“No one can take that choice away from them. We will leave when we are ready to do so. Also, if you ask me to take you and your cabinet with us the answer is ‘no.’ If you and your cabinet members come with us, I believe the United States will be thrown into total chaos. However, we do have a possible problem with the Russian ship that we may need your help to address. You cannot just desert your post. A good captain goes down with his ship, and you are the commander of the United States.”
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff interrupted. “What makes you so sure that we would allow you to leave? After all, we could simply send a few missiles here when you take off and blast all of you to kingdom come.”
“General, yes, you could blow us all up to prevent us from leaving, but that is not going to solve the problem that people on the planet will face. Also, there are spacecrafts from three other countries launching at the same time. I would hope that you and others would understand that this spacecraft might be the only chance to save humanity. I am sure you have been to many military funerals where a pastor or chaplain talks about the issue of not dying in vain. If you destroy us, all of the wars that have been fought will have been in vain, since there is a chance no living thing will survive on Earth.
“Wouldn’t you rather have us carry all of our histories to a new place? At this new destination, future persons will learn the stories of all of the great deeds and battles that have taken place. My crew has led many military veterans who have been willing to die for their country. You are not going to end their lives in a fit of jealousy.”
The chairman looked around the room and at the president. “Mr. President, the decision is yours.”
The president looked at Tom again.
“We have always looked up at the stars as objects of beauty and wonder. All these years, people never thought they would be wandering through the galaxies and other solar systems. Dr. Burns, I have no doubt all of your intentions are well-founded. I will not prevent you from finishing your work here as long as you are cooperative and provide us with all of your work details so that we may start on our own project. No one ever thought the days and nights on Earth would come to an end. I cannot imagine preventing you from going while Russia launches their own spaceship. I have no idea what God wants us to do, or even if there is a God that wants to destroy everything we have built here on Earth. Will God accompany you on the voyage? How would we even know what God is thinking? I do not think he would want me to destroy your good work and ensure the destruction of the human race. Good luck, Dr. Burns. If it is all right with you, we would like to see your spaceship up-close so we can get an idea of what we are dealing with and we can marvel at what you have accomplished.”
The president came over, shook Tom’s hand, and gave him a big hug.
Everyone applauded. Dr. Burns and his associates then gave a tour of the vessel to the president and his staff. All through the four hours, the president and his team asked questions and seemed very interested. Because of Steven’s open-mindedness, Tom decided to reconsider his decision not to allow anyone from the president’s team to join them on the voyage. This decision would have to be made soon, since these people would have to undergo training to make the trip and acclimate themselves for life in space. He decided to let the president present a list of twenty-five people to consider for the journey.
Twenty minutes later, the president handed his list to Tom. Dr. Burns recognized many of the names as heroes in their endeavors, but his own name was not on the list. After looking at the list, they shook hands.
The president said, “Thanks for allowing some of my colleagues to join you. As you notice, my name is not on the list as I agree my place is here on Earth. Besides I can help you with the Russians if it becomes necessary.”
Chapter 34 – First Attempts
Tom Burns, Bonneville Salt Flats, UT
Once President Stevens had finished his visit, Dorothy and Carson informed Tom that the space shuttle was ready for a test flight. Given that they were only ten years away from 2040, and it was estimated that all life would perish beginning that year, the crew, especially Tom, needed to stay on course. That included testing. The time pressure factor had increased by an order of magnitude. It cost fifteen million dollars to build each one, and they were planning to have four or five of them. During the journey, each shuttle would fly out into space through an opening in the spaceship that could be opened and closed as needed. The shuttle could land and take off with a small crew that could perform tests to see if a planet was habitable. The shuttle would also be used to transport a team to fix Imagines’ outer hull. First, it was necessary to find out if it could take off from the land, fly around awhile, and then land again.
The team that developed the shuttle asked Tom to meet them in Utah near Salt Lake City. They decided to use Bonneville Salt Flats, which has been the location for many vehicle tests. Many of the world’s speed records had been set here. The Salt Flats were formed when Lake Bonneville dried up. It was used to set many of the land speed records for a hundred years. Among the most famous was Craig Breedlove, who sped over 600 miles per hour in the spirit of America. The Flats were in a very remote area off of Interstate 80, which gave the shuttle team some privacy. About fifty officers, engineers and other scientists, as well as Sam and Jose, were watching the demonstration.
Anticipation ran high throughout the ship at this exciting moment. It was the first time that most of the observers had seen a space shuttle.
Dorothy started talking. “Welcome, everyone, to this shuttle demonstration. As you can see, we have developed a brand-new state-of-the-art shuttle. The one thing we have not done is actually test the shuttle in a live situation. That is what we are going to do today. This shuttle is capable of flying up to 100,000 miles an hour in space. However, today you will not see that speed unless you want to see the shuttle disappear forever.”
Everyone laughed.
“All of our computer simulations have checked out. We’ve also conducted all the proper testing of the various systems on board, including the ones we will rely on for takeoff and landing. The shuttle will have a crew of up to six, which includes two pilots and four others who can be assigned any number of tasks. The shuttle instruments will be able to do a wide variety of atmospheric and soil testing. In case of attack, several weapons have been added. Living on the shuttle for up to twenty-four hours is possible. Spacesuits will be required for anyone on the shuttle. These spacesuits are similar to what everyone will use when the main vessel takes off from Earth. The shuttle also has a state-of-the-art communications system set up to interact with the officers on board the Imagine. Members of the spacecraft will be able to communicate with the Imagine up to one hundred thousand miles apart from each other. In addition, the Imagine can take control of the shuttle from the bridge. The main craft can direct and monitor the position of the shuttle at all times.”
Carson continued, “First, we are going to do an unmanned flight that will be controlled by the engineers that developed the shuttle. We are using a plasma fuel that will give it the necessary thrust to liftoff. We are conducting this test outside to provide a similar environment to what will happen in real life situations. I have provided spacesuits and goggles to everyone that will protect you in the event of an emergency. Make sure to cover your head with the hood and wear the special glasses we have provided. We will also need to be at least a half a mile away as a precaution. The flight will be about five to ten minutes long, and we will fly the shuttle at a low altitude so that it does not set off any government radars. After ten minutes we will land the shuttle close to the spot where we lifted off. Does anyone have any questions?”