“What do you mean by that?” Babin asked.
“I mean that you will need to show me pictures or a model of the system so that I can try out your instructions.”
“We don’t have a model and we only have the schematics. No pictures. And sadly, we do not have the 3D models either. Although we might be able to get some photographs from when the Pheia was being built but I suspect these will not be of sufficient resolution for your needs.”
Subramanian looked worried. “So there is no way for you to test your instructions on me?”
“No, I don’t really see how we can do that quickly. If we had more time, we could get the 3D model data and use that to create some images for you.”
“Then Dr. Moss is about to be severely tested.”
Subramanian wasn’t worried about Kate following instructions. He was worried about giving an unfamiliar task to someone under stress, who already knew the situation was dire and failure to perform meant death.
Gasses
(2,100 Feet)
Kate was asleep dreaming of diving on the Cayman wall when the ELF radio announced a new message. It was the first time she’d slept more than an hour without waking, and she almost went back to sleep telling herself she’d read it later. Five minutes later the radio beeped a second time. Two messages? “OK, I’m coming.”
She rolled off the towels covering the mattress and stood up. She felt much better. Amazing how a little sleep could help so much.
The ELF radio showed it had two messages for her. The first was from Williams and was short: “Kate, we are sending instructions for a mod to the gas system. Please read, review and send me your comments ASAP. Williams.”
The second message was very long. Kate scrolled to the end to see who had sent it. She didn’t immediately recognize Babin’s name but after some thought she remembered Babin as one of the people who had given talks on the Pheia when it was being readied for the mission. Kate had enjoyed her talk about the mechanical design, although she had found Babin’s southern accent a little difficult at times.
She scrolled back to the top and started to read. When she got to the end she went back to the top and read it through a second time. Babin had explained the concept first, then the general method Kate was to follow, and then there were very detailed instructions. Essentially they wanted Kate to go outside and create a leak in the oxygen storage system then come back in and cut the hydrogen pipe so it would vent into the hab. Babin had included enough detail on the theory of what they wanted her to do for Kate to accept that this wasn’t some hare-brained scheme.
The details were quite specific but there was obviously some doubt about exactly how to make the oxygen system leak at just the right rate. What they wanted her to do was go outside and loosen one of the gas fittings until oxygen started to escape. Then come back in and track the leak rate from the console. Too much or too little and she’d have to go outside and adjust the leak. By comparison, the section on cutting the hydrogen pipe was child’s play.
They had given her the option as to which operation she performed first. Kate opted for the hydrogen pipe. It was a simple operation. She had a hacksaw. They had said there was no risk of explosion as the hydrogen was not mixed with any oxygen. So even if she did make a spark, there would be no big bang. “So what else would they tell me?” she thought.
Kate was much more worried about venting the oxygen system. What if it the coupling they wanted her to loosen came apart and wouldn’t go back together? Babin’s message had said that the hydrogen pipe was at almost zero pressure since it was basically just a vent but the oxygen system was pressurized by a compressor in the hab, and it would leak easily given half a chance.
Kate went back and read the section about loosening the oxygen coupling. Babin said it would be tight, and that Kate would need a large wrench. She had gone on to describe where there was a large adjustable pipe wrench in the storage room. Kate had recognized the description of the location and looked over at the pile of tools she had rescued. The large pipe wrench was on the floor by the collection of scuba regulators she had brought up. The hacksaw was with a few other tools she had also found. So she had all the tools. Why not get on with it?
Something was bothering her. She didn’t want to go outside again. It had nothing to do with making yet another dive. The diving was easy and she’d had a lot of practice recently. She decided to put it out of her mind and reply to the messages.
She typed up a short response: “Got instructions. Understand. Have tools already. Is this going to work?”
Kate hesitated before sending the message. What was the point of asking them if it would work? They would just tell her to get on with it. She tapped the button to send the message. They never responded immediately, so she thought she’d boil some water and make some instant coffee. It wasn’t really that great, but it was all she had.
Williams handed the printed copy of the message to Subramanian. “What do you make of her question?” Williams asked him.
“It is as I feared. She does not say so but she is thinking about failure. If she doesn’t act, she still has some time before the gas mixture becomes a problem. If she acts now and things go badly, then she may not survive another day.”
“So what am I supposed to do about that?” Williams asked him.
“Perhaps I can send her a message.”
Williams couldn’t tell if Subramanian was asking a question or making a statement.
“With what in mind?” he asked.
“I will explain my understanding of her psychological state. It is not as good as a face to face conversation but it may be enough to help her understand her own fears.”
“And if that doesn’t help?”
“Then we must wait for Miss Moss to make up her own mind. I do not think she will give up. She just needs a push in the right direction.”
By the time Subramanian had sent his message, Kate was up in the reactor area armed with her hacksaw and looking at the pipework for the gas separator. Babin had confirmed that the red markings indicated the hydrogen line. She had also explained that the pipe was stainless steel and would be quite hard to cut. It needed slow actions with the saw, but with good pressure. Babin had also thought to warn Kate that the blade adjustment in the hacksaw needed to be tightened as much as possible so the blade made a good twang noise when plucked. She had explained to Kate that people commonly used hacksaw blades with too little tension and this resulted in many broken blades as the saw moved from side to side.
Kate was impressed with the level of detail in the message and was not at all insulted by Babin’s details. She would not have thought to check the blade tension.
Kate gave the blade a pluck with her finger. It seemed pretty tight to her. She placed it on the pipe in the only place she could easily reach. She gave it a slight push and it took the white paint off the pipe and revealed the shiny stainless steel underneath. “Remember to shut of the valve.” She said to herself. Babin had repeated this instruction three times. Kate thought that shutting the valve was pretty obvious. She was about to cut a pipe that led out to sea. “Duh.”