The Blue People of Cloud Planet Read Online Free
Author: Brian Wolfenden
Tags: Science-Fiction, adventure, Fantasy, Exploration, Space Exploration
an end to code red and the dome and Olivia’s helmet cleared.
Scott peered in – Olivia’s face was white!
‘4 minutes 29.06 seconds for red emergency in spacewalk conditions,’ Zec-1 informed , ‘well done Olivia.’
But Olivia was not listening.
Olivia thought of that particular exercise as they were returning to Moon Base on the following morning. A shiver ran through her body as she remembered the return of the nightmare that previous night in her quarters. She feared that another uncontrolled outburst might jeopardise this training and her aspirations for space travel in the future.
‘Command, prepare to dock!’ Zec-1 announced .
They moved forward to their seats and placed their left hands on the control panel.
‘Confirm command to dock.’
Though not yet in view, they knew that the Moon Base would soon appear over the lunar horizon and with the sun low in the sky they were rewarded with a spectacle of light from the multi-faceted ‘rooves’ of the base.
‘It’s just like the Eden Project,’ Olivia said to Scott, ‘but on a larger scale.’ Scott had only seen pictures and agreed, commenting...
‘Yes, the geodesic design has stood the test of time but there were a few more problems to solve up here.’
‘Construction of Moon Base was started by me in 2050 and it was fully operational by 2100. Occupying an area over 500 metres square, it is located near one of the poles where significant deposits of ice lie just below the surface. It is shaped like a cross with the main large dome at the centre and three linked smaller modules on each of the four arms. From the fourth arm protrudes the maintenance hangar with a flat roof to dock space vehicles. Research, accommodation, recreation and utilities are housed in the other three arms of the base. The central dome houses the control and communications centre where up to 500 technicians monitor space missions and flights.’
‘ROL-1, you have permission to dock at 3A,’ called the lunar flight controller in the observation tower of the Moon Base.
‘Confirm docking at 3A.’
The lander was one kilometre above the roof of the base and now descended under Zec-1’s control at 10 metres per second. At 500 metres the four main thrusters under ROL-1 increased their power and slowed the vessel to 1 metre per second descent speed.
Scott watched the graphics on the dome head as they showed multiple scenes of the craft and the base. Also displayed were all the vital speeds, distances and vectors. But the view that always fascinated him most was the vertical alignment of the lander above the dock and the oval-shaped locating hatch which grew steadily larger as they descended. This reminded him of the conning tower on the old nuclear submarines. Now 100 metres up and descending at half a metre per second, the mimic showed the multiple outlines of the docking hatch, one above the other but still slightly out of perfect alignment. Zec-1 now carefully applied minute amounts of thrust to the appropriate horizontal rockets until at 50 metres the ‘ovals’ were synchronised.
‘ROL-1, you are correctly positioned and cleared for final landing at 3A.’
‘Confirm final landing at 3A.’
Scott now watched as the docking oval loomed large on the dome screen. He knew that it was perfectly aligned with an identically sized shape on the underside of ROL-1. Mating was male on the lander to a double ring on the roof dock. At 10 metres above the roof ROL-1 was slowed to 0.1 metres per second and just before docking the caterpillar tracks on the four legs of the lander touched the reinforced roof around the ring and took its weight. Final mating was as light as a kiss. The silicone seals then inflated and hydraulic locks clamped into place and the craft was now firmly sealed to the Moon Base roof.
‘ROL-1, you are now secured at 3A.’
‘Confirm secured at
Scott peered in – Olivia’s face was white!
‘4 minutes 29.06 seconds for red emergency in spacewalk conditions,’ Zec-1 informed , ‘well done Olivia.’
But Olivia was not listening.
Olivia thought of that particular exercise as they were returning to Moon Base on the following morning. A shiver ran through her body as she remembered the return of the nightmare that previous night in her quarters. She feared that another uncontrolled outburst might jeopardise this training and her aspirations for space travel in the future.
‘Command, prepare to dock!’ Zec-1 announced .
They moved forward to their seats and placed their left hands on the control panel.
‘Confirm command to dock.’
Though not yet in view, they knew that the Moon Base would soon appear over the lunar horizon and with the sun low in the sky they were rewarded with a spectacle of light from the multi-faceted ‘rooves’ of the base.
‘It’s just like the Eden Project,’ Olivia said to Scott, ‘but on a larger scale.’ Scott had only seen pictures and agreed, commenting...
‘Yes, the geodesic design has stood the test of time but there were a few more problems to solve up here.’
‘Construction of Moon Base was started by me in 2050 and it was fully operational by 2100. Occupying an area over 500 metres square, it is located near one of the poles where significant deposits of ice lie just below the surface. It is shaped like a cross with the main large dome at the centre and three linked smaller modules on each of the four arms. From the fourth arm protrudes the maintenance hangar with a flat roof to dock space vehicles. Research, accommodation, recreation and utilities are housed in the other three arms of the base. The central dome houses the control and communications centre where up to 500 technicians monitor space missions and flights.’
‘ROL-1, you have permission to dock at 3A,’ called the lunar flight controller in the observation tower of the Moon Base.
‘Confirm docking at 3A.’
The lander was one kilometre above the roof of the base and now descended under Zec-1’s control at 10 metres per second. At 500 metres the four main thrusters under ROL-1 increased their power and slowed the vessel to 1 metre per second descent speed.
Scott watched the graphics on the dome head as they showed multiple scenes of the craft and the base. Also displayed were all the vital speeds, distances and vectors. But the view that always fascinated him most was the vertical alignment of the lander above the dock and the oval-shaped locating hatch which grew steadily larger as they descended. This reminded him of the conning tower on the old nuclear submarines. Now 100 metres up and descending at half a metre per second, the mimic showed the multiple outlines of the docking hatch, one above the other but still slightly out of perfect alignment. Zec-1 now carefully applied minute amounts of thrust to the appropriate horizontal rockets until at 50 metres the ‘ovals’ were synchronised.
‘ROL-1, you are correctly positioned and cleared for final landing at 3A.’
‘Confirm final landing at 3A.’
Scott now watched as the docking oval loomed large on the dome screen. He knew that it was perfectly aligned with an identically sized shape on the underside of ROL-1. Mating was male on the lander to a double ring on the roof dock. At 10 metres above the roof ROL-1 was slowed to 0.1 metres per second and just before docking the caterpillar tracks on the four legs of the lander touched the reinforced roof around the ring and took its weight. Final mating was as light as a kiss. The silicone seals then inflated and hydraulic locks clamped into place and the craft was now firmly sealed to the Moon Base roof.
‘ROL-1, you are now secured at 3A.’
‘Confirm secured at
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