margin for extending our stay.”
Lieutenant Anderson looked a little uncertain as he leaned forward, “No sir, that’s not correct. Our inventory reports that the supplies lost in the damaged section include a good portion of the foodstuffs. I estimate roughly two months at full rations.”
Nolen was undaunted, “Captain, we can try the return at a slower pace, maybe we’ll get through. Better yet, send back one of the Hunter Recon scoutships. They have limited Gravitonic Drive capability, enough to get them through the Red Spot. They could bring back help.”
The Captain turned to look at Dr. Thompson, “Your thoughts, Doctor? Why don’t you believe that another transit would not simply return us home?”
Dr. Thompson sat back in his chair for a moment before answering, “Captain, we may not be able to get back to our own timeframe at all.
“Dr. Nolen and I agree that the source of this gravitational vortex was within that thin string of vapor that we approached at the center of the Spot. That vapor trail is the visible artifact of a phenomenon that theoretical physicists call a cosmic string. No one has actually ever seen one until now. In fact, this one is unique, for what we encountered is a cosmic string with one end trapped within the very center of the planet. The tunnel we entered, the thing we call Jupiter’s Red Spot, results from forces anchoring the string to the planet’s core causing it to spin.
“According to theory, a cosmic string is a one dimensional object that is about the thickness of a proton. A proton is one of the smaller sub-atomic particles that combine to make up each atom, so the string’s cross section is extremely small. However, even though a cosmic string is extremely thin it has immense density exceeding that of most black holes. One of these strings, only a half-mile in length, would be more massive than the entire Earth.
“The Red Spot is an artifact of the string resulting from its entrapment in Jupiter’s atmosphere. When the Argos passed through the event horizon that delineates the edge of the Spot, we entered a realm of time and space where the normal relationships of classical physics yield to the quantum gravitational physics of string theory. A warped segment of the universe that moved us in both time and space as we approached its center; physicists call this a Tipler Cylinder.
“Unfortunately, this point marks the limit of our agreement. I believe that duplicating our passage most likely will send us further back in time. I don’t know how to move forward.”
The captain sat for a moment and considered his options, The lives of these people are my responsibility. The planet below, in spite of the current inhabitants, looks inviting compared to the intense forces inside Jupiter. Maybe, a bit more time given to Dr. Thompson to model the Red Spot will result in an answer. Yes, a bit more time to fix the damage on the ship and perhaps understand the concept of this natural time-travel machine.
“Dr. Nolen, I feel that I can’t take the chance of an immediate return. The Argos will not be able to stand the strain and the demands of that passage would go way beyond the design limits of the Hunter. Our best course of action is to perform repairs on the planet below. I assume you agree with me, Colonel, since the ultimate responsibility for this expedition lies in your hands.”
The Colonel looked up, “Not while we’re on this ship, Captain. I continue to defer to your judgment for now. One thing though, we lost most of our automated security systems when the shuttle was destroyed. Based on everything I’ve heard about dinosaurs, we’ll have to be very careful in our selection of a landing zone. A good defensible position should be paramount in our planning.”
The Captain turned toward Dr. Shieve, “We’ll need raw materials. If we provide a list, can you suggest a few locations where they would be most abundant in this world?”
“I have records
Lieutenant Anderson looked a little uncertain as he leaned forward, “No sir, that’s not correct. Our inventory reports that the supplies lost in the damaged section include a good portion of the foodstuffs. I estimate roughly two months at full rations.”
Nolen was undaunted, “Captain, we can try the return at a slower pace, maybe we’ll get through. Better yet, send back one of the Hunter Recon scoutships. They have limited Gravitonic Drive capability, enough to get them through the Red Spot. They could bring back help.”
The Captain turned to look at Dr. Thompson, “Your thoughts, Doctor? Why don’t you believe that another transit would not simply return us home?”
Dr. Thompson sat back in his chair for a moment before answering, “Captain, we may not be able to get back to our own timeframe at all.
“Dr. Nolen and I agree that the source of this gravitational vortex was within that thin string of vapor that we approached at the center of the Spot. That vapor trail is the visible artifact of a phenomenon that theoretical physicists call a cosmic string. No one has actually ever seen one until now. In fact, this one is unique, for what we encountered is a cosmic string with one end trapped within the very center of the planet. The tunnel we entered, the thing we call Jupiter’s Red Spot, results from forces anchoring the string to the planet’s core causing it to spin.
“According to theory, a cosmic string is a one dimensional object that is about the thickness of a proton. A proton is one of the smaller sub-atomic particles that combine to make up each atom, so the string’s cross section is extremely small. However, even though a cosmic string is extremely thin it has immense density exceeding that of most black holes. One of these strings, only a half-mile in length, would be more massive than the entire Earth.
“The Red Spot is an artifact of the string resulting from its entrapment in Jupiter’s atmosphere. When the Argos passed through the event horizon that delineates the edge of the Spot, we entered a realm of time and space where the normal relationships of classical physics yield to the quantum gravitational physics of string theory. A warped segment of the universe that moved us in both time and space as we approached its center; physicists call this a Tipler Cylinder.
“Unfortunately, this point marks the limit of our agreement. I believe that duplicating our passage most likely will send us further back in time. I don’t know how to move forward.”
The captain sat for a moment and considered his options, The lives of these people are my responsibility. The planet below, in spite of the current inhabitants, looks inviting compared to the intense forces inside Jupiter. Maybe, a bit more time given to Dr. Thompson to model the Red Spot will result in an answer. Yes, a bit more time to fix the damage on the ship and perhaps understand the concept of this natural time-travel machine.
“Dr. Nolen, I feel that I can’t take the chance of an immediate return. The Argos will not be able to stand the strain and the demands of that passage would go way beyond the design limits of the Hunter. Our best course of action is to perform repairs on the planet below. I assume you agree with me, Colonel, since the ultimate responsibility for this expedition lies in your hands.”
The Colonel looked up, “Not while we’re on this ship, Captain. I continue to defer to your judgment for now. One thing though, we lost most of our automated security systems when the shuttle was destroyed. Based on everything I’ve heard about dinosaurs, we’ll have to be very careful in our selection of a landing zone. A good defensible position should be paramount in our planning.”
The Captain turned toward Dr. Shieve, “We’ll need raw materials. If we provide a list, can you suggest a few locations where they would be most abundant in this world?”
“I have records
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