Walter interjected. “You know, that has been bugging me. How come someone with your skill and credentials never flew the shuttle? It sounds like you were one of NASA’s top astronauts.”
Peter fought the impulse to badmouth Chris. It wouldn’t be in the best interest of the assignment. So he swallowed his pride and took the high road. “I’m not sure, probably politics.”
A skeptical look crossed the president’s face. “Wasn’t Chris your boss?”
Expecting the question, Peter said quietly, “Yes, but he wasn’t the only decision maker.”
The plane started to go into a slight bank, pulling Peter toward his window, which was filling up with the landmass below. Walter’s arm shot across Peter’s chest, pointing outside. “There’s the spaceport.”
The complex came into view. What caught his eye was an ultra-modern building shaped like a stingray located right in the middle of the compound. The eye-catching feature looked to be resting on the desert floor, waiting to strike. All the roads of the facility fanned out from the large building. Peter followed one with his eyes as it led out to two launching pads, on one of which the massive Zeus rocket was patiently waiting. A ping of jealousy rang through him as he stared at the glimmering machine.
With a proud tone, Walter said, “You’re looking at the only commercial spaceport in the world. Not only will EarthOrbit’s rockets fly out of there, but someday soon we’ll lease out those pads to other space companies, some sending tourists into space.” Walter nudged Peter’s arm. “Of course that’s after we have a NASA contract in hand. We don’t want to give the competition any help.”
Peter stared out of the window as they came closer and more of the complex came into view.
“See that building in the middle?”
Without turning, Peter assumed he was talking about the one that looked like the stingray. “Yeah.”
“That’s one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the world. For example, the air circulating throughout the interior is cooled by a chiller that takes advantage of the lower temperatures below the desert surface. Water is circulated through pipes that extend deep into the earth before passing through the chiller. Also the exterior glass is coated with a special glaze to lower the carbon footprint. There are skylights throughout for interior lighting. Basically there are tons of features in that building that allow us to have one of the smallest energy footprints for a commercial building in the world.”
Though Peter was impressed, his gaze stayed fixed on the Zeus rocket.
After landing, Peter turned on his phone. He was pleased to see a voice message from Jose Calma. He was hoping the tycoon was able to get meaningful information on Krause. He watched Walter get up from his seat and walk toward the exit as he played the message.
Peter put the phone tightly to his ear and bumped the volume down.
Hello, Peter, this is Jose Calma. I’m calling you back to give you an update on what I’ve found out about Krause Aerospace. Though most checked out fine, I was surprised to hear a major explosion killed one of our factory workers when working on one of the parts for EarthOrbit. Apparently, the pyrotechnic device used to deploy the parachutes was way too powerful. I have been assured this was corrected before the units were shipped. Of course, this is inside information. I hope this does not prevent your company from doing business with us. If you need anything further, please feel free to call me directly. And once again, thank you for saving my son.
Peter’s brain went into overdrive as a concerned fear caused his gut to churn. Could there be a bomb in the parachute deployment device on their spacecraft? He stared straight ahead as Blake reached the door, the last to depart the plane. The young pilot turned around. “Peter, are you coming?”
Peter took a deep, calming breath as he gave a casual wave. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
Blake lifted his arm signaling he understood before ducking his head and exiting. The plane was empty except for the pilots behind the closed cockpit door.
Putting his elbows on his knees, Peter cupped both hands over his mouth. He wondered what his next move should be. He needed to know immediately if there was any chance an explosive device could be onboard their ship. Jose’s message was not enough to disrupt the mission’s schedule. He needed more concrete evidence. He started shaking his foot as he wondered who he could trust. Got it, I’ll call Carl and have him inspect the backup unit. All parts for each mission had at least one spare unit, which the shop manager would have access to.
Peter quickly scanned through his list of contacts on his smart phone before finding his reliable ally. As he speed dialed Carl’s number he spotted the men through his window walking toward a waiting van. Through the short conversation and without giving much detail, Peter instructed Carl to immediately inspect the spare parachute deployment device for their mission, focusing on the pyrotechnics. He stressed to examine it in private and relay his findings directly to him, no one else. Since Carl was the one who originally expressed concern on the German parts, he accepted the request without any questions.
After hanging up Peter hustled out of his seat and down the aisle knowing the others were waiting. As he approached the exit, Walter stuck his head into the plane with a concerned expression. “Hey, Peter, are you coming? We’re all ready to go.”
Peter’s gut told him to inform the president. Walter was the only one who could postpone the launch, and if Carl came back late with bad news, there may not be enough time to deliberate on what to do. Avoiding that mess would be best. He tried not to be too specific. “Walter, I just got off the phone with one of our factory workers. Apparently there might be some issues with the parachute deployment device on Iris 1.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The manufacturer had some early problems during testing of the pyro charge. Apparently it was way too powerful, killing one of their employees.”
Walter looked relieved. “Oh, we were informed of that accident. It was sad to hear someone died. The incident prompted us to send one of our inspectors overseas. He supervised the final testing and confirmed the problem was solved. Everything since has checked out fine. We even did a detailed inspection of the units after they were received. So sounds like you have some old news. That unit should be fine.” Water patted Peter on the back. “I do appreciate you bringing this to my attention, however. We can never be too cautious.”
Peter was encouraged to hear an inspector was sent out. “Okay, well then it’s probably best we keep this to ourselves. No need alarming anyone if you feel it’s a nonissue.”
“You’re probably right, but I’m happy you informed me, and I want you to communicate that to the factory guy. That’s working as a team, which is what all our employees need to do to ensure we succeed in this competitive space business. So who informed you?”