A TV programme is started, called ‘Life on Mars’, which generates the funding to send the first humans to settle on Mars. Mariada de Villiers, a South African physicist, is chosen for the first group to leave on this one-way trip.
While the settlement on Mars is developed, a break-through is made on Earth into faster space travel, and her group is replaced and they return to Earth after four years.
Alexander Zhivago is a marine biologist based at Plettenberg Bay on the southern coast of Africa. He has done extensive research into the languages and communication of dolphins and whales.
Breakthroughs are made internationally as cetacean languages are decoded and understood, and humans begin to communicate meaningfully with these ancient and wise beings.
Humans overcome the barriers of travelling to deep space and other solar systems at a most opportune time, as it appears that life on Earth is increasingly tenuous and threatened.
A habitable planet, similar to Earth and called Earth 2, is found, while travelling to it in a few months becomes possible.
Once again, Mariada is chosen for the first group to settle there, and so is Alexander. Their friendship is finally able to grow much deeper. At the same time, they discover that the local dolphins have deep connections in space and time, and have very important messages to share.
MESSAGES FROM THE DEEP
THEO. MARAIS
COPYRIGHT © 2016 by THEO. MARAIS
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ISBN 978-0-620-71303-0 (e-book)
Special thanks to:
Marie-Anna, my wife, supporter and adviser.
Adriana, our daughter, who inspired and helped with a big part of the idea, and on whom a central character is partly based.
Alejandra Vargas-Fonseca, cetacean researcher, who is in at the deep end.
Elaine Finkelstein, psychologist, for information on near death experiences.
Manou Marais, my niece, for the cover design.
CONTENTS
PART 1. GOING OUT - MARS (2024 - 2030)
PART 2. COMING IN - CETACEANS (2030 - 2044)
PART 3. EARTH 2 (2044)
PART 4. DEEP MESSAGES (2045 +)
PART 1
GOING OUT - MARS (2024 -2030)
“Arion leaped down into the waves… a dolphin did submit his arched back to the unusual weight; seated there, Arion grasped his lyre and paid his fare in song, and with his chant he charmed the ocean waves. The gods see pious deeds: Jupiter received the dolphin among the constellations, and bade him have nine stars.”
Ovid. 43 B.C. - A.D. 17
CHAPTER 1
Mariada de Villiers is lying in bed, bathed in the light of a full moon shining through the open window. She is dreaming as her eyelids flicker and her lips move slightly.
She sees her parents, with her father saying, “Do what you love best, what challenges your brain to the limit, and what will help develop all life on Earth.”
She sees her grandparents, with her grandmother saying, “Work hard, look up to the stars, give your love and laugh a lot.”
She sees her Huguenot ancestors fleeing Catholic France and, on arrival at the Cape, being told,
“Speaking French is not allowed here. From now on, you speak Dutch.” And one replying, “My wine will speak for itself.”
Many faces then flash before her, appearing to go far back in time, until the face of a dolphin surfaces and speaks directly to her. “Go beyond Earth. Go beyond Mars. Go to a planet like Earth. You will find me there.”
A presenter at a large conference introduces the next speaker. “At this special sitting in 2024 of the International Space Administration, we call upon Mariada de Villiers to address us on ‘The history of the Life on Mars mission.’ ”
Mariada, a woman of about 40 years, begins her talk. “I am honoured to have been selected to be one of the first group of four to be sent, in one week’s time, to start a settlement on Mars.”
As she talks, a giant T.V. screen shows archive footage of the events she describes.
“The Russians were the first nation to send rockets beyond Earth’s atmosphere, and the first human in space was Yuri Gagarin in 1961 in Vostok 1. In 1969, America was first to land people on the Moon, to take off again, re-unite with their orbiting space-ship and return safely to Earth, all within a period of about a week.
Mars was the next target at the turn of the century and three robot-controlled vehicles with cameras were exploring the Martian landscape and analysing soil samples.
The Life on Mars mission started in 2013 as a private initiative, raising funds as a proposed Reality-T.V. programme which will show our journey to Mars, settling on the planet and our daily activities thereafter in establishing a permanent settlement. Advertisements were published globally, calling for volunteers, and thousands responded. By 2016, a preliminary group of 16 volunteers was chosen, and I was elated to be one of them.”
CHAPTER 2
Mariada’s parents switch on their T.V. at home and the title of the programme is ‘Life on Mars’.
A presenter announces, “For the selection of the final 16 crew, our show, ‘Life on Mars’, will be screening a series of elimination rounds of the last 100 candidates now in 2016. This is a system where the voters are in three groups, consisting of the candidates themselves, the T.V. viewers, and a panel of experts. At the end of each week for 10 weeks, they will vote to eliminate the 10 weakest for the first four weeks, and then the five weakest for the next six weeks, thus eliminating 70 candidates over the 10 week period. In addition, each week the top 10 candidates will be voted for ‘promotion’ on the basis of excellent performance.
The final 16 will be chosen from the remaining 30 candidates according to the most promotions achieved.
The locations for the elimination rounds have been chosen in order to subject the candidates to almost every conceivable psychological and physical situation, to see how they cope and to test their resilience in these extreme conditions.”
The background footage shows examples of what is being mentioned.
“In this first week, all 100 candidates were subjected to basic medical and physical tests and exercises, with rigorous recording and evaluation of results. They were also evaluated regarding ability and knowledge in First Aid, emergency care, diagnosis and treatment of a variety of medical conditions, nutrition, medicines and other areas.”
The footage shows some candidates in a simulated clinic’s emergency area. A ‘patient’ is brought in so that each candidate, in turn and unseen by the others , is asked by a doctor, “What diagnosis seems likely at first inspection?” and, “What treatment seems best?” The first patient is a classic First Aid case, an apparent deep cut to the arm which is bleeding profusely. When the doctor asks the first question to the first candidate, a somewhat over-confident young man, he takes one look at the blood-like substance dripping on the floor, starts swaying on his feet and, with his legs starting to buckle, has to be ushered to a chair.
“Based on all the votes cast, the top 10 for promotion are Mariada de Villiers…” As this is shown, her parents can’t contain their excitement and they leap around the lounge, shouting and laughing.
Her parents are back for each week’s announcements for the next nine weeks.
“Week two was about the technical knowledge and abilities of the 90 candidates left and covered areas like fixing and making mechanical and electronic equipment, hydrology and plumbing, gardening and so on. It soon showed us that some are all thumbs and are eliminated, while others have green thumbs and earn a promotion.”
Some candidates are in a large, enclosed ‘tunnel garden’, with transparent sides and roof, such as is used to grow tropical plants. One candidate nearly cuts
off her thumb, while another has invented a good system for watering all the plants with minimal effort.
“Week three was a week-long encounter group, where the 80 candidates were divided into eight groups of 10 who almost never left each other alone day and night, and were told to share their feelings about themselves and each other. We had some encounters which led to an angry outburst and an instant red card and others where things got too hot with some close encounters.”
One group of 10 is in a room only slightly larger than the area taken by the 10 mattresses they use to sit and sleep on. There are no windows, only an air conditioner, and the lighting is harsh. A door leads to the bathroom with two toilets, basins and showers, and the other door leads to a small dining room and then a door outside, which is ‘no-man’s land’ for the week. An older man is shown shouting angrily at another, waving his fists as though about to throw a punch. An official is shown escorting him out. Two younger women are shown doing a bit more than cuddling up after the lights are dimmed. They are confronted about this transgression the next morning.
“Week four was a series of obstacle courses where the 70 candidates, in seven groups, had to solve problems and show resilience, patience and stamina in difficult situations. Some panicked while others were too cool.”
One group is negotiating an obstacle course with various challenges, such as is used by military trainees. They reach a wall which looks about 4m high and needs to be crossed by the whole team. Two of the members calmly take charge and help to make a pyramid with five members, and the other five then climb up them and over the top. It is clear that some hate heights and freeze with fright, while others act rashly.
“Week five was spent in Dome Town in Hawaii on the slopes of a volcano. The settlement was divided into three separate villages for the 60 left, and was a simulation of a settlement on Mars. Candidates needed to continue with the planning and management of all daily activities, such as using melted ice to make hydrogen and oxygen for the air to breathe, growing food in gardens, and recycling all waste and using it to fertilise the gardens.”
One village has too many cooks who spoil the broth by trying to boss everyone around, without doing any work themselves. When nothing works properly, they blame everyone else.
“Week six was spent in the Himalayas, to test reactions at high altitudes, with low oxygen levels and in sub-zero temperatures. Some of the brightest intellects became zombie-like, while a few others went off at tangents as though high on L.S.D.”
This is the first test of coping with very low temperatures, and it is clear that some candidates just cannot adapt to a climate so different to home. Others seem to come alive as they tramp through snow and ice and try to cook food.
“Week seven was in the Sahara Desert for the remaining 50 candidates, with extreme temperature changes, searing hot in the day and below freezing at night. Some had never experienced such aridity or been in such smothering sand-storms, as may be found on Mars, where sand somehow gets between your teeth, your toes and into your nose.
Week eight was in Antarctica, where co-operation within the group was critical. The 45 candidates were flown in to McMurdo Station on Ross Island in October, as soon as Spring brings slightly warmer weather than the normal Winter temperatures of —50 degrees Centigrade, at which petrol freezes. The base is also 3000m above sea level, adding to the discomfort index. Breathing is painful and the long hours of darkness can cause depression, aggravated by Vitamin D deficiency and ‘seasonal affective disorder’ (Winter blues). The group was divided into three groups of 15, each in quarters normally used by 10 researchers, so the more cramped conditions added to the stress and tensions for the week. Some candidates were pleading to leave after a few days.”
Footage shows candidates becoming disorientated about sleeping and waking hours as they struggle to get up in the morning.
“You’re joking! It’s the middle of the night,” says one.
Walking outside becomes a major excursion.
“Week nine was spent in submarines, in very cramped, claustrophobic conditions, with no fresh air, or chance to exercise, and with complex, cognitive tasks to perform day and night.”
The pressures of the past few weeks build up and tempers become frayed and stretched to breaking point.
“Week 10, the final elimination round, saw the 35 survivors put into space-craft simulators for a week, experiencing the extreme gravity of blast-off, weightlessness and living in a space-suit with no toilet or shower.”
Some candidates relish this final challenge.
The promotions earned by the final 30 during the 10 weeks were then added up and the top 16 finally announced. Mariada had the highest number of promotions and final votes cast.
The camera pans from Mariada to the other 15 finalists in turn as they are introduced.
It was carefully explained that they were not chosen according to a cast-iron quota system of equal representativity of gender, race, nationality, culture, religion etc, but it was remarkable that this was, in fact, more or less the end result. The top 16 had nine females and seven males, some from the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australasia, some black, brown, white and yellow in complexion, a mix of religions and beliefs and career experiences and skills.
CHAPTER 3
For the next seven years, ‘Life on Mars’ continued to show how the top 16 were being trained in all the skills that are needed for long-term survival on Mars, including the areas covered in the elimination rounds, such as medical, pharmacological, mechanical, electronic, agricultural, nutritional, emotional and so on. An added challenge was to explore who should be in the first team of four to land on Mars, and then who should be in the next team to follow in two years’ time.
The two year gap is because the solar orbit of Mars has a close approach to Earth only every two years, known as the ‘Hohmann transfer’. It could also happen that, if one member of a team proved to be unsuitable, the whole team could be replaced by the next team, because of the importance of group-work, and so the whole system needed to have both precision and flexibility.
A second round of applications started, with the top 100 chosen to undergo another set of elimination rounds, down to the next final 16.
Mariada still seemed to be the top candidate, and the team she was in seemed to be the most positive and vibrant of the four teams.
In early 2024 the first team to leave for Mars in a few months was announced, and it was no surprise that Mariada's was chosen. There was a large media turnout at the ‘Life on Mars’ studio as the team was presented to the world. The three others in her team comprised Aziz from Egypt, an electronics and engineering wizard, Martin, an African-American gifted in all medical issues, and Noriko from Japan, expert in areas from diet to group dynamics.
The rocket with its precious capsule of four astronauts at the tip is poised for take-off on the launch-pad. ‘Life on Mars’ has been following every move since they woke up this morning.
Now each astronaut is sitting in the capsule, almost like racing car drivers in the seconds before the start, but these will be racing into space at about 30 000 kph, then at about 18 000 kph cruise speed.
Mariada thinks back to an interview with her parents. A reporter asks, “As her parents, how do you feel about her going to Mars, maybe never to return?”
Her mother answers, “She has pointed out that some of our ancestors, French, Dutch and German, came to South Africa 350 years ago, on a similar mission, also about a seven month, one-way trip, as most knew they would never return to Europe, and were going to a place barely known and with huge challenges of survival, something like Mars is to us now.
So we are fully behind her and very proud to be her parents.”
Mariada is being interviewed.
“What do you think you will miss most about Earth?”
“Well, of course, I will miss my family and friends and being together with them. But we will still be able to talk, in a delayed sort of way. I’ll miss m
eals and parties with steak and wine and the occasional cigar. I’ll miss the solitude of walking in the mountains and swimming in a clear pool, or body-surfing in the sea. Hearing birds. Playing with dogs. We will have a recording with us on Mars of all the special sounds of Earth, like thunder and rain falling, excited children, crickets chirping at night, and so on.”
The space-craft is on its way and three fixed cameras show, in turn, Earth as it slowly recedes, the control area of dials and lights, letters and numbers, and the astronauts either sitting or carefully moving around in the confined space.
Mariada speaks to Aziz next to her, “While we were waiting for lift-off, I kept hearing this poem from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam:
‘And, as the Cock crew, those who stood before
The tavern shouted — “Open the door!
You know how little while we have to stay,
And, once departed, may return no more.” ’
I suppose it’s a bit late now though, as the door has opened and we have departed, but somehow, I feel we will return.”
Mariada says to camera and is viewed back on Earth at the ‘Life on Mars’ studio and in people’s homes, like her parents’, “At the moment you can talk to me and it takes a few seconds for your voice to reach us, but do you realise that, in six month’s time, when we are near Mars, it will take about twenty minutes? So when we tell you we’re about to have supper, by the time you hear it, we will have finished. And by the time your next message arrives, we may be asleep.”
Noriko says to the other astronauts and is shown on camera, “At about the half-way mark, there is a point of no return, where there is insufficient fuel to return to Earth, so there is only one way and that is forward. This is likened to the dilemma Caesar had of ‘crossing the Rubicon’ with his army. It is also something like the ships in the old days crossing the Equator, crossing from the better-known Northern to the lesser-known Southern hemisphere. I will let you know when we are there and we’ll have a small party, with a Mars bar each.”