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Trouble

Nina’s voice came over the comm system: “Sally, we have a situation here.” Her voice was higher than normal. “Can we open a private channel.” That was all Cas heard. It was enough. Adults in the colony always made it a point to include the children in everything that happened. Conversations were open; secrets were not kept. For Sally and Nina to suddenly talk privately meant that something out of the ordinary had happened. Something bad.

Air: Generation Mars, Book One

Available now: https://www.amazon.com/Air-Generation-Mars…/dp/1733731024

(image: Luis Peres)

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Halloween story

Family and friends are gathered in the basement. It’s a party basement, with music, darts, ping pong, food and drinks. Jack-o-lanterns and witches and skeletons are taped to the walls. Kids are running around, costumes slowly falling off. Parents are chatting. The lights have been turned off upstairs to discourage late trick-or-treaters.

The doorbell chimes.

Continue reading “Halloween story”

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Ori in trouble

There was a sudden roar, louder than any noise Ori had ever heard. She sank to the floor, pulled her knees to her chin, closed her eyes, and cowered against the closed door. She had never felt wind before, only slight movements of air from the distribution system in the colony. But now she felt a terrifying rush of air over her. There were crashes and groans all around, and she opened her eyes to see the content of the dome—tables, chairs, lab equipment, plants, all—falling and shifting in the direction of the wind. She closed her eyes and screamed.

Air: Generation Mars, Book One

Pre-order now: https://www.amazon.com/Air-Generation-Mars-Boo…/…/1733731024

(image: Luis Peres)

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Static

As the wind of the dust storm blew, billions of dust particles collided with and slid past the primary surface antennae array. Over time, this rubbing of dust on metal caused an electrical charge to build up on the array. Rub a balloon on your hair and stick it to the wall. Rub your socked feet in the carpet on a winter evening and then touch your sibling. These are examples of such static charges.

Air: Generation Mars, Book One

Preorder now: https://www.amazon.com/Air-Generation-Mars-Boo…/…/1733731024

(image: Luis Peres)

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Leak

However, there was a problem with this particular piece of polycarbonate in this particular door. When it was installed, one of the bolts was overtightened slightly, causing a small, too small to notice, crack that radiated barely a millimeter out from the bolt hole. This crack was hidden by the backing plate. Over time, what started as a millimeter lengthened little by little with each pressure cycle of the airlock. Once the crack extended past the silicon seal, it had begun to vent air to the Martian atmosphere, ever so slightly.

Air: Generation Mars, Book One

Coming in October

(image: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2013.04.036)

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Walking in dust

As they walked, Sally told them about dust storms. She used words like “polar vortex” and “baroclinic wave”, which the kids did not understand but which made sense to them as she spoke. One of Sally’s teaching tricks was to use words and phrases that the kids did not know in ways that made their meaning obvious.

Air: Generation Mars, Book One

Coming in October

(image: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)

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Dust

Cas looked out through her visor. All she saw was brown, a moving flow of brown, shades of brown ranging from orange to red to pink to yellow, flowing past her in the wind. That wind was moving 50 kilometers per hour with gusts even higher. But the air was so thin that she could feel only slight tugs on her suit. In the lower right corner of her visor screen was the small map of the surface buildings with the red dot that showed where she was standing.

Air: Generation Mars, Book One

Coming in October

(image: Luis Peres)

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Sally’s notes on air

You may very well find her notes confusing, possibly even a bit boring. This is to be expected. The details they cover are not relevant to your day-to-day life here on Earth. You can take the physics of gasses for granted and assume conditions will always be just right for the ongoing function of your body. But for young Martians growing up in an entirely synthetic environment, these details are critical. An understanding of them can, quite literally, mean the difference between life and death.

Air: Generation Mars, Book One

Coming in October

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Ice dome

While the older children walked through the dust storm, Ori and the younger children were spending the day in the ObsDome. The name was short for “observation dome”. This was one of the newer surface buildings of the colony. It was constructed primarily of ice. Water, in any form, was an effective shield against the various types of radiation that reached the surface of Mars. With thick ice between supportive layers above and clear ice for windows all around, the ObsDome provided a safe place to view the surface around the colony. Nina often brought the younger children here when the third graders were at Surface Training.

Air: Generation Mars, Book One

Coming in October

#Mars #scifi #ChildrensBooks

(image: crop from Scratching the Surface, Luis Peres)

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Airlock

Cas stepped into the airlock with her classmates and Sally. The inner door closed behind them. She heard a distinct hissing as the air was pumped out, which faded to silence as the air pressure dropped too low to support the transfer of sound. She felt a vibration through the floor as the outer door shifted away from its seal and began to open. A puff of dust blew in through the widening crack, and she felt a thrill of anticipation.

Air: Generation Mars, Book One

Coming in October

(image: composite of images from Luis Peres)