Orbital

Thirty-One Update

I make my way back to the hotel and down the ladder. The experience is just as disorienting the second time. It’s like your body is confused by the acceleration and trying to make sense of it, finally deciding that, yes, this is gravity.

On the US/iC station, which will be much larger than the Sagan’s experimental module, you’ll step into an elevator that will then begin to rotate with the wheel and then descend to floor below.

That should be an interesting experience. The US/iC will also have a secondary ring closer to the center that will have Mars-like gravity, enabling research into long term effects of one third gravity. I even saw the blueprints for what they’re calling “The Sandbox,” a terrarium filled with Mars-like dirt for testing equipment wear and hydroponics. Space is happening fast.

I climb up into my bunk and give Laney a call. Her face appears on the screen above me. The image of the rocket glow reflecting off her cheeks still feels warm in my memory.

She’s sitting at a desk in a generic corporate office.

“So, how was your first day at camp? Were all the kids nice to you?” she asks.

“It’s really cool up here. You have to come see it.” We’re pretending this is a friendly check-in between two work buddies in case anyone is watching.

I’m on the books as a consultant for AstroFirma, the company that actually owns the lab I’m working in up here. Laney is listed as my assistant. I pushed for a better job title for her, but because she didn’t finish her degree and has no publicly known qualifications, this is the best they could do.

I pushed Penumbra to hire Laney because I really don’t like the idea of going into space without having her watching my back, and I think she could use the work.

“What’s the artificial gravity habitat like?” she asks.

“Amazing. The projection mapping is incredible. You don’t notice the curvature. In a larger environment it’ll be incredible.”

“You know there’s some debate in the space community if that defeats the purpose of going into space. Why bother if you’re just going to make it look like Earth, that kind of thing.”

“I can tell you from my limited experience that being able to work in zero-gravity and then come back here and feel a little less disoriented is very relaxing for my monkey brain.”

“If they build New Terra, they won’t even need that.”

That’s the name of the gigantic space station construction firms are talking about building after US/iCosmos. Right now everyone wants to see what works and what doesn’t. There’s no point to planning a trillion-dollar enterprise too early if it won’t all work.

“That’ll be something to see, Earth curving up over your head.”

“Have you been to Mars Canyon?”

That’s the underground research facility in Utah where they’re figuring out how to build a city on Mars.

“No. Have you?”

“I’m dying to see it. They have a full hotel now.”

“Cool. Let’s go check it out when I get back.”

This gets me a smile and then a moment of awkwardness as we both remember that we’re playing to people who might be listening.

Is she wondering if my offer was sincere, or just acting? I’d love to tell her it’s the real thing, but that would just send the wrong message to any potential eavesdropper.

I could bring it up again when I’m in the secure module in the lab, but that might just be weird.

“Have you had a chance to meet the other researchers?”

“A few of them. Everyone is very friendly here. They’ve even got a zero-g Tiki bar.”

She gives me a skeptical face. “Is there any actual research being done up there? Or is this just a scam for clever grant writers?”

“I suspect both, to be honest.”

“And how is the lab?”

“Great. Just like the one back on Earth.”

AstroFirma let me spend a day with some of their engineers in their replica on Earth so I’d know what the hell everything was supposed to do.

“And how is the competition?” asks Laney.

“The what?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know who I’m talking about.”

For a second I think she’s talking about Samantha Turco. That’s a little possessive for a platonic friend. Then I realize she means Debbie Danger.

“To be honest, she’s not much to talk to.”

“Uh huh. And you pretend that’s a bad thing, why?”

“I need a woman with intelligence.”

“Sure…I’ve seen that thing. Did they have to make her look like a pinup?”

“Anthropomorphizing the test dummy means I’m supposed to treat her more realistically.”

“Well, don’t be too realistic. Anyway, enough small talk. Did you get those 3D files I sent you?”

“Yes. They’re printing now.”

We spend the next twenty minutes debating the merits of the boots I’m printing. They’re intended to be a more compact design that will work in a spacewalk as well as walking around in a station with artificial gravity.

I get a notification from one of the researchers with the DARPA lab inviting me to meet him at his lab. This should be interesting.

“Hey, Laney. I got to go take a meeting. I’ll ping you when I’m free.”

“It’s with Debbie, isn’t it? She’s calling you. That’s how the robots take over, you know.”

I check the clock and realize it’s morning in Orlando. “Will you be around later?”

“Yeah. After work I have a class. But I’ll be free later.”

“A class?”

“I forgot to tell you. I’m doing an MIT extension program. You think I want to be your personal assistant the rest of my life?”

She gives me a friendly wink and closes the transmission.

Well, well, look at her. I tried to give her an easy way into iCosmos, but she seems pretty determined to do this on her own steam. One heck of a girl.