The U.N. Commission was happy with the energized progress that was now being made on The Visitor's ship. They decided it was time to approach The Visitor about the trade agreement. Everyone in the energy world was extraordinarily interested in the proposed energy source that The Visitor had agreed to share. When the commission directly brought the issue to The Visitor, they were told that as soon as a protocol for distributing the supporting technology was in place, ensuring world wide participation, the knowledge would be distributed. Initial technological requirements were released in order for the protocol to be established. Major effort was expended so that even the poorest countries would be able to participate.
When the protocols were presented, The Visitor asked only for minor changes. The theoretical concepts were then provided. The concept was remarkably simple. A tuned ultrasonic beam created microscopic bubbles in a solution that would collapse, generating pressure and heat as intense as the conditions on the Sun. This is the environment required for fusion. Molecules of heavy water with an atom of deuterium were locked inside carbon fullerenes. These complex geodesic carbon molecules, which are commonly called "Bucky Balls"in honor of Buckminister Fuller, acted as both volume controlling mechanisms and bubble initiators. The deuterium molecules were held in close approximation by the chemical bonds in the water molecules. The hollow sphere of the "Bucky Balls" controlled the bubble size that occurred when the suspension was subjected to ultrasonic energy. The bubbles that formed would collapse almost instantly, generating pressures and temperatures sufficient for fusion to occur. The fusion of the deuterium occurred releasing macroscopic quantities of nuclear energy into the suspension. The rate of the reaction was controlled by the ultrasonic frequency and intensity, and the concentration of "Bucky Balls." The reaction produced controlled amounts of fusion energy which produced clean heat which could then be used for standard energy production.
The "Bucky Balls" were a chemical phenomenon which had been studied back in the 1980s when the first complex geometric carbon chains were formed by using a high intensity arc and pure carbon. The sixty atom molecules allowed for inclusion of other molecules in their hollow center, and were amazingly stable because of the angulation of the carbon bonds. The research labs scrambled for a supply of these unusual molecules. Most chemistry departments had small quantities which were kept as interesting examples of molecular bonding with minimal commercial purpose. These limited quantities became very sought after and valuable. The Nuclear Labs had been collecting deuterium in expectation of its role in the proposed energy solution from The Visitor. The inclusion of the heavy water molecules into the "Bucky Balls" was more complex. It took the research community several days of around the clock work to develop a catalyst which could temporarily crack the carbon bonds in the "Bucky Balls" which allowed infiltration of the heavy water molecules which were then trapped when the temporary crack closed. Separation of the filled and unfilled "Bucky Balls" was accomplished with an ultra centrifuge. The first positive result was reported less than 100 hours after the information was received from The Visitor. Some labs rushed the process and used more ultrasonic energy than needed and the results were occasionally explosive when the water was superheated. Positive energy release was obtainable by everyone following the protocols as presented. The energy infrastructure began to change and the hope for clean energy appeared to have been realized. The almost unlimited supply of deuterium was available to everyone who could develop separation capabilities. The agreement with The Visitor required the U.N. to assist all nations in developing this capability. The remaining infrastructure of generators and transmission lines would require longer developing than the actual energy source.
Mike followed the development of "cool fusion" with interest, but only as a peripheral interest. When his engineering teams wanted to develop a fusion energy source, Mike said absolutely not, only existing equipment and technology would be considered. The time constraints made the development of new technology unrealistic. Standard solar panels and nuclear reactors would provide the necessary energy. Further development could occur while the ship was in transit. Mike continuously focused the engineering teams on the task at hand. Progress was occurring at a more acceptable rate, but as Mike became more aware of the engineering obstacles in completing the project, he felt less sure of himself. The docking unit was in the final stages of development and he forced himself and his teams to concentrate on this critical first phase.
The international space agencies were providing available materials and were expediting the launch of mission necessary materials and supplies. The spent fuel tank had been boosted to proper orbit and was slowly approaching the comet which would become Earth's first interstellar space vehicle. The tank was placed along the axis of rotation of the ship and The Visitor's drone began the task of cutting off one end of the tank. Small propulsive units were placed along the circumference of the tank. The drone then began to heat the open end of the tank and the propulsive units provided both the rotatory force and the penetrating force. The heat provided by the drone allowed the tank to be gradually screwed into the comet. When one third of the tank had been buried, the drone stopped the heating process and the water refroze, permanently attaching the metallic tank to the comet. The temporary docking platform was attached and in short order, the emergency habitat module was in place. Human participation in the construction process was now increasing.
The drone completed the core boring on the habitat section and began boring the propulsive section. The nuclear heating units were now placed and a series of micro explosions was utilized to create the 2 kilometer chamber. The chamber had a significant flattening on the outer surface because the spinning motion produced a centrifugal force causing a collection of the water vapor to freeze on the outer surface. This created a modified dome. An access tunnel was then created connecting the docking station and the central core. Astronauts and space workers began the arduous task of spraying the entire inside surface with a saline solution. This electrolyte solution created a conductive surface which would allow for metallic ionization plating of the inner surface. Following the completion and testing of the electrical conductivity the metallic asteroid was positioned at the opening of the dome and an ionizing charge was used to vaporize sequential portions of the asteroid. The metallic ions were attracted to the electrical charge on the surface of the dome and connecting cores. A metallic plating gradually built up. The electrical charge was varied across the surface in order to obtain a uniform buildup of the metallic surface. Sample surfaces were created and subjected to stress testing. A 20cm thick shell was required to meet the stress requirements that The Visitor had produced. The metallic alloy was mostly iron with varying amounts of other minerals. The resulting shell had reasonable malleability and excellent compression strength. The connecting channels and the central core were one continuous structure. The core seal and docking platform were now attached to the central core using one of The Visitor's drones to perform the welding.
The propulsion chamber was created and plated in a similar fashion. The engineering requirements included multiple cooling channels which maintained the frigid temperatures required for the superconductors which were being used to create the magnetic bottle. The force of this bottle contained the miniature nuclear explosions which would act as the initial propulsive force for the ship. Several slightly angled exhaust ports were created which allowed directional thrust and control of the ship. Small side thrusters were designed to act as stabilizers and were conventional rocket engines adapted to permanently attach to the ship using buried metallic pillars. The world's nuclear arsenal was to be the initial fuel supply for the ship. The nuclear reprocessing unit would be entirely automated and miniature explosives would be created. These small explosions would provide a pulsating acceleration curve. The immense mass of the ship would dampen much of the pulsation. Control of the energy would be somewh
at limited and the efficiency would be relatively poor because only the mass of the explosion itself would be acting as the accelerating agent. The permanent drive would be based on a continuous flow of "Bucky Balls" into the engine compartment and the superheated water would act as a rocket mass propelling the ship at a final speed of .5 light speed. The steady state nuclear fusion required technology which was not yet available on Earth but would be manufactured during the first part of the journey. The new engine was to be completed prior to the exhaustion of the nuclear weapons.
The asteroid had lost the majority of its mass to the plating process. The residual material was anchored to the center of the drive cluster. It would provide for the metallic materials that would be needed for construction and repairs during the journey. It would be released on a long tether after the ship had reached final velocity. This would in effect elongate the ship so that centrifugal force could be used to simulate the acceleration of gravity during the long flight. When the ship was converted from the acceleration phase to the transit phase, the habitation structures would have to be rebuilt on the flattened end of the dome. The initial ground would become the sky. The larger flattened section would provide for much more space with actual individual living quarters grouped into apartment type structures. Garden areas would be established. At the end of the journey the reverse process would be required.