Chapter 15.1

To spare Mary any undue worry, Carl has intentionally kept her in the dark about Mike and the possibility of them not being able to land. If they can’t and have to head back to Earth, that will be the time to fill her in. Why should she be made to worry, un-necessarily?

There are two things on Earth that Brandon is yearning for: to hold the love of his life, Emma, in his arms, and to see Rich, their son. It has been almost unbearable being away from Emma. And, he is so incredibly proud that his son would want to follow in his footsteps. What more could a father ask for.

But, he’s also looking forward to the prospect of walking in the slightly dimmer sunlight on the surface of Mars. What an adventure this will be! He is visualizing setting up their new state-of-the-art greenhouse on a wide flat expanse of terrain, as well as a different type just beneath the Martian surface. In just the right locale, such as a lava tube, a few meters underground, there could be acres of crops growing by the time the crew gets ready to head home in a year and a half. In his mind he is already going over the logistics of greenhouses vs. lava tubes, grow lights, CO2 levels, nutrients, water, and a thousand other details to be worked out.

One big question will need to be answered: the possibility of finding liquid water on the planet, or at least a large supply of water-ice. Of course, they can always make their own water by distilling carbon dioxide down to carbon monoxide and oxygen, then combining that oxygen with some of the hydrogen, brought with them from Earth.

But, if liquid water were to be found, that would take care of one of their greatest concerns. With water in an underground reservoir lying far enough down to maintain a liquid state, they would then only need to pump it up to their temperature-controlled greenhouses. This is the type of challenge Brandon is eager and looking forward to undertaking. Bring it on.

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