CHOIRS

Hello, friends. This is Qiong Dubois, Jim’s wife. Jim had me log me into his account so I can let you know that he is doing better after the accident. I spoke to him this evening on the relay and although he is in a lot of pain, the doctors say he is recovering well. I know there is some speculation about the accident but I can assure you that it was an accident and Jim’s injuries are not life threatening. He thanks you for your kind thoughts and well wishes and told me to say not to worry. He is fine and will talk to you when he is able.

- Qiong

Hi friends. Never got around to posting this before the whoops. So here’s a blast from my recent past…

Just found out that Jayesh and I will have a chance to meet in the near future. He’s going to give some InfraCorp directors a look at the latest key prototypes on Luna and I insinuated myself into the trip by suggesting I go with them for some training and research. I’ll be working with Gerrit Technologies’ engineering team on some new techniques for regolith excavation (non geek speak: lunar mining).

We already have planetary mining equipment to harvest regolith (for oxygen extraction and to create lunar concrete for construction) but to do this in a zero-g environment in, say, an asteroid field, is daunting. You try hurling a hundred-million dollars worth of robotic mining rig at a giant, spinning rock moving at around 25 km/second! Anyway, we’re going to try and Frankenstein a deep space probe with a mining robot and see what we can do with the combination. We’ll run two tests. The first run is going to use some kind of telepresence rig with a human operator. The second is to run a pre-programmed sequence aboard the drone based on our analysis of the landing site and the surface topography and see what we can pull out of the surface (150 kg is the target). CHOIRS is going to need mega-tons of material for the radiation shielding alone, and because of the distances involved all that stuff will have to be excavated, processed and formed on-site in orbit without much in the way of human intervention. Liberty and Agra were astounding accomplishments but CHOIRS, in both size and scope, is in a league of its own.

Lots of work to do, not enough time to do it so I’m going to take off. Hersh out!

As part of a new security protocol here on Liberty, I’ve been implanted with a “key capsule.” Now, as you all know by now I’m a bit leery of any kind of invasive identification beyond standard biometrics (right to privacy and all of that) but after the incident here a few months back, security and safety are the operative watchwords. There’s no safety net up here in the aether.

The procedure was simple and to the point. It’s similar to the ID tags they implant in animals and prisoners back on Earth, but the key capsule is much more than a simple transponder. I talked to one of the developers of the key, a chap named Jayesh who’s stationed on Luna. He studied with Dr. Warwick at the University of Reading a decade back while Warwick was doing his Cyborg 1.0 and 2.0 programs.

The key is based on Warwick’s implantation experiments at the turn of the century, but (thankfully) much smaller. And while Warwick’s chips were surgically implanted in his arm, the key is now inserted under the subclavius muscle (near the collarbone). I asked Jayesh why the implant wasn’t placed in the arm and he told me a gruesome story about an accident on Luna where they tracked a missing person to a collapsed tunnel and only found an arm. They found the arm’s owner a few hours later and only a few hundred meters away. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. So the collar it is, then. Jayesh says he has the new version implanted in his palate — the lunars are much more gung-ho about the cybernetic lifestyle than I am. I’m perfectly happy with my workstation’s retinal scanner! Such is progress.

His design is intriguing and similar to some of CHOIRS’ security and tracking systems we’re planning to implement. The main difference is that whereas the CHOIRS ID chip is a static piece of hardware implanted in the subject, the lunar key capsule design contains software that can be upgraded and even modified by the user. The user can walk into an ad-hoc living space and have the room adjust to his preferences. The security system grants him access to the room as expected, but can also dim the lights, puts on some music and a pot of coffee and and re-configure the user’s workstation as soon as he sits down. Each capsule is registered with a unique serial number and the network tracks that bearer of the capsule in relation to its environment. I asked him if the key’s serial number could be hacked and he said no, that the number itself is part of the hardware, not the software. The only way to hack the ID of the capsule is to hack the network’s database (which is virtually bulletproof as its so vital to life support) or to extract the capsule itself and replace it. That seems like a more likely solution but he says that they’re working on that.

We spoke at length about privacy in closed environments. He’s of the mind that humans need to adapt and to use technology to enable us to live in non-private, confined places. He says the classical model of orbital life, all wide-open vistas and green spaces and Earth gravity is outmoded. That in order to live, we’ll need to change ourselves not just to survive but to prosper in what he calls “technological spaces.” That the concept of “privacy” is antithetical to cooperative life in these technological spaces. I told him my position, which is a lot less radical and more humanist, that people need privacy. We’re not bees!

His response was short and to the point: “Maybe we need to change.”

After my implant was installed, he called up the sysconfig of my key and we spent about a half hour tweaking and tinkering the system preferences. At first I was a bit nervous about the whole endeavor, then fascinated, then excited as soon as I realized the sheer utility of the device. I can now “squirt” biometric information from my key to the cardio equipment in the gym where I work out in the morning. No galvanic response, no electrodes, it’s all wireless and instantaneous. All it needs is storage memory, or the ability to access storage… hmm, I’ll have to whiteboard that when I get a chance.

Qiong and I celebrated our 1st year anniversary, which is amazing. They say that time is relative and it slows down the faster you travel. I’m not so sure… I’m up here and time seems to be flying past. She says “hello” (maybe I can get her to set up a web log too but she’s a bit shy, even across the net). But enough about personal matters. You’re here about CHOIRS, right?

The long and short of it: the Cassini-Huygens Orbital Interplanetary Relay Station is a state-of-the-art communications hub that will be put into orbit between Saturn and its largest moon, Titan. That’s been in development for awhile, but the latest news (and where I fit in) is that CHOIRS is set to be the largest permanent human settlement outside of Earth, with over 20,000 inhabitants (twice as large as Liberty). Not only will it be the largest space station, it will also be the farthest away at a billion miles from Earth.

This poses many challenges to InfraCorp Group. The biggest is fiscal… this project, and I’m not exaggerating, will cost trillions of dollars and decades to complete. We’re looking at completion of Phase I of the station in June of 2035, barring unforeseen difficulties. The final piece of the station (Phase III) is to be completed in July of 2049. It’s possible that advances in materials technology and other developments will speed up the construction.

Our major constraint (even more than money, which is being supplied by investment groups and whole nations from all over the world), is time. At current speeds, the trip from L5 to CHOIRS’ final home is over six years. What this means is that our colonists will leave years before the station is finished, making deadlines tight. Qiong is working on the transport system inside the station right now and my boss (who’s name is Bosse, coincidentally) is meeting with some contractors tonight to hash out the final designs on the transport ships and robotics. I’m looking up at a whiteboard that’s filled with so many names, dates and figures that it’s almost a solid block of colors.

We have a film crew in the offices today for interviews so I need to shower and shave. Been burning the midnight oil to finish this spec. Take care, folks. The future awaits!

The CHOIRS Project was just approved!

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Okay, I just ran around my office yelling at the top of my lungs. Good thing for the group next door that these walls are virtually soundproof.

What this means:
I’m going to be working 24/7 for the next…oh, decade or so. At least there’s some job security. I’ll be based here at L5 and working alongside a multi-national team of brilliant designers and engineers. I can’t go into the details just yet as we’re tidying up a few loose ends what with the funding and all (and believe me, this project is going to be huge).

I just got off the phone with my folks back in Dayton and they’re ecstatic. They know more or less what I’ll be doing (heading one of the many engineering projects). Oh, and I met an amazing woman…more on that later. We’re going to go to the gardens tomorrow to assist one of the aeroponics groups with a study. Is that a date? Hah!

- Hersh

BTW, to the rest of my family: I’ll be returning to terra firma for a short stint in the next few months before taking up permanent residence on Liberty. I set up a listserv to keep you all in the know so email me if you didn’t receive an invite.

A quick note to all my friends and family. I passed my physical and will be making the journey to Liberty Station. I CANNOT WAIT.

The past few months have been hell on my body with all the tests. I’ve become a total gym rat, trying to build up my muscles and strengthen my bones before heading into space. Even with the rotational gravity, it’s good to get in shape just because the environment is so much different than it is on Earth (the gravity difference will be negligible, about .02g less than on the ground at sea level). I think I’ll be passing through the ISS so I will have plenty of time in zero-g. But after that it’s a “quick” jump over to Liberty.

It’s a little scary, even though I know I shouldn’t worry about it. But still, space! I get to live in space! From what people tell me, it’s a bit like living full time in an office building… sealed environment and all of that. But I’m really looking forward to checking out all the cool technology and processes that my work helped to create. I mean, schematics and blueprints and test models are all well and good but I’ll be able to actually WALK through some of the structures my team helped to design. I can’t wait to see the toilets. I know, that sounds weird. But you try designing a sanitation system for 10,000 people spinning a hundred miles up!

ID&E has enough clout and cash to warrant their own private shuttle, which is a godsend. Some of my fellow engineers had to jump through hoops to book passage through governmental channels. With the recent explosion in private and corporate orbital flight, it’s a lot easier (and safer too, which seems kinda counter-intuitive, but someone was telling me that all the data NASA and ESA has accumulated is being put to good use by a lot of smart, talented people). The Chinese government has also been extraordinarily open about its civilian space program, which helps immensely. ID&E’s Shanghai office has lots of engineers on Liberty so I’m sure I’ll return home with lots of new curse words. Too bad I didn’t get a change to fly out to China but this is the next best thing.

Someone water my plants while I’m away!

Take care, folks.

- Hersh

Hey, all.

InfraDesign has seen fit to ship me out to an oil platform in the North Sea. WILL I EVER BE WARM AGAIN?! Hah, still this is great for my research. I’m looking forward to the trip as it’ll be my first time in the arctic. You’d think that the north and south would be similar but aside from the temperature (cold!) they’re really different environments. I won’t bore you with the details.

HEP has gone gangbusters over the last two decades. When I started my work as an undergrad I couldn’t begin to imagine being hired by ID&E, much less running my own department. But with the new office’s construction now in its final phase and the expedition launching in just a few months, I feel like I’m standing on the edge of an immense frontier. I get so bogged down in my work (no pun intended, hah) that it’s easy to forget what this is all leading up to.

Anyway, the flight leaves at the end of the week so I need to clear my desk and pack my mittens. My contact up there is a guy named Jens Jensen, which I find hilarious. I’m making a stop in Reykjavik and then I’m going to do some sight-seeing around Scandinavia before heading out to sea. Keep warm!

- Hersh

Being back in California is a little strange. It’s where I got my start in the industry and I met so many excellent people out here but still, a little weird. I visited JPL and nosed around a bit (though not as much as I could when I was an employee) and chatted with a few friends that are still working there.

Boring post, I know. Just kind of sad. I wish memories were like suitcases that you could pack and unpack instead of having to lug everything around, all the time, everywhere.

- JHD

Isn’t that what I’m supposed to write?

It’s good to be communicating with the outside world again. We lost a metric butt-load of communications gear the last storm and have been slowly squirting electrons up at the satellite back to Wood’s Hole. Luckily our navigation equipment was unaffected. It was hairy for awhile. I thought we’d need to be rescued before the ice closed in around us.

It is cold! Even below the deck it’s really chilly. I’m bundled up in my parka with a few chemical heat backs stuffed in my pockets. But man, it’s going to be great to be north of the equator again.

Sorry for changing my blog! I had issues with the other service after eleven months of archives were wiped out. That and all the spammer comments. If I have time I’ll see if I have the old entries stored on this laptop. I should be home in a few weeks. I’m flying in from Santiago, Chile so if anyone wants any touristy items, shoot me a message!

Someone said they saw some whales so I’m going to venture outside!

Okay, Hersh out!

- Hersh