Home Sweet Home

I pray for one last landing
On the globe that gave me birth;
Let me rest my eyes on the fleecy skies
And the cool, green hills of earth.

Robert A. Heinlein

 

January 1, 2145

I thought I would start this blog with an excerpt from the Space Tours brochure. We lifted from Mars port a couple of hours ago and am now just settling into my cabin. Not much of a cabin really, I'll stow my stuff here and after we leave orbit most of us, yours truly too, will settle into the long nap beds and wake up a few days outside of Luna.

The lift from Mars port was a bit rough, it maxed out at a bit over two Gs. Good practice for Earth though, its one G should be easy after that lift.

 

January 2, 2145

The captain took us past Demos on the way out. I got a seat by a real port but the moon went by so fast all I saw was a flash. Later in the lounge I saw a replay on the screen. It's about what you can see from the surface with a small scope. I'll bunk in my cabin for one night then hit the long nap beds. Your fare is based a bit on how long you stay awake so the sooner one naps the more I'll have to spend on Earth.

 

March 15, 2145

Waking up from a long nap is worse than they tell you. I spent the first day in my cabin. The cabin is basically the size of the cot but they did have the foresight to have the toilet facilities available even if the bed is down. You can fold the bed in half and have a place to sit and be able to open the cabin door. The door opens in; has something to do with safety so if the ship loses pressure you can't open the door into vacuum.

 

March 16, 2145

The recovery drugs work wonders. We went past Luna today. I watched it from the lounge. Man that thing is big. I should have watched it from the window we were close enough and had the time. But the lounge screen included commentary so that was OK too.

We're going to reach Earth orbit tomorrow. Right now we're decelerating at about a tenth G but the orbit insertion will max out about two. Of course we'll get a warning and have to be in our beds Then after an orbit or two the landers will dock and we'll board them and then a rough ride of up to three Gs. I'll probably have to spend the next day in bed but after that it is three days in Texas (I hear that a lot of it is dry dirt like Mars) and on to Hawaii.

 

March 18, 2145

I'm still in bed. This gravity sucks. I weigh almost three times what I do on Mars. I could barely move yesterday but today the pills and injections are starting to work. The doctor checked my exercise schedule from the ship and simply shook his head. They should be more rigorous about making the passengers follow the routine. The hormones are bulking me up but they say that the tendons take longer to strengthen. I have a wheel chair but it has some kind of limiter on it so I can only use it for a short time then I have to walk. Only plus is that I have to eat a lot. I'll probably gain ten kilos of muscle during my stay.

 

March 20, 2145

I'm on the hypersonic to Hawaii, Kauai in particular. It is said to be as different from Mars as one can get. Green lush tropical island surrounded by the largest ocean on Earth. In a few minutes we'll hit the weightless part of the flight. That is one reason I took this instead of a regular airplane. I can hobble along now with what they call a walker. It is sort of an open frame like four canes linked together. You push it in front of you and shuffle to it then move it again.

I should mention there was a change of plans. We landed in Peru instead of Texas. Something about a hurricane coming ashore. I would have liked to see that, Sheets of water falling from the sky. And water that is drinkable. Not to mention winds strong enough to knock you over. Hawaii is supposed to get a lot of rain. In any case the high desert of Peru is as similar to Mars as I'm going to find on this planet. BFD, I came here to see different things.

 

March 21, 2145

We landed on one island and had to take a small plane to Kauai. There is only one field on all these islands that can land a hypersonic. This place is green. Imagine painting all the walls in your home green then dabbing on spots of color because there are these things called flowers. And the water. We flew over water for over an hour.

This air is terrible. It's so thick I almost have to force it into my lungs and the humidity makes it seem as if I'm breathing the water. On the plus side I'm getting used to the gravity. I can walk short distances without the walker but still need a cane.

March 22, 2145

I think I'm keeping the pain drug companies solvent just by myself. This morning I stumbled out to the beach. It's hard to use a walker or cane on the sand. The hotel had some young guy about twice my width help me to a lounge chair. After resting there for an hour I stumbled into the ocean. When they say salt water they mean it. I took a big gulp and spent the next ten minutes spitting it up. The water is great if you don't drink it. It is as close to weightlessness as one can get on Earth. I love it.

I spent all day out on the beach and in and out of the water. My skin is a bright red and I'm told a lot of it might peel off in the next day or two. I thought that hotel guy was offering me sun lotion to help me tan not to protect me from the sun. Plus my feet and back ache so much that I can barely think.

What I do think is that humans didn't evolve on Earth. How can we come from here. The sun peels your skin off, the gravity ca break you bones if you fall and the major supply of water is undrinkable. I'm thinking that humans were planted here by some aliens.

 

March 24, 2145

I took yesterday off to lie in an autodoc and have it heal my skin and strengthen my muscles and bones. It cost a bit but it was worth it. Today I took a jungle tour. More evidence that humans don't belong on this planet. First they gave us bug spray. After the sun incident I sprayed it on liberally. It doesn't work. The bugs land on you anyway and get this – they suck your blood. Not only that they can give you diseases.

After the autodoc treatment yesterday I can walk for short distances with no problem. There was some free time in the tour so I took a walk. There were some scrap vehicles in a field so I went through the gate to take a look. Two huge dogs came at me. I mean huge, these were taller than my knees. They must have massed fifty kilos each. The biggest dog on Mars might reach ten. No way I could outrun them so I stood there frozen until their owner called them off.

 

March 25, 2145

I'm on the hyper back to the spaceport. I'm not spending any more time or money on this planet. I've only got a day to make it to the ship before the planets get misaligned and the trip cost soars.

 

March 26, 2145

Made it. I'm in the lounge with the passengers who just disembarked from the arriving Mars ship. I talked to an asteroid miner. He was sure the gravity would be no problem since he "spent many minutes boosting at two plus Gs." Normally they take a few days to check out the ship but the longer they wait to depart the more fuel they have to use.

I'm in my cabin. I'll take the long nap as soon as I can. I've already seen Luna. When I first got here I thought it would be fun to play spy and scout Earth for an invasion from Mars. Now I can't imagine why anyone on Mars would want to come here. I should have played how to spot signs of Earth preparing to invade Mars.

They've called my name. I'll spend the next month and a half napping and the next sight I see will be the red desert of Mars.

I pray for one last landing
On that ruby among the stars;
Let me rest my eyes on the airless skies
And the cold dry hills of Mars.