AMERICA'S SPACE FARCE

AMERICA'S SPACE FARCE That is what historians would call the twenty-first century's attempt at manned exploration of the universe. Now, sure, it was true that, in time, SOME, of America's deep space probes would transmit the coordinates, of planets, similar to Earth. What the public was NOT told was HOW the probes came to arrive, at such destinations. The public was not told that the space probes had been programmed, to "sling-shot" around stars. By using each stars gravity, to BOOST speed, the probes had arrived, at un-disclosed locations, within just years of leaving Earth's own system. What N.A.S.A. was ORDERED, to keep silent, about was the fact that, for such distances to be travelled, the probes would have needed solar "acceleration", to reach speeds, far in excess of the speed of light. To Washington D.C., however, all that mattered was being able to inform the public that Earth similar planets, existed. While there were those who cautioned, that man was NOT "alone", in the universe, politicians did all they could to dis-credit those, whose view the government did not want known. When one professor tried to publish a paper, on what was needed, to reach these planets, under the governments estimates, the professor would find himself heavy-sedated, in maximum security, while the university was told that the man was "not all there, mentally". When the media went to inform the public, about the new planets, the government "instructed" the media NOT to mention the details. This is so many people signed up, for the chance at a new life. Since most of those, who signed up, were in grade school, at the time of the probe launches, and were, now, working either first or second, jobs, they were looking forward to spending a few years, in cryogenic sleep, until reaching the new planets. As for the ships, their hulls would have won no awards, for beauty. Every ship was designed, with full attention on the interior. As federal advertising explained, the money was being spent, INTERNALLY, since this is where the humans were. Each ship was to be powered by a 100,000 megaton, nuclear, reactor. In theory, atleast, this much power should sustain the ships systems, until arrival, at colony worlds. Washington D.C. had been very clever, with its "Dont ask/dont tell" policy. All that travellers were told was "You will fall asleep, on Earth, and awaken, at your new home." Under the designers original plans, the crew would remain awake, for the years, leading up to exiting the solar system. This would increase the ships chance of survival, should anything go wrong. Under the modified design, crew would go into "slumber", when passengers did. The flight would, then, be left to the ships computers. Since the ships designers insisted that the ships would not withstand warp speed (as the probes had), the ships courses had been modified. This would add "slightly more" years, to the voyage. As each ship was loaded, with its full compliment, of 10,000 human "passengers", its course was sent, then, those being left behind would wish the ships farewell. While some families lit candles, for twenty, thirty, even forty, years, forever hoping to receive the message of "We have arrived", no such message arrived. Not during the passengers families lives, nor their childrens lives. At seventy-five years, when families began asking the space agency WHEN they should expect to hear from family members. All the space agency could say was "They are enroute. The ship is functioning. Just be patient." On-board the ships, robots took care of maintenance, as the ships drifted, among the stars, just as the old sailing ships had done, on Earth. While more than a few nuclear reactors failed, Earth would not know, of a ships destruction, until the century passed, and the signal arrived, by carrier wave radio. A short blink, then a ships beacon would vanish. When physicists were asked "When MAY families expect to hear that voyages had been completed?", all the new generation could say was "Current estimates are that the ships will remain in flight for about another 200 years. Give or take a decade." The "funny" thing was, when passengers awakened, prepared to find that children had become adults, and that parents were retired, what shocked passengers, was the wealth, of back-logged messages, which awaited their awakening. Some passengers broke down, crying, when they realized that families had given them up, for dead, more than a century ago. While crew members were under orders NOT to allow passengers to see ships clocks, a computer programmer broke into the ships computer, then said "Holy shit.", before anyone could reply. IF the ships log was correct, these people had not been asleep, for decades. They had been asleep, for 500 years. Only now did some passengers understand why the Asian media had labelled the passengers as Kamakazi". At this point, everything, that the people had known, on Earth, was dead and gone. All the passengers had left was each other. Once supplies were un-loaded, at the new planet, the crew would send a "morale" report, to Earth. The simple fact was that the "experts" were back on Eearth, and five hundred years away. Still, the Ph'd's had no clue what an emotional experience that the trip would be. The passengers had been told that they would be resting, for a "few years". (Safe to say that the people, who made those promises, were long dead). For days, no, real, work went on, as people watched, and re-watched, video, of families, growing up, growing old, and dieing. Family fueds came, and went. Homes came and went. It was not until the seasonal rains, came, to this planet, that people put aside viewers, and erected shelters. The ships crews had done as instructed, in the un-loading process. Once supplies, and passengers, were off-loaded, the ships set sail, back to Earth. Since the crew had received word, that new management had taken over the company, some 200 years ago, the crew wondered if they would, still, have jobs, when they reached Earth. How much would change, in the next 500 years? The crew would sleep away another 500 years, before they received their answer. It would seem that, over the passage, of the past 1,000 years, the ships owners had, in fact, changed hands, yet not for the better. The "Sleeper" ships crew would be amazed at what Earth had become, in just 1000 years. What shocked the crew was to learn that Earth was, no-longer "home-world". In the past 1000 years, Earth had been strip-mined, and turned into a virtual waste-land. The crew learned, of the strip-mining, when, on approach, to Earths system, the ships automatic pilot had caught onto a new, homing, beam, and been directed, to another planet. On this world, as the crew was to learn, those, who could AFFORD, to leave Earth, and those, who traded decades, of slavery, for a chance, at survival, had been inhabiting Bio-Spheres. This is why the population had rejoiced, knowing that atleast ONE, colony, ship, had survived. The crew would learn that, while "life" was promised, in the spheres, there was a cost. Each sphere was only designed for 100,000 people. Any time the poulation exceeded this, a lottery was used to decide who would live. When the ships captain would promise "We can take ten thousand off your hands, right now.",, the colony coommander would say "That may be fine, for 10,000, of our people. Even with this reduction, however, our projection is that, with our lack of ability, to control breeding, we may need DOZENS, of additional lotteries, before your ship can return, for more passengers." When the captain would ask "What about the other, colony, ships. Why cant they help?" The commander would, only, say "So far as we know of, your ship is the only one, still in existance." When the first officer would sugggest "Why not put the people to work, building more ships?" The commander would say "Its not that simple. Your ships need nuclear radiation, to power the engines." When the captain would ask "So?" The commander would say "When these domes were set up, there was only enough nuclear material left over, to power our reactors. If wew try to build ships, we will need to drain our life support reactors." When the captain asked "What about Earth? Doesn't any, of the reactors, there, still have fuel?" The commander would say "Who knows? The last we heard, about Earth, was..." then the commander turned to the comms officer asking "How LONG has it been?" The comms offiicer would say "275 years, give or take a decade" When the ships captain would suggest "We can take a look. Our reactor is at full power." The commander would, only, say "Make sure you have radiation gear ready. Last we heard, Earth is more radioactive than the sun." After another decade, in cryo-sleep, the crew woud find that, while Earth was no "paradise", the radiation scanners detected only normal radiation. Still, despite what the ships sensors showed, the captain was taking no chances. He ordered that a ground probe be sent down, to the surface. While the probe was, never, designed to win any "beauty contests", its readings DID back up the ships sensors. When the third mate asked "Where are all of the people, who we were supposed to transport, to another, colony, world?" The captain would say "By the looks of things, we are, maybe, 700 years late." Still, on the "positive" side, there was no dangerous ionization. In fact, there was no evidence, at all, of any, of the nuclear attacks, that the people, in the Bio-dome had been told about, as stories. Instead, a different culprit was found responsible. The ships science officer managed to trace a radiation leak, to the first, of several, nuclear, reactors. All the officer could come up with, however, was a "best guess" answer. Based upon soil readings, it was clear that the "vaults", which held the spent, nuclear, fuel, had not been up to the task. After all, humans only knew that nuclear could wipe out whole cities, with a single blast. No one had any idea that nuclear, if left to its own devices, could decay any substance, including concrete, given time. When ships personnel checked, for containment units, to transport, active, nuclear, material, aboard their ship, they found that 1,000 years, of exposure, to the elements, had degraded the lead lining. The containment units were no better than suitcases. Result, sheets, of lead, normally for shielding new colonies, while shelters were built, would be erected, around area's, of the ship. Once the ship was loaded, for bear, the crew went into another ten years, of sleep, while the engines powered the ship back to the bio-dome. While locals cheered the arrival, it seems that some were more happy than others. It seems that the latest lottery was ahead of schedule, by some two years. Reason: The colonies reactor fuel was dying out, and the decision was made to "buy time", with MORE lotteries. Now, that the ship had returned, with more than enough fuel, to re-ignite the fuel process, the lottery was, happily, called off. This, however, was the good part. Next came the bad part. The bio-dome commander would have to show the ships captain a video, from the colony, which the ship had "just" left. It was a distress call, which had been received just five years ago. The call was for Earth to send ANYTHING, including medications, staff, and so on, to help the colony. When the ships captain would say "We can be ready to depart, as soon as the supplies are loaded." The commander, then, had to give the captain the same news, that the military governor had to give the colonists. "I have dispatched a message, to Earth, saying that we need assistance." When staff asked "Thats good. How LONG before we receive a reply?" The military governor would say "Since it will take, maybe, a century, for the message to reach Earth, then to have them mount an aid shipment. Take in ship cruising time." The main medical doctor would say "Sir, spit it out!" The military governor would say "We should not expect any response, for about 500 years." Centuries later, the captain would ask the commander "500 years?" The man would say "Correct. Remember, we never developed Sub-Space radio. This is via carrier waves. This message is 500 years old, if not older." When the captain would ask "What do we do?" The commander would ask "What CAN we do? A 500 year old message. IF they survived, they are on their own. All WE can do is "write off" the colony." When the captain would ask "What do WE do, now?" The military governor would suggest "If that offer, of a ride, still, stands, I am sure my people will be willing. While you are gone, we will use this new material to begin building MORE ships. By the way, in your opinion, and just between the two of us, how "effective" do you believe that space colonization has been?" The captain would say "Since those, who hired, and trained, me, are, now, 1,000 years dead, I can say this: We should, NEVER, have gone out, into space, until we developed Warp Drive, and Sub-Space radio." After the captain, and the commander, agreed on the next destination, the commander would joke "Maybe, see you in about 2,000 years?" The commander was only off by about 1,000 years. It would take the nuclear powered, sub-light speed, craft, just 1,500 years, to reach its next port. Once off-loaded, the ship would return, for more passengers. By the time the ship returned, to Earth space, not only had 3,000 years have passed, but the ship would return, to find a fully functional space dock, waiting for it. The new station would be about the size of the classic, Star Wars, Death Star. Just not as pretty, from the outside. The crew, of the "sleeper ship", would be amazed, at what man could achieve, once freed of bureaucracy. It would seem that, after the ship had dropped off its nuclear fuel, and took on its passengers, time may have stood, still, on the ship, but NOT of the bio-dome. It would seem that one, of the commanders own chidren had developed a safe, and useful, form, of energy, called anti-matter. With this energy, the outpost had begun building a new fleet, of ships. Ships, capable of Warp Speed. Ships, which made the colony ship look like a relic, by comparison. It would seem that the "problem", of over-population, had been solved, using ships, which could make runs 100 times farther, than the colony ship could, and in just a few days time. In this, new, age, distress calls could be received, in just 24 hours, while aid could be sent out, in 48 hours. Nowadays, the legend, of Earth, trying to use "sleeper ships", to reach planets, inside of centuries, was laughable. As for America, herself, only the 10,000 year old crew, of the "sleeper ship" remembered what Earth was like, so long ago. While physically LESS than 100 years old, the crew had knowledge of a time, which modern people could only read about, in histories. All that the captain, of the ship, knew, was that as many as ten million humans had STARTED, on journeys, to other worlds. The modern humans had collected the ships, when they came upon them. Many, of the ships reactors had "died", when fuel cores lost power. Maybe 24 ships had reactor melt-downs. In the rest, it seems that computers were just not "up, to the job". Now, these hulks, minus their dead crews, were on display, in a museum titled "The WORST idea's, in mankinds history". Since no one knew what to do with the age-old crew, the "sleeper ship" crew was allowed to retire. (Their knowledge, of space technology, was useless, in an age, which had passed them by.) This is how I predict that the idea, of a "space force" will wind up. An idea, which SHOULD be left to science fiction.