The Man Who Conquered Mars

By Doug Turnbull

Mars Colonist, Ana Konstantinova and her friends must solve the mystery of who built a recently discovered alien structure and who left a human artifact there a hundred years before. As the object of the affections of her two young male friends, Ana must also resolve the problem posed by a romantic triangle. The reader may be surprised by her solution and will enjoy the action, adventure, and lively dialog in this upbeat, swiftly paced story.

Studying to become an aerologist, or Mars geologist, Ana is the oldest person born and raised in Mars Colony and is a leader among her peers. How she will answer this unwanted call to leadership is one of her many challenges. While playing detective, Ana balances the romantic attentions of Andy, her young Mars-born friend, and Bob, a handsome young Colonist from Kansas. Wise beyond his years with a keen sense of humor, Andy is a courageous fighter in the Colony’s struggle for independence, as well as a loyal friend. Equally brave and a brilliant scientist, Bob proves himself to be a steadfast friend to both Ana and Andy.

No doom or gloom here: This story takes an optimistic view of the next 45 years, during which Mars and the Moon are colonized while Earth prospers. Mars Corporation is a multinational, interplanetary company created for the purpose of colonizing and developing Mars. The major space-faring nations as well as private investors have combined their efforts to establish the Colony and finance it, and the economics of interplanetary exploration and development are an important part of the story. Intertwined with the story is a friendly introduction to areology, areography, Mars planetary science, the mechanics of interplanetary travel, and the many technical problems encountered while establishing a colony on Mars. During the natural course of the story, environmental issues such as the search for water; resource utilization; the use of nuclear power, solar power, and hydrogen power; and the rugged climate on Mars are explored by these capable, likeable, and well-informed characters.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Doug Turnbull
• Release date: Apr 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476314723

Doug Turnbull

Doug Turnbull is the author of several science fiction books including Zachary Dixon: Officer Apprentice, Footprints in Red, Jupiter IV, The Future Revisited, and The Man Who Conquered Mars, as well as numerous short stories and novellas. In addition he hosted Mars Pirate Radio, weekly podcasts on the subjects of science, science fiction and the future. The podcasts include scores of interviews (135) with scientists, astronauts, as well as SF writers on the subject of space exploration and related topics and during its three year run had over 19,500 listeners, and are still available for listening. Turnbull also co-authored We Are the Martians a non-fiction book about the future settlement of Mars. He is an occasional contributor of non-fiction articles about space flight to Space.com, Astronomie Quebec, and other online publications. Most recently Turnbull was coauthor of a paper published by the Royal Astronomical Society Journal of Astronomy and Geophysics, entitled The Natural Evolution of Mars Soil for the Support of Plant Growth. He has been a guest of Alan Boyle on NBC News, at the University of Hawaii Astronomy Department, and at The Mars Society speaking on space science subjects. In 2013, his short story Tenderfoot won The Mars Society-Bulgaria’s Editor’s Choice award for short science fiction. Turnbull is single and resides in Frankfort, Kentucky, USA.

Book preview

The shadow of the C-47 Dakota transport sailed across the surface of the light blue Mediterranean at 125 miles per hour. Carson Greer watched from the seat of the copilot, who had gone aft to take a nap. For the first time in days, Carson was relaxing as the plane winged its way west toward Gibraltar. The job he had just finished was a tricky one, the trickiest he had ever done, but now the last of the crates marked secret had been loaded on board the United States Navy transport and sent on their way to Pensacola Naval Air Station. From there, Scott Aviation employees would take over the shipment and fly the cargo to the company research center in Palmdale, California. This was what he would report to Scott when he arrived in London after a refueling stop in Gibraltar.

The last three weeks had been hectic, beginning when his boss at OSS, Colonel T. A. Scott, had ordered Greer to accompany him on a trip to check out the truth behind a rumor that there was a Nazi treasure cave near the town of Sfax, in recently liberated Tunisia. The town was ancient, dating to the days when Carthage had ruled this part of the world. Scott had acted on the rumor with his normal frenetic level of activity such that when they had located the cave and went inside, he had remained for less than 30 minutes. Having seen all he needed, he had ordered that the interior of the cave be photographed and all of the contents dismantled, labeled, numbered, and shipped to the United States. Before the day was over, Scott had been on a plane headed for London and preparations for the great invasion of France. Greer was left to carry out his orders.

Easier said than done, Greer thought. Local officials had to be bribed to allow what had suddenly become cultural treasures and artifacts to be removed. Help had to be hired, most from the Army, to dismantle and pack the booty. To assist in the accomplishment of his tasks, the day after Scott left, Greer had been presented with an Army musette bag full of United States’ currency sufficient to buy everything and everyone necessary. He had been told to report to Scott in person when the job was done.

The cave to be emptied had been occupied off and on by Bedouins. They had painted the walls with illustrations both lewd and reverent. The Luftwaffe had set up a radar station in the cave and later abandoned it when the Allies had prevailed in Tunisia, after which the cave had been reoccupied by the Arabs, who had left the floor littered with refuse and effluent. Cabinets containing some of the most sophisticated electronics created by German science were being used as ad hoc furnishings. Nonetheless, beneath it all, the place had an appearance that to Greer seemed alien to anything the current or any of the previous occupants would have built.

The trash was removed, and everything except the native stone of the cavern was packed and shipped. What remained left few clues as to what had been, and in a few hours, Greer would be in London, reporting success to his boss.

Chapter I

Just Another Day at the Ranch

The trip from their overnight parking point to Titov Ridge passed without incident, and they had just stopped at the foot of the ridge when a message came in with a very urgent alarm.

Due to retro malfunction, Argus Three lander down 150 kilometers northwest of Schiaparelli. Believe you are nearest ground personnel to their location. Please advise if in position to retrieve passengers and transport to Musgrave Station for temporary billet.

(Signed) Rodney Wiseman-VP Operations

Well, there went our spelunking expedition, Andy moaned, shaking his head. Got to play nursemaids to a bunch of newbies.

Come on, Andy! You know a couple of the people on the lander. Check the roster! Go ahead and reply to Uncle Rod in the affirmative; tell him we will plot a course and that I am calling the lander.

Andy sent the message and proceeded to plot a course to the lander, which appeared to be about 53 kilometers away from their present location. While he was doing this, Ana called the lander on the command line, putting the call on the speaker so they could both listen.

"Argus Three, this is Anastasia Konstantinova in Schiaparelli Rover Two calling. We are about three and a half hours away from you and on our way."

Anouk Jean-Louis here, replied the answering voice in a distinctly French accent. Glad to hear you are so close. When the retro burned long, I feared that we’d land days away from you.

It was a lucky thing that we are on a survey mission in the area where you came down. It will be crowded when we are all in here, but we will get you to Musgrave Station. After that, you can be ferried on to Schiaparelli for orientation.

We have an additional problem. Our cabin is depressurized and Dr. Minh Tran is unconscious.

Oh boy! Andy exclaimed. That throws a monkey wrench in the works; by the way, Andy Smithers speaking, ma’am. So you can’t treat the injured man because you’re all in pressure suits. Not so good.

Pleased to speak with you, Mr. Smithers, and you are right, things are more complicated than they appeared at first.

What happened? Ana asked. Why are you depressurized?

I think the whole guidance system was malfunctioning for some reason. Not only did the retro misfire as it was setting us up for our final descent, but our drag chutes were released too soon and the final brake sequence didn’t slow us down enough before touchdown. We hit hard, very hard. It was more of a crash than a landing, and it ruptured a seam in our craft. Dr. Tran was unconscious when we did the roll call; however, his vital signs are good. Our hope is that he suffered a simple concussion and will recover soon. We don’t know that, though, and have no way of doing an actual physical exam or administering any treatment.

Well, hang on, folks, and we will be there in a little over three hours, Ana said reassuringly.

The strip of terrain Ana and Andy crossed was the margin between the high plateau of Lucus Planum and the lower-lying plains of Amazonis Planitia. Although the area was broken by ridges and valleys, Andy was able to plot a fairly smooth route using their navigation system that allowed them to make good time. After about three hours, the rover broke over the top of a small ridge and the lander appeared in the distance. The curvature of Mars brings the horizon much closer than on Earth so that to see even a few kilometers from a height of two meters requires that there be no obstructions. The height of the ridge, however, allowed them to see the lander shining in the late-afternoon sun about three kilometers away. Within 15 minutes, Andy was parking the rover next to the lander.

Andy whistled as he looked at the capsule. She wasn’t kidding when she said they hit hard. Look at that thing! It’s scrap metal now!

When the capsule had landed, one side of the inverted cone had struck a rock that projected above the otherwise flat surface. Normally this would simply have left the capsule resting askew, but because of the speed of the impact, the side of the craft that had struck the rock had been caved in, leaving the lander resembling a partially crushed, upside-down paper cup. As luck would have it, the main exit hatch was jammed by the damage such that the only access to the cabin was through the smaller secondary hatch.

Two suited figures waved at Ana and Andy as they drove up. They had been talking on the phone, so Andy and Ana knew the figures were Anouk Jean-Louis and Charlie Jones. Andy and Charlie had already corresponded extensively, as Andy was Charlie’s Mars mentor. During training, each prospective immigrant had a person on Mars that he could use as a source of information about what to expect as a colonist. Because they were both Boy Scouts, Andy had served this function for Charlie. They had also played chess frequently, and Charlie won more often than not.

Hey, Charlie! What’s going on? You guys bucking for a drama award, what with the crash-landing on Mars and all?

Hi, Andy, it’s good to talk to you without the delay. I think this was a little more drama than anyone had in mind. So what’s the deal here? What do we do next?

Ana’s in charge, but pretty much, we need to load you guys into our rover and get you to Musgrave. We will never make it today but should be there by this time tomorrow. How long will it take you folks to unload?

At this point, Ana broke in to the conversation.

Lieutenant Jean-Louis says it takes about ten minutes for each person to wriggle through that small hatch, plus add on another ten or fifteen minutes to get Dr. Tran out, that’s over an hour and a half. Figure at least five minutes each to cycle people through our lock and there is another hour. So we’re looking at two and a half hours minimum to off-load and get into the rover.

Well, we better get started. We can save a little time by having people go right into the rover as soon as they are out of the lander.

There you go, Andy! That’s why I leave the logistics to you. My estimate was all wet.

Naw! Just takes a minute to figure the best way for these things. You would have got the answer in a second. Anyway, it would be best to figure on two hours, though, because nothing ever goes like it should.

I would have unloaded while we were waiting, Jean-Louis said, but I wanted to make sure help was really here before getting everyone out in the open. Now I wish I had.

While this conversation was going on, Andy and Ana had cycled through the air lock of the rover and begun walking toward the other two, moving with the slow gait of experienced Mars walkers. Mars gravity, which is slightly greater than one-third the strength of Earth’s, only allows for an efficient walking speed of about three and one-half kilometers per hour, whereas Earth gravity permits a most efficient walking speed of five and three-quarters kilometers per hour.

As Ana and Andy approached the lander, Charlie was helping a third person through the tiny escape hatch. The woman was wobbly on her feet when she finally set foot on Mars. The passengers in the lander were arranged like the spokes of a wheel, with their feet at the hub. Lieutenant Jean-Louis and Charlie Jones were nearest the hatch, which was why they had been first out. The plan was for everyone to come out in turn, with one person staying inside to help move Dr. Tran through the hatch.

After the process got started, Ana moved back inside the rover to supervise the operation of the air lock and the unsuiting of the passengers. Three more passengers had unloaded and cycled into the rover, leaving five, including Dr. Tran, still inside the lander when the alarm sounded.

Immediately following the warning, Wiseman came on Andy’s, Ana’s and Lieutenant Jean-Louis’s phones. The solar watch satellite is reporting what appears to be a big solar flare headed our way. As you know, the average arrival time is around two hours from the sun to Mars, but we had one a few years back that hit forty minutes after the alarm. I’ll keep you posted, but any speed you can add to this process will help.

Got it, Ana responded. Ana knew that they were in a bad situation. Because Mars’ thin atmosphere and equally weak magnetic field offered little protection, everyone in the open could easily receive severe, possibly lethal, doses of radiation when the wave of high-energy particles arrived.

Ana, Andy said, I have an idea! At the minimum cycle time for our own air lock, we need at least thirty minutes to get everyone into the rover. To hit that mark, we have to speed up getting people out of the lander. Realistically, at this rate it will take another hour. Pull the rover around facing the lander so we can reach the escape hatch with the waldos. I think we can cut this tin can open and let everyone out a whole lot quicker. The problem is that the hatch just isn’t high enough to accommodate the life support pack while it is still on the suit. Having to take the pack off, slide it through, have the person go through, and then reattach it to the suit is what is taking so much time.

Ana did as Andy instructed, using the cutting wheel on the roof waldo to make an incision on the side of the lander, vertically extending the left edge of the small escape hatch. Once the entire length, including the hatch opening, was a meter and a half, she turned the wheel and cut perpendicular to the incision she had just made, extending the new cut until the end was even with the right edge of the hatch opening. Using the claw on the left-side waldo, Ana gripped the underside of the flap she had just made and pulled and twisted simultaneously, hoping to peel it back and out of the way. It didn’t appear to move.

Try it again, Ana, Andy said as he got close to the point on the flap where it should have creased. She did as he instructed.

It is giving a little; we just need some more power. Get the right-side waldo on it. With the extra power, the flap bent open several centimeters at the bottom edge but was still closed at the top.

Slip the left-side waldo up the incision as far as it will go and grip it again. Then pull with both of them.

Ana did so, and the flap finally creased on the right edge. Within seconds, Ana had it open and could see into the lander through the hole that was now a meter and a half high. Andy reached inside and used his Scout knife to deftly cut two sections out of the couches. These, he wrapped along the sharp edges on the sides of the hole.

OK, let’s move, folks; mind the sharp edges but come on out as quick as you can. Andy helped three of them in turn, then reached in and helped with Dr. Tran. Counting the time it had taken to enlarge the hole, everyone was out of the lander in 20 minutes.

While this was going on, at the behest of Wiseman, Ana was reviewing the topo map of the area. This storm is almost certainly going to get here before sundown. How high is the sun now? Wiseman asked.

Ana held out her hand, made a fist, and placed it in the space between the sun and the horizon. It’s a good fifteen degrees, Uncle Rod. At least an hour to sunset.

Too long. There is a ridge or yardang about four klicks due east of you. According to the map, it is about ten meters high; the east side of it looks pretty sheer. Plot a course and get there ASAP!

OK, Uncle Rod. How’s it going, Andy?

Dr. Tran will be coming through the inside door next. Make sure someone is there to catch him when the door opens. Charlie will follow him, and then I will be last.

When the lock finished cycling Charlie through, Andy stepped inside. As soon as the outside door clicked shut, he felt the rover lurch forward. Riding at the very back of the bus made for a rough ride.

Boy, Ana, you must be hitting every rock and bump on this trail.

There isn’t any trail, Andy. Hang on, everyone!

Acquiring Wiseman’s sense of urgency as much from his manner as his words, Ana overrode the governor that kept the rover limited to 15 kilometers per hour and drove as fast as she could while still retaining some semblance of control. She drove manually because the autopilot was too slow, methodical, and safety-conscious for this situation. The ridge was in sight within 10 minutes, and Ana headed for the elongated shadow on the east side. When they were about 100 meters away, the artificial magnetic field that surrounded the rover and protected the occupants from normal levels of solar radiation began to glow green, blue, and red, like a miniature Aurora Borealis. At the same moment, the phones went dead as the relay satellites in orbit around Mars went into safe mode. Within 10 seconds, they were in the shade of the ridge and Ana brought the rover to rest. The beautiful glow subsided.

You need to go back to safe-driving school, Andy said as he emerged from the air lock. Both of my brain cells are addled. Hey, is everyone OK?

With the exception of Charlie and Lieutenant Jean-Louis, the rest of the crew of Argus Three appeared to be in shock. A man in his thirties with the nameplate Dr. Ricardo spoke first. Is this normal, Andy? I mean, coming to Mars to live is a pretty exciting thing by itself, but the last few hours have been, ah…

Pretty wild? Andy asked.

Yes, that about covers it.

This is really pretty routine stuff for us, just another day at the ranch.

Andy, come on! Ana said, shaking her head.

Well, to be a little more accurate, Dr. Ricardo, this morning, Ana and I were planning out our day for the routine areological survey we were doing for Triple M Corporation, when you guys changed our plans. I mean, you changed them big time! This might be normal for somebody, but it is the most excitement I have ever had, so I guess the answer to your question is no, this is not normal. Mars Colony is pretty dull most of the time.

We try to keep it that way, Ana interjected.

As they spoke, the glow returned to the magnetic field, less intense than before, but still visible in the darkness of the shadow where the rover was parked.

Storm is still coming down, Ana noted. This aura is caused by stray particles that have been scattered by the atmosphere and the planet’s magnetic field. This must be a big one. We’d all be glowing in the dark if we were out in the open for long.

Have you heard how the other landers have done? Ricardo asked.

All down safe and sound, Andy answered. Everyone is in the Colony. Now that you folks are out of danger, the Argus Mission is a one hundred-percent success. Oh, by the way, the WC, such as it is, is in the back here next to the air lock. I know you folks have been cooped up for a good while. It works just the same as the ones on airliners and trains, so I am told.

I am Charlie’s step-dad, by the way, Ricardo said, shooting a glance at a sheepish Charlie, who realized he had been remiss in introducing his parents to Andy. You are Charlie’s Mars mentor, aren’t you?

Yes, sir.

This is Dr. Angela Jones, Charlie’s mother. She isn’t usually this quiet.

I don’t usually almost get killed like this, Roger, Dr. Jones responded. They never covered any of this during the training in Bisbee.

They probably will now, Andy said, but this is the first time this has happened—at least all of this stuff put together. I think they have had hard landings before, and we for sure have had solar flares before, but this was a lot for anybody to take on their first day here. Sorry, folks!

How’s Dr. Tran, Giselle? Jean-Louis asked from her place in the seat beside Ana. Tran was lying on the right-hand couch.

I think he may be coming around, said Giselle Tregaskis, the lady who had helped Andy move Tran through the hatch. His eyes are fluttering.

Once we get communications back, we can get Doc Singh on the line and then maybe figure out what to do for Dr. Tran, Ana suggested.

Great idea, Ana, Jean-Louis said. This trip is going to be, how do you say, cozy?

Sure is, Ana agreed. One thing’s in our favor: Andy and I just stocked up the rover and we have food for two people for five days, so we should be able to feed you guys. It will have to be in shifts, as we only have one stove, but it beats starving.

With the close calls we have had today, I am glad to be in a position to eat at all, Giselle said. Anouk Jean-Louis nodded, one eyebrow raised, in agreement.

By the next morning, everyone had eaten; several, including Andy, had napped; and the storm had passed.

That flare was a real whopper, Ana.

I know it, George. Just the indirect stuff had our shield glowing. George was the nickname Edward Washington had acquired within minutes of arriving at the United States Naval Academy, and it had stuck to him for 30 years, all the way to Mars. He was the chief and only engineer for Musgrave Station and had called to discuss the details of their impending arrival.

"Those folks on Argus Three must have been living right. They all should have died twice yesterday; instead, they are joining us for lunch."

Yeah, Andy was telling me that it was next to impossible for the guidance system to fail the way it did, that is, just enough to make a hard landing. Lucky for them.

"Their luck was having Anouk as their pilot. That system shut down completely. She did the whole retro cutoff, chute deployment, and landing burn by wire and her wristwatch. Didn’t she mention it? They must teach them modesty in the Armee de l’Air."

Ana turned and looked with increased respect at Lieutenant Jean-Louis, who was talking to the disoriented Dr. Tran. No, she never mentioned it. I will though, you can bet on that! By the way, Andy says we are about an hour away from you now.

Great! Since there are so many of you, I’ll have you park in the garage and we’ll pressurize it. No sense in everyone suiting up just so they can use the regular door.

Musgrave Station was the only settlement named for an astronaut. The stations were traditionally named after astronomers or space scientists, usually ones who had some special interest in Mars, whereas the areographical features were named for astronauts. Located inside a cave in Musgrave Ridge, the station was named for a 20th-century astronaut famous as a member of the team that had saved the Hubble Space Telescope. Because Hubble was the most important astronomical instrument of its