//------------------------------//
// Sol 218 
// Story: The Maretian 
// by Kris Overstreet 
//------------------------------//


AMICITAS FLIGHT THREE – MISSION DAY 220
ARES III SOL 218


To: Ares III Hab crew (emails redacted)
From: Laurence, Jennifer (jlaurence42@jseng.nasa.gov)
Subject: Sirius Tandem Rover Protocols

Mark,

Attached find the detailed procedures we’ve worked out so far. Be advised these procedures are subject to revision if new needs or more accurate information makes it advisable.

Please review the document and send comments, corrections, etc. Use outline numbers to indicate specific issues within the document.

Jennifer Laurence
Crew and Thermal Systems
Johnson Space Center





NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
Engineering Directorate
Crew and Thermal Systems Division


PROJECT SIRIUS
Full Modification Procedures for Ares III Rovers plus Pony ship Friendship
Version 4.16a


OUTLINE

I. INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT OF WORKING MATERIALS

II. PREPARATION OF ROVER 1 CHASSIS
A. SALVAGE OF ROVER 1 CABIN INTERNAL COMPONENTS
B. REMOVAL OF ROVER 1 CABIN AND SUPERSTRUCTURE
C. SALVAGE OF HARDWARE FROM ROVER 1 CHASSIS

III. PREPARATION FOR TRIM OF FRIENDSHIP
A. DISMOUNT AND REMOVAL OF ALIEN ENGINES
B. CONSTRUCTION OF MID-SHIP SUPPORT

IV. TRIM OF FRIENDSHIP
A. REPLACEMENT OF FORWARD LANDING GEAR WHEELS
B. SEVERANCE OF AFT PORTIONS OF SHIP
C. SALVAGE OF HARDWARE FROM FRIENDSHIP SCRAP
D. MOUNTING OF SHIP-ROVER ENVIRONMENTAL INTERFACE

V. MOUNTING OF FRIENDSHIP
A. PREPARATION OF ROVER CHASSIS
B. PREPARATION OF UNDERSIDE OF FRIENDSHIP
C. MOVEMENT OF FRIENDSHIP
D. ADJUSTMENT OF POSITION OF FRIENDSHIP ON CHASSIS
E. SECURING OF FRIENDSHIP TO CHASSIS
F. CONNECTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL INTERFACE

VI. MODIFICATIONS OF FRIENDSHIP POST-MOUNT
A. TRANSFER OF HAB ELECTRICAL STORAGE SYSTEM COMPONENTS
B. MOUNT OF SOLAR PANELS
C. INSTALLATION OF ROVER 1 COMPUTER
D. REPLACEMENT OF FRIENDSHIP INTERNAL LIGHTING SYSTEM
E. REMOVAL OF ALL NON-ESSENTIAL SYSTEMS
F. SALVAGE OF ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEMS
G. (OPTIONAL) SUGGESTED METHODS OF LIGHTENING LOAD

VII: MODIFICATIONS OF ROVER 2
A. SADDLEBAGS MK. 2
B. SUPPLEMENTAL POWER STORAGE EXPANSION
C. PATHFINDER ROOF MOUNT CONSTRUCTION
D. PATHFINDER MOUNT
E. SOLAR PANEL STORAGE MOUNT CONSTRUCTION
F. FRIENDSHIP ENGINE & ALIEN BATTERY MOUNT CONSTRUCTION

VIII: TESTING PROTOCOLS
A. SIRIUS 5 – POWER CONSUMPTION TEST
B. SIRIUS 6 – LIFE SUPPORT TEST
C. SIRIUS 7 – DRESS REHEARSAL

IX: SIRIUS 8 – SCHIAPARELLI OR BUST

APPENDIX: CHECKLIST OF CARGO REQUIRED FOR SIRIUS 8 AND OPERATION PHOENIX II





From: Mark Watney (email redacted)
Subject: Re: Sirius Tandem Rover Protocols

First: IT’S A WHINNYBAGO.

On to issues:

IIA: I’m going to have to do all this in a pressure suit. The amount of stuff being moved around means I’m going to have to do this by myself. Under those conditions, four hours is a bit ambitious. IIB in the same spacewalk is really ambitious. In fact, since I have roughly two hundred sols to get all this done in, maybe the time estimates could be left out completely? I mean, it’s not like you’re going to dock my pay if I have to work overtime, right? Riiiiiight?

IIC: I’m not going to systematically dismantle everything we cut off of something else. I have a lot of CO2 filters, but my EVA time isn’t infinite. If we need more hardware, we’ll pick it off the scrap. It’s worked for car wrecker yards for a hundred years, and it’ll work on Mars now.

IIIA: I know you only have my photos to work with, but you wasted a lot of words to say, “Step 1: Remove engines. Step 2: don’t drop them.” You don’t need to guess.

IIIB: _How_ many rocks?? Oh my aching back.

IVB: And now you’ve wasted a lot of words to say, “Step 1: Cut off the back 40% of the ship. Step 2: DO drop it.”

IVD: You left out an important step. We’re currently using Friendship’s habitat compartment to store hay in a cool, dry environment that isn’t a freezing, desiccating environment. There’s no way to do what you want without depressurizing the chamber, and that means we have to move everything out of that compartment into the bridge and seal the vents between the two remaining airtight compartments. The weight shift is going to be a bit more than half a ton when we do it. Will this affect anything?

VA: I read this section and think, “So you want me to build the first Speed-E-Lube on Mars.” Would you like your flying saucer vacuumed out while we’re working?

VB: At this point in the procedure the underside of Friendship will be half covered by the pile of rocks it’s sitting on. That’s going to make it difficult to straighten out brackets, test for weaknesses in the metal, etc. Suggestions?

VC: Lots of words for, “Step 1: Have the unicorn pick it up. Step 2. Don’t let her drop it.”

VIA: Thank you for understanding that we do need to have electrical power in the ship as much as possible and not suggesting we yank the old batteries from the ship until now.

VIB: “Step 1: Have the unicorn lift you up. Step 2: bolt on solar panels. Step 3: don’t let her drop you.”

VIE and VIF: Ahead of you on these. The only systems left in the ship are environmental controls, one set of flight control / landing gear steering, electrical breakers and fuses, and comm systems. We’re discussing adding the Hab microwave, though, because it won’t fit in the rover.

That covers my main comments. I can’t speak for the people who own the ship we’re going to chop up, though.

Mark





From: Cherry Berry (email redacted)
Subject: Re: Sirius Tandem Rover Protocols

What are you doing to my ship??? (No, I know what you are doing, but it still hurts. It was a good ship.) 

Also, tell Mark “Whinnybago” is bad name. You like it if we call rover “Oook Oook Mobile”?

CB





From: Dragonfly (email redacted)
Subject: Re: Sirius Tandem Rover Protocols

I’m not going to go down the whole list in order. I just have a few comments.

The last tests we did on the main engines were at lowest power- we didn’t want to strain the landing gear brakes or risk uncontrolled lift off. We’ll need to do better tests to see if they work well enough to make it worth carrying them to Ares IV MAV. We’ll do that before we begin building things on the rover to hold them.

If we have enough food extra, I can make better saddlebags without cutting up hab canvas. We might need that for other things, and I can’t make more Hab sealing resin.

I think the forward landing gear will be too long to let the ship lie flat on Rover 1. We can adjust it, but it will be a delay.

The main engine controls are pretty simple. If I understand, the plan is to put the engines on the first stage of the MAV and just throttle them full blast. Simple on-off switches will work for that. Maneuvering thrusters will take more work, since each pack has four thrusters on it.

If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know.

Dragonfly





From: Starlight Glimmer (email redacted)
Subject: Re: Sirius Tandem Rover Protocols

I don’t appreciate being listed as equipment. I am not a saw, a drill, a crane, a clamp, or anything else. I am a person, and it would be nice if your instructions included phrases like, for example, “Ask the unicorn if she would be willing to.”

As it is, every step in this process which requires heavy magic use will be a sol all to itself. Our magic supply is not as limited as it was when we first arrived, but this is still a generally magic-free environment. Magic strain is painful, and I’d prefer to go through as little of it as possible.

A little bit of consideration goes a long way.

Starlight Glimmer

P. S. Mark complaining about his back? Really? I'll be doing most of the rock-lifting and pit-digging! It ought to be, "Oh my burning horn"!





From: Fireball (email redacted)
Subject: Re: Sirius Tandem Rover Protocols

Do not listen to Cherry Berry. Ponies have city named Whinnycity. Whinnybago is fine name.

What is a bago?

Fireball