Life as we know it? he asked himself. Was that the right question to ask? Every pioneering circumstance had led to new discoveries but had also increased human suffering. With so few answers, they couldn’t know, but with so many questions, they could find out and with it achieve the most potential to fulfill that unquenchable desire to discover and explore rocky planets that were hospitable. Sort of like the human potential that could curtail the activities they contributed to maintaining a hospitable environment, Tom thought to himself.
Looking around the room, he wondered about the risks and who on the team would prove the riskiest in their plans. He couldn’t let any form of cynicism cause him doubt. He was right to think beyond nano craft concepts. He was glad his team thought so too. There was nothing in this world that had ever prohibited any civilization from escaping uninhabitable lands except for apathy, disease, and no means. But with the means, hopeful signs for meeting life on new terms meant thinking big.
Tom and his small team discussed how they would determine the number of people that could join the crew on each ship. He and his colleagues developed a list of job functions and departments that would be needed. They envisioned a large team of engineers to design and create a ship that was capable of withstanding every kind of situation from temperature to meteor showers to taking off and landing on any planet. They would need to consult with engineers and scientists about solar probes and the number of settlers required to maintain the crew. They talked about important questions about how life on the ship would be sustained. It all made him wonder if one of humankind’s greatest challenges to date would absorb the best capabilities out of the individuals who were selected to travel and lead to eventual settlements.
This elite engineering team would also be responsible for developing the fuel and the technology to fly at speeds that had never been attained before. This also meant that the crew inside the ships would have to be able to survive unbelievable speeds. It would be necessary to produce an oxygen-sustaining environment that allowed people to breathe without wearing spacesuits all the time. If one was going to live on a spaceship for years, they should be able to live a healthy everyday life that included work, recreation, and family. They also needed medical experts and scientists that could treat virtually every kind of disease as well as develop cures for these diseases. No idea was turned away or deemed impossible. Cloning of DNA materials, stem cells, and cryopreservation would all be useful, if not ultimately necessary, to achieve future settlement beyond the spaceship. Any new type of research would also be welcome if it were useful to sustain life.
This meant Tom would have to convince the best and brightest minds to join the spaceship. Once he had the main crew assembled, the ship would still need teachers, cafeteria workers, chefs, maintenance people to perform the everyday functions so that everyone could be safe as well as enjoy their time on the ship. At times it might prove difficult to live in a closed environment for such a long time. Respect would have to be shown by each individual. A mutiny would not be tolerable on a ship like this. Convincing anyone to leave Earth permanently, not knowing if the plan would succeed, would also prove to be a challenging undertaking.
There was a lot of work to do and the best and brightest needed to be found. This would be the first of many daily meetings for the next few years.
A week later, the American group met with their colleagues from around the world at the temporary offices in Aurora. All thirty-one of them were excited about the challenges ahead. Although it had only been weeks since the initial FaceTime agreement to move forward with their plans, many had already gotten started on some of the same brainstorming as the American group had. It was decided unanimously to build four huge spaceships that would carry about a thousand people each. The reason for four ships was to keep the human race alive in the event one was destroyed or unsuccessful in launching. One spaceship would be from the United States. The others would be from Russia, Australia, and Germany. All ships were to be built on a high-altitude location to avoid flooding from the oceans.
Tom was already working on a nearby location for building the American ship and for take-off. He shared the news. Everyone approved. After exploring different possible areas of the world to build and launch the other spaceships, a decision was made by a vote for the other three locations. Also, these high-altitude sites could only be approached by plane or driving up a mountain. This provided them with some safety. A commander for each ship was chosen. All four commanders had combat experience as fighter pilots and also experience in spaceship design and training. Tom had been selected to lead the American Team.
Yuri Pavlov was chosen to be the leader of the spaceship taking off from Russia. This spaceship would be taking off from the Ural Mountains. The Ural Mountains are arguably Russia’s most famous range. They reach from the Arctic Ocean in the north down some 1,300 miles to Kazakhstan in the south. However, this chain is not very tall; the highest mountain in the range, Mount Narodnaya, only reaches 6,212 feet.
Thomas Dresden was chosen to head the German spaceship, and Ian Thorpe was selected to lead the Australian spaceship. The German ship would be taking off from somewhere in the German Alps located south of Munich. These mountains were part of the famous Swiss Alps. The Australians would take off from the Australian Alps. The Australian Alps are part of what is called the Great Dividing Range in Southeast Australia, the series of mountains, hills, and highlands that runs about 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) from Northern Queensland, through New South Wales, and into the northern part of Victoria. These mountains are only about one mile high. All the teams were to cooperate with their design and research findings related to the spaceship. It was agreed that the commanders of each vessel should meet with the president or ruler of the country where they were going to build their ship. It was hoped that by 2030 the work would be completed and they could launch. However, it was not necessary for each government to support the project.
Before the meeting was finished, Yuri Pavlov, chosen to be the leader of the spaceship taking off from Russia, got up to make a toast to everyone. “My fellow comrades, I am glad we have gathered here today and developed plans to go deep into space to colonize another planet so that the human race may survive. I believe we have learned a lot about each other. We have already agreed to talk to our presidents and each of our governments to inform them about the project. I have asked President Putin for the Russian government to support the project and assume all costs related to it. He is totally in favor of doing so and is prepared to do whatever it takes to make the Russian spacecraft and trip a total success. Some of this money is not all coming from the government. Many Russian oligarchs want to contribute to the spaceship so that they can join us on the journey. They too realize that life will end on this planet and they want to be sure they can go somewhere safe to live with their families. I have agreed to their demands. I think Vladimir Putin also plans to join us on board our spaceship along with a woman of his choice. This part I do not know about.”