Bob Jackson said, “All right. I think I may have found the problem. We have eight rockets spread out around the main spacecraft. It takes a lot longer for the fuel to reach the rockets farthest from the injection point. As a result, the speed we are loading the fuel at is too slow to reach the rocket farthest from where we start to inject the fuel. The farthest rockets will have little fuel while the rockets nearest to the injection point could have too much. Does anyone else agree or disagree with me?”
Everyone thought for a moment.
Then, Dorothy spoke, “I believe what you are saying is correct. The question is: how will we get an equal amount of fuel to all eight rockets at the same time?”
Everyone concurred with her statement, nodding their heads.
“I am open to any and all suggestions, so please do not be afraid to speak up. I have a lot of confidence in this group.”
Major Johns said, “Right now, we have only one fuel line that injects the fuel. We may be able to add a few more lines at a certain point where we can separate the flow so that each rocket will receive the right amount.”
“How long would that take to build these extra lines and connect them to the control system?” Tom asked.
“Probably a month or so if we all worked twenty-four hours a day.”
Bob said, “We cannot do that. We do not have enough time for that. If we cannot figure out a faster way to solve this, then we would do that as a last resort, but we do not know what the situation on Earth will be in a month. Are there any other possibilities?”
Suddenly, Grissom spoke up. “Hi everyone, my name is Grissom. My daughter,
Janet, will be a passenger on the spaceship. She is a great kid, and I hope you all get to meet her. I was one of the first people to work on building this spaceship until my wife died of cancer, and now, I am also sick with a brain tumor. I am not asking for anyone’s sympathy. However, I have been studying your instrument readings and trying to figure out how to speed up the flow of plasma to each rocket on an even basis. I have another solution for you to consider. To inject the fuel, I assume you are using magnets to draw the fuel into the system. Perhaps if we vary the strength of each magnet depending on the location of each rocket, we could make the flow more even. You would have to do some math to figure out how strong a magnet you want at each position, but this might work. You would not have to rebuild anything.”
“Thank you for your suggestion. Does anyone have any comments on what Grissom just said?”
There was another moment of silence.
“I think this may work,” said Dorothy. “What a fantastic idea, Grissom.”
Tom asked Major Johns how long it would take to install the magnets or change their strength in various locations.
“As soon as we calculate the fuel flow based on the strength of each magnet, which I know Dorothy and Carson and their team can do, we can adjust the fuel injection system.”
“It should not take longer than a day, sir,” said Carson. “We will probably use some kind of inverse proportion formula, which should keep it simple.”
“Does everyone agree with this? If you have another suggestion, now is the time to say it.”
Everyone was silent.
“Well done, Grissom. Why don’t you help Dorothy and Carson with the calculations so that the major and his men can adjust the magnets. That was a real team effort.”
All the people in the room stood up and clapped for Grissom and slapped his back, congratulating him for his idea, all giving each other high-fives. Grissom went with Dorothy and Carson to do the math. Tom made an announcement to the ship that they would probably delay the launch by only twenty-four hours. He also contacted the other spacecraft, giving them directions and tasking them to see if there was any other way to fix the system.
Two hours later, Dorothy, Carson, and Grissom gave the data to fix the magnets to Tom. Tom thought they would be thrilled, but all three of them looked like a bomb had hit them.
“Thanks for the data, Dorothy. You should be looking thrilled. What is the problem now?”
“The data is fine and is correct. However, to ensure the flow is even, we still need someone who can stand there and adjust the flow, controlling the flow with a lever as necessary. This person will not burn up, but the exhaust from all the gas would overwhelm them. They would die within a few days. This person will not be on the flight.”
“Is there any way to prevent this from happening? What if we put the person in a spacesuit?”
“The spacesuit might help prevent some of the fumes from getting through. This will allow the person to live a few more days, but we are talking about some of the strongest gasses ever made. This person is definitely going to breathe it into their lungs. Whoever does this is going to die days after the launch.”
“What kind of death are we talking about? Please explain.”
“We spoke to Dr. Sato about the effects to expect after the launch is complete and if there was a treatment. Dr. Sato said even a small amount of this fuel would prove deadly. There is no treatment for something like this. The only thing that can be done is to provide morphine or other pain medicine until they pass away. This person will be standing there for thirty minutes maybe. By the time the launch is complete, this person will have a difficult time breathing, and he/she will also feel burning sensations all over their body. It will feel like you are on fire. He or she is definitely going to die a horrible death.”
“In that case, we will try to find another way. If we have to stay for six months, then we stay. I cannot possibly ask a person to volunteer for such a great sacrifice knowing such a horrible death awaits. It would not be fair to anyone.” Tom thought of his father’s painful last years. “I will let the team and the other spaceships know that we will just have to postpone our launches and look for another solution.”
Dorothy, Carson and Major Johns all looked crestfallen over another postponement.
“I am so sorry. Carson and I share the blame. We should have done a better job in our analysis before any of this happened,” said Dorothy.
After a moment, Grissom spoke up. “Tom, I have known you a long time, and I know you could not ask anyone to die this way. However, there does not appear to be any other solution. Each day you postpone the launch means there is a possibility you will never launch. Therefore, I am volunteering to adjust the flow of fuel for you. It is the only way.”
Dorothy, Carson and the others standing there went into shock and put their hands over their faces.
“Grissom, thanks for volunteering, but I cannot do that to you. I have known you for a long time. What will I tell Janet: that I sent you to your death? I cannot do it. We need to find a different way. There has to be something we can do without such a sacrifice.”
“There is no other way, and you know that is the truth. You are not sending me to my death. First of all, I am going to be dead within six months anyway. My end has been slated, once I got this brain tumor. I am already experiencing some pain due to my cancer. Please do not tell Janet until some time has passed after the launch. I want to see this rocket go into space.
“I am willing to suffer the consequences of my doing this so that Janet and the rest of you can go on your mission. If you don’t go, you could be sending all the people on this ship to their deaths. Promise me you will find a new home and that Janet will be happy as long as she lives. That will make my sacrifice worth it. I will die knowing I did something to save humanity. The only other thing I ask is that the major and his soldiers bury me next to my beloved wife. Please let me do this.”