saturday, Sol 28 (1.1.28)  1:42 PM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Sunday, 31 January 2016  2:00 PM PST

Today is a day of celebrations. In a surprise arrival, ESEP Mission Director, Nick Castillo and five other ESEP executives ferried up to Earth Spaceport Prime. Castillo sent over a temporary crew to the QE II and ordered all 28 crew members to join the executives and spaceport astronauts for a pre-commissioning party.

Celebration party set up for Spain ESEP Center

Celebration party set up for Spain ESEP Center

On Earth, the families and friends of the crew were invited to a ESEP party at one of the three ESEP Centers in the United States, Japan, and Spain/France. All four parties were connected through video links on human sized monitors around each room and allowed everyone to interact across the planet and in space.

With the ESEP personnel in orbit, tomorrow’s commissioning of the ships and crew will be done in person, rather than by video link. The idea of sending up the ESEP executives was discussed two months ago, but it was contingent on how tests and drills on the ships went in this last month.

Tonight the crew will return to their ship and will have dinner with the Commander and Captain as hosts. Castillo and the ESEP team were also invited to join the crew. After dinner there will be short team meetings to review tomorrow’s schedule of events, responsibilities, and requirements, then all crew members will be in quarters by 21:00 NST.

On Mars Time

30 Saturday Jan 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Friday, Sol 27 (1.1.27)  2:21 PM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Saturday, 30 January 2016  2:00 PM PST

The Earth Space Exploration Program (ESEP) is now officially on Noctis Standard Time (NST). This is the time zone on Mars that the primary landing sites for Mars Mission 2016, near the Noctis Labyrinthus feature.

The Noctis Labyrinthus Time Zone on Mars

The Noctis Labyrinthus Time Zone on Mars

It also means we are now on the Mars calendar and today is Friday, Sol 27, Sur One. There are sixty days in this month. The orbital transfer to Mars will begin later this month and the crew will arrive in Mars orbit in the third month, or Sur Three.

The crew will not start shift rotation until Sunday, Sol 29, after the ship and crew have been commissioned. Most of the crew will either the 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM shift or the 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Two astronauts will be on duty on the Command Deck from 4:00 PM to 12:00 midnight, and another two from 12:00 midnight to 8:00 AM.

Sur One

Sur One

Each crew member will have three days of light duty in every ten days. Light duty may mean shorter hours of scheduled work, a lighter workload, or assignment to a special duty. Whenever possible, the team members work together to plan a group schedule so that tasks can be planned based on the number of team members on duty at any given time.

Tomorrow crew members will be preparing for Sunday’s (Earth’s Monday) commissioning ceremonies both ships and the crew will be commissioned.

Finals Week

29 Friday Jan 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Thursday, Sol 26 (1.1.26)  2:59 PM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  Friday, 29 January 2016  2:00 PM PST

Today the crew is finished testing on the systems on ESS Queen Elizabeth II and the ESS Carl Sagan. As the crew is currently on board the QE II, a crew of spaceport astronauts filled in for the testing on the Sagan.

A mishap did occur during Thursday’s test of the Sagan’s Impulse Cycle Propulsion (ICP) pellet propulsion. An astronaut broke his leg when a pellet moved into position for firing. The situation was investigated and it was determined that the astronaut had not notified the Pilot on QE II that he was in the loader area. New requirements were instituted to require video monitoring of the propulsion section by at least two crew members during any use of the propulsion drive on either ship.

Sagan ICP Gun Section near where an astronaut broke his leg this week

Sagan ICP Gun Section near where an astronaut broke his leg this week

With the exception of Thursday’s accident this week’s testing has gone well. The crew has run simulated test firings of the propulsion systems of both ships without actually launching a pellet or detonating it. All other systems are ready for the orbital transfer to Mars.

The next few weeks the crew will be loading in final supplies, running drills, and preparing to leave Earth for a minimum of 21 months. The crew is ahead of schedule and tomorrow will be light duty before Monday’s commissioning of both ships.

Also, tomorrow the entire program switches over to Mars time. This date was selected to give the crew adequate time to adjust before orbital transfer and it will have minimal impact on the crew. At 12:00 PM PST the clocks will convert to 12:21 PM NST.

Mars Calendar: 12 Long Months

28 Thursday Jan 2016

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  • Mars Date/Time:  Year 1, Sur One, Sol 25 (1.1.25)  3:38 PM NST
  • Earth Date/Time:  28 January 2016  2:00 PM PST

Creating the Martian calendar required understand why Earth’s calendar is divided into units. In some cases there is a clear astronomical reason (one planet rotation equals a day,) but other units, such as weeks, have no celestial cycle to establish the unit.

However, the month and year on Earth can be traced to certain astronomical patterns.

MONTH and YEAR
Earth months are loosely based on the orbit of the Moon. The Moon orbits Earth more than twelve times per year, but there is a clear link between the phases of the Moon, and the length of a month.

Mars has two Moons, but they’re orbits are not useful in establishing a time unit similar to Earth’s month standard; however, because Mars is tilted on its axis similar to Earth, it does experience seasons. Those season’s can be measured by the two equinoxes and two solstices.

Earth’s division of seasons
Mars division of seasons

However, because the orbit of Mars takes almost twice as many days (Earth days) than Earth, the seasons are almost twice as long and they have more variance (length) than Earth’s seasons.

Mars takes almost twice as long as the Earth to orbit the Sun, and Mars orbit is more non-circular than Earth's

Mars takes almost twice as long as the Earth to orbit the Sun, and Mars orbit is more eccentric than Earth’s

To establish a Mars month, ESEP divided the Mars year (one orbit around the Sun) into four seasons. Each of those seasons are divided into three, roughly equal months. The full Mars calendar can be seen here.

ESEP began the calendar on the Winter solstice for the Southern Hemisphere, which occurred on 3 January 2016 (Earth Date.) The first six months are measured by the Winter and Spring in the Southern Hemisphere (called Sur) and the second six months are measured by the Winter and Spring of the Northern Hemisphere (called Nor.)