Slim Novel 12 - http://adventuresofkimi.blogspot.com - See Homepage
45. A Sunday Seminar
On May 2nd 1943, Ali holds a Sunday seminar - this one on colonization of Moon and Mars - in Dan's apartment and the seminarans are seated around her in the living room. Clockwise from Ali's viewpoint: at window is Dan in rocking chair, formally dressed in black suit and looking feeble but eyes bright; and to his left on sofa, Professor Edwardes in blue corduroy jacket his Ronald Colman mustache nicely trimmed, and sitting next to him, Brenda, in high neck, white collar on her black Sunday dress, and on her left, Dr. Stan, in white, resident-physician jacket and tan slacks, his stethoscope obvious in left pocket. Next to the sofa in a chair by the glass panel French door is Nicola in his spaghetti-stained white chef's clothes, then across on opposite side, the downstairs super's helper Sam in workman's Levis and brown flannel shirt, and next to him sharing Dan's settee is Lorna in brown skirt and white blouse with latest Hedy Goldberg hair permanent piled high upon her head and, by her side, Moyshe in the inevitable yarmelka beanie with white shirt & tie and brown slacks & belt and shined black oxford shoes. Last and least, Eddie whom Miss Ali wants there as part of tutoring.
Ali sits on swivel stool so she can swing around to face anyone. One-PM Sunday is a good time to start Seminar because Sunday mornings are for the Enrico Caruso opera records, for church worship, for sleep in bed or for exercise in park or forest.
Cups of steaming hot, freshly brewed coffee have just been placed before each person by Brenda and an electrically heated coffee pot in kitchen is filled and available for self-serve refill. Ali has informed all the seminarans of snacks after Seminar. She has found that thinking is sharper on a light-eating stomach with coffee. Small marshmallow snacks are available - several saucers of five each are spread about the room on portable tables.
Ali's wrist alarm goes off signaling one minute after 1 PM. In starting things on the hour, she uses the one-minute point of the new hour.
"Welcome to Seminar, folks. Today we do colonies on Moon and Mars. I shall present because the subject is my metaphoric baby."
"Sam raises hand. "Why that, Miss? Seems science fiction. The Man - I mean Mr. White Man - is busy enough making war and keeping us colored folk down. Why spend time on Moon and Mars?"
"Good question. We humans do not have enough time to be choosy about needing to get off the Earth. Dontchyaknow our Earth has been struck by big space rocks many times and a hit now could destroy civilization? And keep in mind the instability of climate. We are just - in geo-historical terms - coming out of glaciers covering New York with tons of ice. And global overheating has happened before and will, again. And, most importantly, look at us in 1943 - a world aflame in war. We have got to get free of the Earth for survival and further evolution of Homo sap.
"May I add?" interrupts Edwardes."
"Sure, go ahead."
"As sociologist, for me, the reason to get Man onto Moon and Mars is the psychohistorical effect of deflecting the human ape from destroying his species by overpopulation of our Earth-limited environment. The challenge of new worlds would be for our civilization what Columbus's discovery was for Europe."
"Nicola exclaims: "Professore! Why you think a Man on Moon or Mars make no more war? He end up ruinin' Moon and Mars? We needa solva problem here."
"Ali answers. "Allow me to educate you all, and it will answer Nicola too.
" First the possibility: Is it science fiction? The answer is here in USA with Professor Goddard who is presently testing his rocket engine. And I learn from reading science writer Willy Ley in my sci-fi magazine that the Germans have top scientists going after rockets too. Whoever wins the war, men will walk on the Moon soon."
"Dan comments. "But the Moon has no air to breathe. And it is burning hot in day and colder than the arctic at night. How can they make a colony?"
Ali is happy because it is just right for her information talk. "Science fiction has answered your first point, Dan? Of course a man on the Moon needs air. And he gets it in a space suit with several hours supply of oxygen and recharging when needed and also protection from the temperatures. The first rocket ships to the Moon will be 3-story affairs for maybe 3 or 4 space travelers, sealed-off from outer space and carrying supplies of oxygen to last for the whole round trip."
"Eddie shyly raises his right hand. "Why the Moon and Mars? In my Book of Knowledge it says Venus is Earth's sister planet - almost alike; and nearest."
"Very good, Eddie," says Ali, always ready to compliment independent thinking, especially in her student. "But, actually, the first stop is our Moon because it is much closer to us than Mars or Venus so the techno problem will be least. After the Moon, most space scientists opt for Mars as the target because no one knows what is below the cloud cover of Venus. At least Mars is open book to us - quite a bit smaller than Earth, a minimal atmosphere and temperatures cold but bearable."
"But how will a colony get started?" asks Moyshe.
"First, science will put several astronauts, the word for space explorer, down on the Moon to get the lay of the land. Then, a rocket ship with maybe ten first scientist-colonists, and robot builders will lay a transparent plastic cover - a bubble - several hundred feet across and start oxygen generation from moon rocks. It will be a project of maybe a year. Once completed, several scientists will live inside the bubble. From there it will be hop, skip and jump, to use metaphor, to a bigger bubble-top colony."
"But, Ali, where do they go from there?" asks Brenda as Ali has asked to her to ask.
"The first colony will be to solve the problems of living inside such bubble tops. Then they can be used as a base for exploration of the Moon, and study of the solar system and the universe because viewing conditions will be much, much better than from Earth's surface; and, of course, the colonists will be on the Moon itself so that study will be hands-on. But the aim of Moon colonies will be, after all, the jump-off to Mars. Getting onto the Moon will simplify getting to Mars because the Moon's low gravity and lack of atmosphere will require much less fuel and lift off for Mars. So the mass of such a Mars rocket will give more living space for the astronauts. Getting to Mars will be important in colonization because although it is smaller than Earth, it is more massive than the Moon, it has water and carbon dioxide, it could support an atmosphere, and its temperatures are much better for us than the Moon's. So colonies on Mars could sustain a greater population."
Dr. Stan raises hand. "Your ideas fascinate me, Miss Ali. But it strikes me that what you describe is going to be a gigantic human project with huge input of human energy. Given today's world, it is hard for me to see it happening."
"Doc, you are a killjoy. You may be right but imagine Columbus having to weather such skepticism from King Ferdinand in convincing Isabella to back him. All I can reply is that humanity has no choice: either on to Moon and Mars or sink back into the primeval ooze. If we do not set our sights on Mars our specie's last words won't be written in the stars."
"Dan comes into the exchange. "Primeval ooze! What a wonderful expression - a brilliant metaphor for humanity regressing."
The seminar continues for the full hour and then Ali, so to speak, ends it on a dime. Her idea of these seminars is not to solve all the problems each one raises. She wants to stimulate minds - especially youth like Eddie. The young will be the ones who shall wrestle with the problems suggested by Dr Stan. For the moment it is enough to light the fire in such minds.
For next, click 12.(46-51): Deterioration, Death, Disposal, Denou...
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