The Circle of Hope

By J.A. Zaner

The first real glimmerings of awareness started with Katrina, a lovely feminine name, but a crippling storm. Not the nibbling, nagging kind of awareness that the scientific community had been trying for years to raise, but a gut wrenching, "this can kill you", kind of awareness that gets quick attention. Suddenly, all the past warnings made sense and there was a sense of urgency in the CNN re-runs of previously ignored interviews. The story of three generations of the McFarland family and their epic struggle to build a lifeboat for mankind and save the earth from senseless self destruction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 16, 2008
• ISBN: 9781477166925

J.A. Zaner

J.A. Zaner is a career Computer Systems Engineer for the Department of Defense working at the cutting edge of computer technology for more than two decades. He has extensive experience in software design, computer architecture, and communications technology. An FAA licensed Pilot and A&P (Airframe and Powerplant) Mechanic. He is experienced in all types of fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, manned and unmanned. He has restored and flown numerous aircraft and built his own aerobatic biplane. He is a certified test pilot for experimental and prototype aircraft and has flown seaplanes and sailplanes. He is also the owner and founder of an aviation based company. He has been a professional photographer since 1982 and has extensive experience in all types of film and digital photography. He is currently conducting aerial photography from small unmanned aircraft and helicopters. He currently resides in Florida and Circle of Hope is his first novel.

Book preview

Prologue

Prelude to Persistence (Commitment)

In 2004, in the midst of a vicious war in the Middle East and the worldwide threat of terrorism, the United States President re-directed the NASA space program. Succeeding presidents had continued the emphasis on space exploration.

The first tangible product of the NASA program was a new fleet of rockets capable of taking us out of low earth orbit. With these new vehicles, Ares and Orion, NASA launched the next phase of space exploration and returned us to the moon. The Ares V rockets stand 360 feet tall and can lift 150 tons to low Earth orbit. More significantly, it can haul 75 tons to the moon.

The need for an updated re-entry vehicle led to the development of the Personnel Re-entry Vehicle (PRV). It had stubby wings and controls and could glide to a soft landing like the Space Shuttle. Later a passenger launch vehicle was added to carry the large numbers of ArcHope immigrants to low earth orbit.

In the spring of 2017, before NASA could complete their lunar program, drastic climatic changes, brought on by global warming, left no doubt about the future of earth if drastic action were not taken immediately. In his State of the Union Address, United States President Adrian Gregory stated that the very real possibility that our carbon excesses have changed our climate to the extent that we cannot have confidence in our continued survival on planet earth.

Given the common worldwide threat of global disaster, all available resources were redirected to finding a solution. There was a unanimous decision by the world community to work in harmony for the first time in recorded history. The nations of the world reached the decision to build a lifeboat for the human species to use in colonizing other planets.

The United Nations took on new meaning as the central clearing house for all activities associated with this project. The UN Security Council assigned responsibility for high priority tasks and The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was designated the overall program manager.

* * *

A habitat in earth orbit which could house 3.5 million people. This habitat would serve as a lifeboat for the human race. Further, it would have the capability to leave earth orbit and journey to the stars. Congress eagerly approved US support of the Arc Program knowing that, if successful, it would provide relief from many of the ecological, environmental and sociological problems that the inhabitants of earth had been struggling with for many decades.

The Lifeboat program was called the Advanced Research Capsule (ARC), and was immediately dubbed NOAA’s ARC. Later it would become known as the Circle of Hope because it may be the only real hope for mankind.

Several generations would be involved in construction, the journey, and preparing a destination planet for human inhabitants. Early planning concluded that Arc must be a self-sustaining biosphere capable of supporting a substantial civilization.

Part 1

Realization

Chapter One

Neurocoding

Year 2091

He accelerated down the bike path, through the willow grove, banked hard left at the footbridge, and cruised down the streambed. On a whim, he nudged back the control and was past the treetops in an instant. He zoomed two miles high then stopped, floating there taking in the panoramic cloudscape.

It was easy and it was fun; especially when it was all in your thoughts. He was actually lying on his favorite sofa in his private residence on the spaceship ArcHope. Leader Phineas McFarland was working on his fifth Annual Report that he would present to the ArcHope Council of Governments.

The really amazing thing about this flight of fancy is that it portrays a spaceship 17 million miles from earth and accelerating through 42,000 miles per hour. It is a very serious multi-media presentation that he is preparing. He had just been taking a break from the intense concentration and having a little fun.

* * *

Now he settled back and closed his eyes. His brow knitted with the effort of concentration. He saw himself circling around ArcHope and, in his mind, saw the entire structure from a distance of 200 miles.

He had to be that far away to fit the whole thing on the wide viewscreen that would be used during his speech. ArcHope, the focus of his speech, was a ring shaped manmade structure 100 miles in diameter.

It didn’t seem that large until a hyper-transport ship drifted silently over his shoulder on its way to the center spaceport. The massive 250 foot long spaceship became smaller and smaller as it neared the outer ring. By the time it arrived at the docking station it was a mere sliver of reflected light.

It was difficult to make out the details of this massive structure due to the distance and complexity. There were three main circular components; a central hub and two rings joined with four spokes radiating outward from the hub.

The space between the rings was filled with huge arrays of what looked like mirrors. The surface of the structure that was facing the sun was covered with a mosaic of non-reflecting surfaces.

There were also countless other structures suspended in space around this huge ring. Some were smaller versions of ArcHope but with just the hub and outer ring while others appeared cylindrical. The shapes and position of these smaller structures seemed to be almost random. Phineas slowly panned until a stunning view of earth hove into view.

He took another break at this point to relax a bit and review what he had just recorded before proceeding to the internal and cutaway views.

The intense focused concentration took considerable effort to avoid cluttering up the recording with random off-topic thoughts that normally flash through ones mind willy-nilly.

These non-specific thoughts, during neurocoding, are like noise spikes and add tremendously to the editing workload. It is still a relatively new science but extremely effective for those who can make it work.

Phineas was very adept at using the device which could record brain waves in neural code and play them back with extreme accuracy at a later time.

He plunged into his next recording session which consisted of cutaway views of the six levels in the rings of the Arc. He could picture the design in his mind and actually see the cutaway view of the structure. The two main rings, in cross section, were each 10 miles in diameter.

The first 600 feet above the deck of each ring was divided into 6 levels each 100 feet high. The remaining 50,000 feet is the living area. He finished the engineering cutaways and wrapped up the recording for the day; he would start again fresh in the morning.

* * *

Moving to his workstation he brought up the interpreted files that had just been recorded. When he viewed the playback he could not believe the level of detail the subconscious mind provides.

Every leaf and long grass blade quivered in the breeze, the ripples in the stream sparkled in the sun. In the engineering drawings every fixture and fastener was evident.

He marveled at the electronic gadget that could interpret the brain’s information and replay with such vivid images. When he had first started testing the MEMS (MEMorieS) system years ago it was known simply as the Memory Recorder.

He had still been on lunar base awaiting transfer to the Mars Expeditionary Program when his started experimenting with the device. When he received the summons to return to earth he took the recorder with him to continue working with it.

At first he could only obtain clear videos when he recorded while asleep and dreaming. The developing engineer then explained to him that, when dreaming, the mind is clear and focused on one subject at a time.

When awake, the mind multi-tasks, flitting through multiple images so rapidly that viewing the recording can cause vertigo and, in extreme cases, nausea. It would usually take several long nights recordings, reviewed and edited, to get the desired results.

Some rare individuals have the ability to clear their minds of all but the subject they want even while awake. Phineas was in this category and, with practice, discovered that he could even record internal engineering details of whatever structure he focused on.

Exploded views and cutaway drawings are easy for a design engineer but added immeasurably to his presentations. Relaxation techniques, similar to Yoga, are helpful because the effort required to focus the thought process is very difficult and takes talent with a lot of practice.

The MEMS system which evolved from these early tests was much more sophisticated and easier to use. It was about the same size as an EKG machine with electrodes that attach to the temporal region of the skull.

Technically, MEMS is described as a memory recall system which can also be used effectively to display current thoughts and memories. The current version is also capable of filtering out much of the noise data and editing is a much less laborious process.

MEMS was designed and built to assist in recalling long term memory for the aging population. It succeeded in that objective and far more. The short term memory connection proved to be a boon to those who needed to make multi-media presentations.

It was also instrumental in revolutionizing the entire legal and criminal justice system. The MEMS could be applied in non-voluntary cases, with sufficient cause, and became the ultimate lie detection system.

Current thoughts are immediately stored by the brain as short term memories so they are available for real time recording. Physiological reaction to thoughts can be masked by clever individuals but the thoughts themselves are not voluntary and when they are recorded and displayed for others to see will reveal the truth.

Jury trials were no longer necessary and litigation became a relatively simple process with a panel of judges reviewing the litigant’s actual memories and making judgments.

There was also current research to determine if MEMS could be used to validate claims of insanity, temporary or otherwise. The primary impediment to this application was not the technology but in defining which symptoms actually represented insanity as opposed to eccentricity.

The way Phineas looked at it; if a picture is worth a thousand words, a high definition, three dimensional, full color video is priceless. It is more than priceless if you’re required to prepare detailed project briefings.

* * *

One unexpected but most enjoyable benefits of the MEMS device was its ability to help a person reminisce in a very lifelike and poignant way.

With a few keystrokes Phineas connected to an external mass storage and called up some recordings he had made weeks ago. In moments he was transported back to an earlier time.

Chapter Two

Phineas

15 July, 2009

The red and yellow biplane twisted and rolled in the calmness of the evening sky. The only spectator of this airshow was a youngster standing next to a fence in an empty pasture.

The young fellow was holding an electronic gadget with an antenna. But wait, that is a transmitter and this is no spectator; this youngster is actually doing the flying!

The intricate aerial ballet performed by the sparkling double-winged aircraft was smooth and practiced. The engine throttled back and the small biplane side-slipped to a perfect touchdown at the end of the runway.

He was taxiing back to the wagon which held his field equipment when he heard the call Phin, Oh Phin, are you out there again? Come in for your dinner son!

OK Mom, be right there. He collected his plane and wiped it down then set it in the wagon with his transmitter. He pulled the hinged lid down to protect his treasures from the evening dew and ran for the house.

He ducked into the mudroom to wash the dust and fuel residue from his hands and face and entered the large country kitchen that stretched full length across the front of the house.

His mother was carrying a steaming platter of fried chicken to the table. His dad, Luther, had just seated himself Well Marie, do you think young Phin here will ever make a pilot?

His mother tousled his hair on the way to her seat at the opposite end of the table Well, he sure will if he doesn’t burn himself out first. I swear, I don’t know how anyone can work on those planes for days and then fly them for more days, and still want more.

Young Phineas was spooning mashed potatoes onto his plate before passing them to his dad Aw Mom, you know I could never get enough planes and flying.

He ladled homemade chicken gravy onto his volcanoed potatoes and looked to his dad for support Dad can’t get enough of the ranch and his cattle and nobody’s teasing him.

His dad chimed in Your right, Phineas, follow your passion and you will be a happy man. I’m a good example of that philosophy.

* * *

Born a fourth generation Scottish American in, of all places, the dusty west Texas town of Odessa. Phineas was a serious and strong willed child who had his head in the clouds from the very first time he had a look at the sky.

His love of things that fly was the one constant throughout his life. At age six he was building radio controlled model aircraft and expertly flying them from a runway his dad had smoothed out in the dormant west pasture.

Young Phineas’ passion was early warbirds and by age 10 he was designing his own composite airframes for realistic looking P-51 Mustangs and F-86 Sabre Jets. His engineering career began here as he designed and built the intricate retractable landing gear and flap mechanisms for his miniature air force.

His endeavors involved many different engineering principles from mechanical and electronic to composite materials. He soon found that his self-taught mastery of these disciplines translated very nicely into the full sized world and this multi-faceted engineer was off and running.

His dad, Luther, would take young Phineas to model aircraft contests at local clubs when he could find time. Many times, when his dad was not available, Phineas coaxed his mother into driving him. They had a blue nylon awning which stood on spindly legs and protected them from the hot Texas sun.

Marie would pack a generous lunch for them and, in later years; these were remembered as some of his favorite times. Occasionally he even brought home the trophy, much to the chagrin of competitors three and four times his age.

* * *

Luther McFarland owned a small cattle ranch and married the daughter of a Texas state legislator. It was through this fortuitous connection, and outstanding academics, that Phineas garnered an appointment to the prestigious Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

His academic and military achievements proved to be as impeccable as his leadership skills and propelled him to the ranks of upperclassmen. After graduating in the top five percent of his class, he had no problem gaining acceptance in the Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training Program.

Chapter Three

Fighter Pilot

20 May, 2025

Much of the pilot training program, aside from the classroom, was in virtual reality simulators which were exact duplicates of the flying environment, from the cockpit to the external world outside the canopy.

Exact replicas of Air Force T-6 Texan III Primary Trainer cockpits were installed in several adjoining training rooms in the Primary Training Facility at Laughlin AFB, Texas.

These simulators replicated the flying experience so realistically that actual flight time was reduced by sixty percent with no reduction in effectiveness. The surround 3D visuals presented the student with a view outside the canopy which could replicate any environment required for the training mission.

The Air Force primary training aircraft, The Texan III, had been much improved over the previous variant by increasing the turbine power and adding counter rotating propellers. This design virtually eliminated torque effects and gave the feel of a pure jet which could be flown in high alpha maneuvers at very low airspeeds.

Phineas had built a scale model of the 1950 Convair XFY-1 Pogo which was a prototype vertical takeoff fighter plane and was familiar with the flight characteristics of the design. He had designed and coded a version of the Pogo on his own personal work station and had flown it extensively by the time he first stepped into the Air Force version.

His roommate and wingman during flight training was a burly New Englander from Bedford, Massachusetts who had grown up next to an Air Force Base and knew he was destined to be a pilot.

Harold Bull Simonis had worked very hard to maintain his position on the high school varsity football team and still carry a 3.5 grade point average. Immediately upon graduation he applied to all the military academies and accepted the first positive response which happened to be from West Point.

Four more years of hard work and he graduated high