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    Spawn of the Martians
    Spawn of the Martians
    Spawn of the Martians
    Ebook96 pages1 hour

    Spawn of the Martians

    By David F Eastman

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    Spawn of the Martians is a contemporary space science fiction story of the first manned mission to Mars. Three Global Space Force fleet astronauts and three planetary biologists travel to Mars on a three month mission to the Red Planet to discover the existence of liquid water and bacterial life. What they find instead is a terrifying, flesh-eating red spore that threatens their mission, their lives and the lives of their loved ones on Earth.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDavid F Eastman
    Release dateAug 27, 2019
    ISBN9780463574614
    Spawn of the Martians
    Author

    David F Eastman

    I am an avid reader and passionate writer. I have written eight eBooks and thirteen short stories and my genres include science fiction, horror, murder, political intrigue, conspiracy theories, fables and parables of life and love. I am currently working on two new eBooks, one about World War 2 and a second about a terrorist attack on the U.S.I am a retired life science and high technology marketing executive and currently mentor and guide scientists, physicians, medical students and engineers in managing their start-ups, developing their inventions, commercializing their products and building their businesses into viable, successful and profitable ventures.I have a Jewish heritage from both German and Polish grandparents, on my mother's side and an English, Native-American heritage on my father's side.I have one wife, one son, and four cats.I love to travel and learn about new cultures and people and just returned from a month long pleasure trip to Venice, Italy, New York City, Athens, Greece, Split, Croatia, Montenegro and Zurich, Switzerland. Next year I plan to spend three weeks n Italy drinking good wine.I

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      Book preview

      Spawn of the Martians - David F Eastman

      Page | 125

      Spawn of the Martians

      By David F Eastman

      When the planet Mars was at its closest orbit to Earth on July 31, 2030, approximately 48.5 million miles (78 million Kilometers) away, the first manned Mar’s explorer, United States Spaceship Copernicus—-recently built by the Global Space Force Fleet (GSFF)--was launched from Moon Base Alpha with a crew of six astronauts.

      Commanding the USS Copernicus was Space Force Captain Julie Farrell; Space Force First Officer, U.S. Navy Commander John Mailer; Space Force Chief Scientific Officer, Major Sanjay Kahn; Planetary Microbiologist, Russian civilian scientist, Dr. Anna Pavlofski; Astrophysicist, British civilian scientist, Dr. David Benjamin Plame, and; Space Force Communications Officer, Lieutenant James Red Thompson.

      Using ion technology that creates a stream of electrically charged atoms for propulsion in deep space, originally developed at MIT in 2024, at full speed the ion drive was capable of propelling Copernicus at 72,000 miles per hour (MPH) (115,872 kilometers per hour (KPH). At that speed, it would take the first manned Mar’s explorer approximately 27 days to travel to the Red Planet and, as Mars orbited further way from its perihelion with Earth, an additional 6 days to return, or 33 days in total. The entire mission was planned for three months, with 60 days in flight to and from the planet and 30 working days exploring the planet’s surface.

      After Earth settlements were established on the moon in 2025, the Global Space Force Fleet developed a construction capability to build and launch the newly designed ion drive spaceships out into space, easily escaping the moon’s zero gravity. Ion drive spaceships, unlike solid or liquid fuel rockets that can quickly attain speeds of 17,500 MPH (28,163 KPH), require a longer period of time to reach their optimum speed, and so it was not possible to launch these ships from Earth because of its strong gravitational pull.

      Although it was unnecessary to design Copernicus-class spaceships in a sleek, aerodynamic cylinder configuration—the classic spaceship design seen in many space-themed science fiction movies-this was the chosen design for Copernicus. The overall ship was 165 feet (50 M) in length and 33 feet (10 M) in circumference. Near the center of the ship was a rotating section that created artificial gravity within the ship. The spaceship’s number one mission was to ferry astronauts, scientists and supplies, planet-to-planet, entering an orbit around the planet and landing on the surface using small, atomic-powered shuttles.

      The newly constructed spaceship, named the USS Copernicus after the 16th Century mathematician and astronomer, Nicolas Copernicus, now opened exploration of the entire Solar System by the GSFF.

      As part of a decade long mission to explore the Solar System, beginning in 2030, Mars would be the target of the first manned mission to the other seven planets, mostly because of its close proximity to Earth and somewhat habitable atmosphere. The Martian atmosphere contains about 95.3% carbon dioxide (CO2), 2.7% nitrogen and .013% oxygen, as well as other Earthlike atmospheric gases such as argon, krypton and xenon. Thus, the Martian atmosphere would be toxic to humans and require spacesuits for oxygen and protection from the cold. Mar’s thin atmosphere, roughly 100 times less dense than Earth's atmosphere, varies in temperature year around and because it is farther from the sun than Earth is, on average, it is generally colder. The average temperature on Mars is about minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 60 degrees Celsius), although it can vary from minus 195 F (minus 125 C) near the poles during the winter to a comfortable 70 F (20 C) at midday near its equator during the summer.

      Copernicus reached Mars when it was in its perihelion orbit near the sun and so the crew could expect Mar’s version of summer-like weather, at least during the daylight hours at the equator and milder minus temperatures near the polar ice cap.

      The purpose of the USS Copernicus’s mission was to explore the planet beyond the original capability of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory rovers, Sojourner, Opportunity, Spirit and Curiosity, launched from 1997 to 2019, and later explorations in 2024 and 2026 by the JPL planetary rovers, Dreamer and Destiny. The Copernicus manned mission, landing near Mar’s northern ice cap region will seek out evidence of ancient life on the planet and explore water soaked rocks, canyons and canals that may, underneath their surfaces, hold underground liquid water reservoirs. If there are reservoirs of liquid water deep under the Martian surface, this vital, life-giving resource would open up further exploration and colonization by other manned explorer missions.

      On Day 27 of the USS Copernicus’ flight to Mars, and now in geosynchronous orbit around the planet, the crew began preparations for its landing on the Red Planet. Captain Farrell, a tall, attractive African-American woman born in the bayou of Louisiana with advanced degrees in aeronautics and astrophysics from Tulane University, would lead the mission to the surface, along with the two civilian scientists, Drs. Pavlofski and Plame. Chief Scientific Officer, Major Kahn would also join the first landing on the planet. The First Officer, Commander Mailer and Communications Officer, Lieutenant Thompson, would remain aboard the mother ship, managing orbital operations, powered shipments to the planet’s surface and Earth communications.

      After donning their spacesuits for the 40 minute descent to the surface, and after the crew was belted into their seats aboard the tiny space shuttle—which the crew affectionately called the Frog—Captain Farrell initiated the launch procedures and after firing the atomic engine, the Frog decoupled from the Copernicus. There was a second space shuttle onboard the Copernicus—the Salamander--for back up and escape if necessary, and in the cargo hold, there were supply capsules containing shelter building materials, oxygen, food, medicine, a wheeled rover, heaters and scientific equipment to be ferried down to the planet’s surface to set up housing, life support and a research laboratory.

      After launching, Captain Farrell took the Frog into a steep dive and then leveled off around 100,000 Feet (30,000 M) above the Martian surface traveling at about 2,000 MPH (3,218 KPH). The Frog’s trajectory was through the Tharsis Montes region crossing over the Martian equator at the point that Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain in the Solar System rose up 16 miles.

      This is your Mar’s tour guide, Captain Julie Deborah Farrell speaking. If you will look below, you will see the very top of Olympus Mons and the surrounding hills and plains that stretch for 374 miles (602 K) in every direction.

      Aboard the Copernicus, First Officer Commander Mailer and Lieutenant Thompson watched the video feed of the Martian landscape as the Frog passed over it.

      Captain Farrell keyed the mike at the command console and contacted the ship. Hey, Commander Mailer, isn’t Olympus Mons about the exact same size as your whole home state of Arizona?

      It is Captain, Commander Mailer responded, but with the red rust-colored peak and layered plateaus, it is much prettier!

      After we pass over Olympus Mons, explained the Captain, we will drop down to about 15,000 feet (4,572 M) and get a much better view of the changing Martian surface as we head to the north polar ice cap region.

      That would be great, Captain, responded Planetary Microbiologist Dr. Anna Pavlofski, I would like to get the lay of the land from high up so that I have our view as a reference when we land.

      Well, if there are any monsters or creepy-crawlies or man-eating plants down there, your focus of study and research, Anna, said Dr. Plame with a snicker, we won’t see them until we are walking on the surface and they grab us!

      Funny, Dr. Plame, very funny, indeed. Thank you for the keen insight into Martian flora and fauna, said Dr. Pavlofski, but besides my degree in planetary microbiology from the University of Moscow, I also have a degree in geology, so I will explore the mountains and valleys on Mars, as well.

      As he looked out the round port of the Frog, Chief Scientific Officer, Major Sanjay Kahn chimed into the banter, "Hopefully, everything on the planet will intrigue us and maybe we can even

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