Red Planet short story - First of a series?

JohnX · 2017-03-17 20:58:58

Here are some linked short stories on the human hazards of space exploration. Follow Don, Asya, Marco and Annika - and many others -
as they train to live on Mars, journey through the vacuum, and land on their new home planet.

So that you know what style to expect: I aim to write good stories with as much solid science and engineering in them as I can. But they are not text-book documentaries. Mainly I want to explore how people will live and experience such a radical new departure, what scientific advances might be like there, and what difference the technology will make.

More are in the works and you will find them linked off the first page below. Happy reading!

By the way, all are free to read. I'm just writing 'cos I enjoy it.

"New World Rising" by John Peace

Last edited by JohnX (2017-04-14 20:10:37)

JohnX · 2017-04-05 20:35:54

Second short story is posted on the 'New World Rising' page.

JohnX · 2017-04-14 20:12:51

Here's more of an intro to the story:

Not far into the future, the first steps have been taken on Mars. The next frontier is finally open. Many players are gathering their teams; many plans are being laid. Companies are developing the systems and technologies they will need to stake their claim and build a lasting settlement in unforgiving conditions.

One of these teams is a corporation named Sabir Space Industries. The goal of its CEO and majority shareholder, Nowal No'man, is to make Mars an independent world where mankind can begin again. She is recruiting a band of explorers and dreamers, experts and cast-offs, students and scientists and engineers and astronauts, while struggling to keep her company free from the heavy hand of Big Money.

But even from within her own company and from among her relatives the threat comes quicker than she had expected. How will it be possible to keep the dream alive? Or was the dream nothing but a fantasy?

Don Luther, PhD, lectures in Planetary Science at the University of Washington, Seattle, while researching the climate history of the Red Planet. He would love a chance to research the climate and geology of Mars first-hand and even to settle the big questions of life on Mars. But his wife has made it clear she isn't going along with his dreams. What can he do?

Abdul Qawi is many things, but stupid isn't one of them. He has led a hard life as a petty criminal, a Yemeni soldier and an intelligence officer and now finds a chance to work with his distant relative, Nowal No'man, in Dubai, using his energetic intellect to solve technical challenges. The ultimate adventure of exploring Mars beckons irresistibly, but he doesn't seem to have the right skill set to work his way onto the crew. Is there a way to beat the system? And what would it cost him if he did?

Follow the stories of these and other characters as the first SSI crew trains and launches, and lands on Mars at last.

Of course, landing is just the beginning. It doesn't get any easier from here onwards. In fact, death is always just one small accident away. But for those who survive and thrive, a new world is beckoning.

JohnX · 2017-05-07 20:29:19

Update:
The series now includes these short stories, with another in the planning stage:

- Kayaks and Cosmonauts
- Don Luther is faced with the choice of committing himself to the Mars mission.
- Cosmonaut Komarova is on the last ISS crew before decommissioning. How can she follow that?

- Simulator: Tensions grow unbearably as major flaws in the SSI Mars Mission come to light.

- Going Red: How is the crew going to build a new world if they can't stand each other anymore?

JohnX · 2017-07-31 10:23:54

Update:
For all you SpaceX fans (and SpaceX critics?) here's a short story depicting the first human landing on Mars - in a SpaceX Red Dragon II capsule. So already some of you may be scratching your heads or flexing your critic typing fingers! Elon Musk and his amazing engineers have decided for now that Red Dragon may not be carrying out propulsive landings: SpaceFlightNow article

Here's a quote from that article:
“The reason we decided not to pursue (powered landings) heavily is it would have taken a tremendous amount of effort to qualify that for safety, particularly for crew transport,” Musk said. “And then there was a time when I thought that the Dragon approach to landing on Mars, where you’ve got a base heat shield and side-mounted thrusters, would be the right way to land on Mars, but now I’m pretty confident that is not the right way, and that there’s a far better approach.”

“It could be something that we bring back later, but it doesn’t seem like the right way to apply resources right now.”

So they've backed off from the propulsive landings in order to get the Dragon qualified with NASA for crewed missions to and from ISS. Good focus.

But, hey, this is fiction, so I can write what I like! Anyway, my Red Dragon II is the Mark Two - the engineers overcome their problems in a few years and upgrade the RD so that the service module trunk stays attached and provides the necessary power and life support (etc...) so that RD II can land safely on the surface of Mars. But still, it's a hair-raising ride, which I hope you will enjoy.

If there are any comments... be my guest, either here or on the blog itself at Ice And Fire , the new instalment of my slowly-growing epic. If you have solid technical advice on how to make this story more realistic, please, please post or email me and if it's sound advice I will at least give you an acknowledgement somewhere.

Currently I'm writing the back story of two more characters, and should be posted to the blog within the next month or two, summer vacations permitting.

Postscript:
Same article, E.Musk also says:
“Plan is to do powered landings on Mars for sure, but with a vastly bigger ship,” he tweeted Wednesday after his remarks in Washington.
So maybe they are looking into no powered Mars landing until their giant ITS is operational. But I'm sorry, that doesn't fit my fiction plan. 50 or 100 characters at once is too much for my meagre talent. Kim Stanley Robinson managed it, mainly by not introducing us to most of the First 100, but I'm happy starting with small crews who set up base camp for the larger settlement teams in the ITS ships.

Last edited by JohnX (2017-07-31 10:35:15)

JohnX · 2017-08-31 20:22:34

Another pair of pretty short stories introducing 2 characters who will be key players in SSI's mission to establish a free, independent Mars settlement:
Annika and Marco

JohnX · 2018-01-30 20:28:09

For anyone who's been following this serialized story, we've finally reached launch day. I've most recently posted these 'chapters' on the story blog :
Doubt: a few weeks before launch, with Marco and Don.
Launch Day

For anyone who's just showed up, welcome! Come on in to the Red Planet Cafe and start the story at the beginning:
New World Rising

See posts above for an introduction. There's a very similar one on the main page.

...and as I said before, this is all fair game to constructive technical criticism. I like to learn. Tell me where the mission plan and technology are off-centre.

Last edited by JohnX (2018-02-02 11:46:49)

JohnX · 2018-06-06 10:43:30

Note that I've edited all references to SpaceX; it's now called NewSpace. This is fiction, after all.
Several new pieces are up on the blog: The SSI crew's approach & landing on Mars at Arcadia Planitia & the initial search for the lost NewSpace crew.

JohnX · 2019-01-31 19:20:47

Thanks Idoday. Actually since last post I have stopped updating the story on the blog - just too much work. I'm aiming to finish it, publish it on CreateSpace, then leave a link to that here. If anyone's desperate to know what happens next and can't wait, let me know.

Just reached the beginning of what I suspect is the last chapter.

JohnX · 2019-09-24 14:03:17

Just so you know - the book is now published: https://www.amazon.ca/Building-Mars-con … 1097182053
I enjoyed writing it; made me think about how life would be for the first few crews to land there; how they could get on with each other when stuff goes wrong. And that reflects on how life on Earth could be better for each of us too.

tahanson43206 · 2019-09-25 07:42:40

For JohnX re #10

Congratulations to a new Author! Best wishes for success with this book, and with other writings you may undertake!

This forum may be worth your study, to see if members here have ideas you might be able to develop into one or more stories.

If you want to try your hand at "real world" planning for human expansion away from Earth, there are plenty of opportunities to develop ideas here as well.

I can't guarantee you will receive useful feedback, or ** any ** feedback for that matter, but you can certainly toss something into the mix and see what happens.

(th)

JohnX · 2019-09-25 10:11:02

thanks @tahanson43206.
In fact I did start a thread a while ago - http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=7638 - which received some comments. I was at the time thinking through how Martian settlers would govern themselves early on.
I did learn a thing or three from the technical posts too. Lots of good practical ideas here.

New Mars Forums

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#1 2017-03-17 20:58:58

Red Planet short story - First of a series?

#2 2017-04-05 20:35:54

Re: Red Planet short story - First of a series?

#3 2017-04-14 20:12:51

Re: Red Planet short story - First of a series?

#4 2017-05-07 20:29:19

Re: Red Planet short story - First of a series?

#5 2017-07-31 10:23:54

Re: Red Planet short story - First of a series?

#6 2017-08-31 20:22:34

Re: Red Planet short story - First of a series?

#7 2018-01-30 20:28:09

Re: Red Planet short story - First of a series?

#8 2018-06-06 10:43:30

Re: Red Planet short story - First of a series?

#9 2019-01-31 19:20:47

Re: Red Planet short story - First of a series?

#10 2019-09-24 14:03:17

Re: Red Planet short story - First of a series?

#11 2019-09-25 07:42:40

Re: Red Planet short story - First of a series?

#12 2019-09-25 10:11:02

Re: Red Planet short story - First of a series?

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