Calypso

Jake Longdown was a mild mannered scientist who worked for Caltech at the Mount Palomar observatory just outside of San Diego in California. He was one of a team of eleven fellow scientists who manned the huge two hundred inch telescope, the largest in the world. Jake and his fellow scientists manned the scope twenty four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year. Even when the sky was overcast and even during daylight hours they were able to look out into deep space with the aid of various radio transmitters and receivers. The observatory regularly passed on information to NASA and pertinent information was in turn passed to the International Space Station in a fixed orbit nearly two hundred and fifty miles above the Earth. Most shifts were routine and the teams spent their time plotting planetary and star movements and tracking the progress of the many artificial satellites and space probes launched not only by NASA but by foreign countries as well. The centre was truly international with scientists from many countries involved in the ongoing research that the centre carried out.

One evening in mid-2014 Jake was idly scanning the heavens with the huge scope when his eyes picked out a strange item showing on the viewer. He had searched this sector of sky many times over the past thirty years since he joined the permanent staff and now well into his fifties, he thought at first his eyes were playing tricks with him or that there was a speck of dust or some other foreign body on the reflecting lens. He removed his glasses and polished them carefully before replacing them and looking again at the viewer. The strange object was still there. His next step was to pick up his desk phone and call the maintenance crews and ask them to go and inspect the lens and to remove anything like dirt or dead insects or even a dead bird from the surface of the refractor. He knew this would take the maintenance crew some time to accomplish so as per the laid down safety procedure, he shut the power down to the telescope and took it out of service temporarily. This action was automatically flagged to all the other scientists regardless of which scope they were currently using so everyone knew that the big scope was down for a short period. To check the condition and cleanliness of the lens, the maintenance crew would need first of all to climb the framework of girders surrounding the dome and then actually go out onto the polished glass surface of the parabolic mirror to check its condition. It was for this reason that he had shut down the power as the radiation and static electricity coming off the surface could do the maintenance crew serious harm. The face of the lens was well over a hundred and fifty feet above the ground and was slippery even in dry conditions. Under normal circumstances, cleaning was carried out on a daily basis by means of a laser sweeper which kept the lens clean and free of debris and also served to prevent rain drops adhering to the glass so venturing out onto the surface was quite rare and was only undertaken if the laser sweeper failed to remove a stubborn object. Jake expected the scope to be down and off line for about half an hour but knew the crew would notify him when their work was complete so he could power the scope back up. Making the most of the down time, Jake got up from his desk station and went to make himself a cup of coffee on the floor below. Down in the small canteen room there were several other scientists also taking a break and they looked up in surprise when Jake entered the room. A fellow scientist who was currently working with the much smaller forty eight inch close range scope, glanced up and enquired what was wrong as he knew that Jake would not normally leave his work station mid shift.

“Good evening Jake, what brings you down here mid shift”?

“Good evening to you to Caleb, special clean on the Hale scope. I found something on the viewer that shouldn`t be there so I`ve shut down and got maintenance to check it out”.

“What is it, a dead bird or something? The crews did their regular clean about half an hour before you came on shift a few hours ago”.

“I don`t know. I`ve checked that sector of sky probably thousands of times over the years, the most recent being last week and it`s always been empty. The scope in that sector is pointing towards the Andromeda galaxy and everything has always looked pretty much the same apart from a star flare a few years back. As you say probably a bird or something so nothing to get excited about, pity really we could do with something to brighten things up a bit”.

Jake and Caleb were sitting in the easy chairs in the canteen enjoying their coffee, when the door opened and the maintenance supervisor popped his head round the door.

“Mr Longdown, the scope is clear, there are no foreign bodies on the mirror or lens, so you can power back up whenever you`re ready”.

“Thanks Frank, I`d better go and get her up and running again”.

Jake finished his coffee and then went back upstairs to his work station followed by Caleb Coles as he still had a bit of break time left as he was also curious to find out if the strange object was still visible. Jake slipped into his seat and pressed a couple of buttons to restore the power and there was a whir as the motors kicked in and moved the scope back to its last position. When he had shut the power down, the huge scope had automatically reverted to its rest position as this made the lens and mirror flat and horizontal so the crews could walk on it if they needed to as normally while in use the lens and mirror were at an angle depending on what was being viewed at the time which would make standing on the lens practically impossible, let alone trying to walk on it.

After a few moments a green light lit up signifying that the scope was back in its last used position. Jake looked closely at the viewer and drew Caleb`s attention to the strange object that was still in its last seen position.

“There we go, my eyes weren`t deceiving me after all. What do you make of this”?

Caleb pulled up a spare chair and sat down next to Jake as he studied the viewer. He studied the viewer for several minutes before speaking.

“When did you first notice this”?

“I haven`t looked at this sector for over a week and it`s always been clear until earlier when I asked for a special clean. I think it looks a fair size, certainly as big as an asteroid but its way outside the asteroid belt as we know it. The scope is pointing towards Andromeda so it puts our mystery object at around two light years away”.

“Can you get a rough guide on the size with this scope”?

“Yes, I`ll get some measuring gauges and estimate a size, shouldn`t take long, then we`ll know what we`re looking at”.

Jake opened a drawer under his desk and extracted a slide rule and a set of laminated charts. He set the slide rule up for the appropriate scale and then laid it on the viewer before adjusting it to the correct spacing. He read the numbers on the rule and jotted them down a scrap of paper before referring to the charts. After a few minutes he sat back looking puzzled.

“According to my calculations the object is around four hundred miles in diameter so easily as big as an asteroid. If this thing has appeared on the viewer over the course of a week it must be travelling at close to the speed of light. I`ll feed the information I have into the mainframe computer and I`ll attempt to plot its course and direction and that`ll probably take a few hours so I`ll let you know when I have something definite”.

“That sounds sensible, but I think we ought to get Constance in on this as well so she`s in the loop”.

“Good point, I`ll feed the information and then I`ll go and tell her”.

Jake got up and crossed the room to the large bank of computer equipment on the far wall. Referring to his hand written figures he accessed the appropriate program on the mainframe and entered the rather limited information he had and requested the computer to plot a course and direction and also if possible an accurate velocity measurement. This done he headed down stairs to ground level where the director of the observatory had her office. Her door was halfway along the main corridor and had a nameplate fixed to the polished wood which said `Constance McKinley, Director`. He tapped lightly on the door and a female voice bade him enter. He opened the door and entered the large well-appointed office. A middle aged woman with auburn hair tied back in a bun and wearing a smart two piece dark blue suit was sitting behind a large oak desk and she looked up from the papers she was working on.

“Come in Jake, take a seat and I`ll be with you in a moment, I`ve just got to finish this”.

A few minutes went by with Jake sitting patiently before Constance laid her pen down and pushed the pile of papers to one side of the desk.

“Sorry about that, how can I help”?

“I`m not sure if I`m being alarmist or anything but I was using the Hale scope pointing towards Andromeda and I noticed a strange object. I thought it might have been a dead bird or something on the lens so I requested a special clean. The crew completed that and said the lens was clear. I had Caleb Coles with me and the object is still showing and we both thought you should know about it. I`ve taken some basic measurements and it seems to be around four hundred miles in diameter which is easily as big as an asteroid in the normal asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. I last looked at that sector of sky a week ago and it wasn`t there then so I estimate that it`s travelling at around the speed of light. I`ve inputted all the details I have into the mainframe and I`m just waiting on the results, I`ve asked it to compute a course and direction and also to give me an accurate velocity. I don`t know if it`s anything we need to worry about so that`s why I`m here”.

“Thanks Jake, I`m glad you`ve put me in the loop me in on this. Let`s go back upstairs so I can have a look at what you`ve discovered. As you say it may be nothing to worry about but we do need to make sure, as much for our own peace of mind as anything else”.

Constance rose from her seat and leaving the office she led the way back upstairs to the Hale scope room. As they entered the room, the mainframe beeped and ejected a scroll of paper.

“That was quicker than I thought”, Jake remarked, as he tore the print-out from the machine.

“This is what I`ve found, take a seat so you can see better and I`ll read out what the machine has come up with”.

Constance sat down on the spare chair recently occupied by Caleb and looked closely at the viewer.

“This is the object here”, Jake explained as he pointed to a small dot on the viewer.

Constance leant in closer and studied the dot.

“The readout is quite comprehensive considering the amount of information I was able to input. It confirms the size at three hundred and eighty eight miles in diameter and confirms the velocity as the speed of light which is way faster than any asteroid that we know of. The computer says at its present course the object is headed directly towards Earth and has gone so far as to predict a likely impact in the Sahara desert, in a shade under-two years. Obviously with an object this size, it won`t simply burn away one entering the atmosphere so if the computer is accurate in its predictions and assuming the object remains on its present course a collision is a distinct possibility”.

Thanks Jake, this is going to need careful monitoring and I think I`ll have to inform General Lewis at NASA so that he can decide what to do. This is way above my level of action so he`s the best bet as, as the head of NASA he has contact with all the government high-ups including the President if he thinks this warrants it. I`ll get onto General Lewis when I go back downstairs. In the meantime keep the scope locked on the object and bring the mainframe on line to provide up to the minute tracking information. I expect General Lewis will want to come over from DC to see this for himself so he could be here in a day or so. I`ll let you know what he says”.

When Constance returned to her office she reached for her phone with a worried expression on her face and dialled a number in DC from memory, knowing it would be early evening in Washington so hopefully General Lewis would still be at his desk in NASA headquarters. The phone was answered on the third ring by a young sounding female.

“Good evening, this is Professor McKinley, director of the Mount Palomar Observatory in San Diego, could you put me through to General Lewis please”.

“I`m afraid the General has already left for the day. Can I take a message and ask him to call you when he comes in tomorrow”?

“No, I need to speak to him urgently on a matter of national security so could you put me through to his private line please, I`ll hold”.

Constance smiled to herself knowing that the magic words `National Security` were sure to get a response and that the clerk would transfer the call.

Several minutes passed with soft music playing before the line clicked and a man`s voice came on the line.

“Constance, to what do I owe this pleasure. I guess it must be important with you saying it was a matter of national security. I presume you`re not just inviting me out to dinner”!

“You`ve got that right, how are you? Sorry to disturb your time away from the centre but this can`t really wait. One of my scientists was using our big Hale scope earlier this evening and he found an object that wasn`t there a week ago. He went through all the usual routines including a special clean but the object is still showing on the viewer. He`s run a computer scan on the information he was able to input and the results are rather alarming. The object is larger than most asteroids at just under four hundred miles in diameter and is travelling at the speed of light, currently two light years away. The computer was able to confirm that the object is apparently on a collision course with Earth with a predicted impact in the Sahara desert. As you`re well aware an object that size won`t simply burn up as it enters the Earth`s atmosphere so the computer is right in assuming that a collision is likely. I know this is way above my level of responsibility so hence my call”.

“Thanks for contacting me direct, and as you say way above your level of responsibility. In answer to your question I`m fine although my wife Eddie isn`t too well currently, the cancer has come back so it’s a bit of a worrying time for us. I hope you and James are keeping well, it seems ages since we all met up but I have a feeling that is about to change. You did right by calling me and I`ll need to come over to California to see this for myself before I refer it higher up the ladder. I think I`ll have to act on this sooner rather than later so I could catch a flight from Andrews Air base tomorrow morning and be with you sometime in the morning allowing for the time difference, direct to Edwards and then transfer to a helo for the leg up to your place”.

“That sounds good, dinner is on me and James tomorrow then as I presume you`ll stay overnight. We`ve still got Emma`s old room you can use. Will Eddie be okay alone overnight or is she fit enough to travel with you”?

“Can`t bring Eddie, she`s in hospital for a few days undergoing more chemo so she`ll be well cared for. I`ll see you sometime after lunch tomorrow. If I can organise a flight for early morning it`s a four and three quarter hour trip to San Diego International then a further half hour or so in a helo to your place. I`ll phone Andrews in a minute and sort out my ride”.

General Lewis ended his phone call and then promptly called the base commander of Andrews Air Base which was only a few miles away across town and explained that he needed to travel to San Diego the following morning and asked the commander, a Colonel in the Air Force, to sort him out some transport. The commander knew that if General Lewis said he needed official transport on NASA business then it was his job to make sure that happened. He quickly looked through the list of aircraft he had available and decided he could use one of NASA`s own fleet which were based on his base. He selected a Dassault Falcon 50 from the available fleet, knowing that it had the range to do the trip to San Diego without the need to refuel and that it had the capacity to accommodate extra passengers if the General choose to take anybody else with him on the trip. He called the pilot`s duty room and organised a crew and told them to be ready to fly at seven thirty the next morning. General Lewis had stated that he wanted to be airborne by eight at the latest so this worked out well, as it was flight of just under five hours to San Diego. He next called the officer in charge of Edwards base in San Diego and arranged for a helicopter to convey the General the 60 miles to Mount Palomar. This done he called the general back and advised him of the times and what transport he had arranged. General Lewis was pleased with the arrangements and said he was glad he had the extra seats available as he would probably take a couple of his senior staff with him and said that he and his colleagues would be at Andrews by seven the next morning. The General next telephoned two of his senior scientists and told them the plan and requested that they be at Andrews for seven in the morning. He didn`t go into much detail over the unsecured phone line, just saying that there was something that needed investigation in California, not even mentioning Mount Palomar by name. His final call was to Constance to confirm the travel arrangements. He told her he was bringing two senior colleagues with him and Constance said she would sort out a hotel for the two other men overnight but that the general was still welcome to stay at her house as previously discussed.