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  Technician, "Mr. Truman the pressure and temperature are dropping rapidly." Outside I could see the bubble collapsing in upon itself and gasses escaping.

  "Theo, any idea what happened? Just before the technician, reported problems; it seemed like the lights went out on the bubble," questioned Jim. I couldn't help but think back to the beauty of the bubble as I talked to Theo.

  "That may have something to do with it, but at this time I just don't know. I thought that this would work. It's going to take me a while to review the data and see what went wrong, Jim."

  "I am issuing a hold on the project until 0900 hours tomorrow. File all data and telemetry in the project sphere folder for Theo's review. Please resume normal operating procedures." Everyone seemed disappointed with the failure. Probably because they know if we cannot get this to work, we will have failed to create a space colony. "Come on Theo let's get you something to eat before you start reviewing the data."

  Entering the station conference room.

  "It sure is different eating in micro gravity."

  "Yes, it takes some getting use too. We spin the station slightly to make sure everything stays in place. Due to the size of the station any faster would cause the personnel to get vertigo." said Jim, as he opened the conference room door and waved me in. "The conference room has been configured to review the data from the failed attempt. The desktop will be able to display multiple files including data video and audio." After going through some directories, the project sphere folder was located.

  "Okay, I see that there are three files in the folder. Video, extruder, and construction frame. Jim, can we see all three sets of data at the same time?"

  Jim, "On the screen is an icon, it's labeled, sync data streams. Open that up and drag the three data streams into the application then just press play and all three will run together. The controls are similar to a DVR with a few extra features."

  "Let's get started then," I said, pressing the play button. The first time through we played the videos without stopping to get a feel for the failure. Then a second time starting and stopping the videos to verify data from the extruder and construction frame. When the sphere began to extrude the sphere, it was bright and sparkling. A minute later the sparkling effect just disappeared. Shortly after that, the temperature sensors indicated that the extrusion started to show uneven temperatures across the sphere and then the failure. "Jim, I'm not sure what caused the uneven temperature of the sphere as we were extruding. Do you have any ideas?"

  After looking through the data, Jim replied, "No, but something in the back of my mind is nagging at me."

  "Look at the data here, the heaters on this side of the structure are running a lot hotter than the other, but then at this point, the temperature on this side plummeted, and the heaters kicked in to maintain the temperature. That caused uneven cooling and the sphere ruptured."

  "Hum, let me check something." Stated Jim is opening a communication channel to the control room. "Can you tell me where we were in our orbit yesterday during the test?"

  Control room, "We were on the sun side of the orbit at the beginning of the test and crossed into the earth's shadow during the test."

  Jim, "Theo, I believe, I know what caused the uneven heating. As you know since we are in orbit at the Lagrange 5 location, we circle the earth a little bit behind the lunar cycle. For half of the orbit, we are in the sun which heats everything up. Once we get to the point in the orbit where we go behind the earth, the sun is blocked, and then we lose that heating. During the test, we moved from the daylight to the dark side of the orbit, and that caused a rapid cooling which the heaters couldn't recover from. This also explains why the sparkling and brightness decreased."

  "So let me reiterate, where we were in orbit caused a large discrepancy in the temperature of the sphere we were blowing. So how do we avoid that in the future?"

  Jim, "We simply start the construction at a time that completes the blowing up of the sphere while we are either in or out of the earth's shadow. This should maintain a steady temperature throughout the construction. Since we are going to be in the shadow of the earth for days, I'm going have some additional heaters added and to schedule another attempt tomorrow at 8 AM tomorrow."

  "That sounds good I'm a little bushed, so I'm going to go to my cabin for the night, see you in the morning," heading for the door.

  Just before 8 AM, I entered the control room to see that Jim had already arrived and the technicians were working at their stations. The failed attempt had been removed from the construction frame and extruder and looked to be ready for another try. Jim waved me over to where he was standing.

  "Good morning Jim, I must say that sleeping in almost zero gravity did wonders for my back last night. Although I did toss and turn a little bit before I got comfortable."

  Jim, "The sleeping takes some time to get used too. I had the technicians start the process so we would be ready for the attempt at 8 o'clock. We have reached a hundred foot-pounds of pressure, and it is holding steady. Currently, for extruder temperature is at 210° claiming. The heaters on the construction straight frame are already at the 450° that we need."

  Technician, "We should reach the extruder temperature within the next five minutes."

  "I'm a little nervous after yesterday's failed attempt at extruding the sphere. I took a few minutes this morning before I got here and stopped by the conference room and went through the data and video again to make sure we know what caused the problem."

  Staring out the window, Jim responded, "After you went to bed last night, the engineering staff gave the data and video another look. They ran some simulations doing the construction in and out of the sun. They agreed that it would be easier to maintain a constant temperature while in the earth's shadow. That way all the heaters would be working evenly."

  Technician, "We are now at 440° and climbing. The pressure is maintaining 100 foot-pounds. Coming up on 450°, 448°, 449°, and 450°. We are now at 450° and holding."

  "Just like yesterday while we inflate the sphere we need to maintain 100 foot-pounds of pressure to keep it inflating before it cools off. Can you display on the screen the pressure and temperature readings?"

  Technician, "Yes we can display that on the screen. It is now in the upper right-hand corner". As the technician was talking the temperature and pressure readings appeared in the upper right-hand corner in large numbers.

  The data looked good for another try at inflating the sphere. "Jim let's give this another try would you have the technicians proceed." Jim then indicated to the technician to start the process.

  It was disappointing that the sparkle was very subdued this time. The bubble was expanding at a steady pace from the extruder. Again, I couldn't believe how different it looked. Initially, the size of the sphere seemed to be expanding at a rapid rate, and as the minutes went by that seemed to slow down is the volume of the sphere got larger. During this process, I was keeping a close eye on the temperature and pressure. They were well within the parameters.

  Technician, "Inflation is reading at 98% and slowing, now 99%. Preparing to cut the inflation pressure when it reaches 100%." When the sphere reached 100% inflation, the pressure rapidly decreased to 10 pounds per square inch. This was low enough that the sphere would not expand anymore but still maintain its shape.

  "Okay, that went well." stated Theo, "Please set the heaters on the construction frame to slowly decrease the temperature to zero over the next half hour. The next crucial stage is when the extruder separates from the sphere. That is programmed to be at 200°. When that happens, the pressure will be released from the sphere and may cause some movement. To mitigate the movement, a laser will cut a hole in the opposite side of the sphere, so the pressure is released out both sides at the same time." The display showed the temperature starting to decline at a steady rate. It was already down to 336° after just a couple of minutes.

  Jim, "Just how long until the sphere is separated from the extruder?"
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br />   Technician, "By how fast the temperature is dropping, I estimate that the temperature will reach 200° in just under 10 minutes." After the technician pressed a few buttons, a countdown timer appeared below the temperature reading.

  While waiting for the temperature to decrease, it seemed like time stopped, as we watched the sphere. Before, I knew it was time to separate the sphere from the extruder.

  Technician, "Temperature is almost at 200°. The separator and laser are on standby and reading in the green." And as the temperature reached 200°, there was a bright sparkling at the extruder and the other end of the sphere. Then as the pressure was released the gas gave the sphere of a cloudy look. After a couple of minutes, the gas dispersed enough to see that the sphere was intact.

  "I didn't expect the gas to cause a visibility issue."

  Jim, "So Theo, what is next? The extrusion and separation seem to of went okay."

  "Once the temperature has dropped enough the construction frame will run a series of tests to make sure the sphere material did not get brittle. After that is done, a laser will cut a series of openings in the sphere for access to finish the internal construction. Then the sphere will be released from the structure and turned over to the construction crew to complete.

  "That sounds good. As I understand it, this first sphere is going to be the agricultural sphere. So it should be completed relatively quickly." Jim responded with an absent-minded look on his face. "When will the extruder and construction frame be ready for another sphere?"

  "It will take the technicians about a day to examine and prepare them to extrude another sphere. So say maybe two to three days."

  Jim, "I didn't expect the turnaround to be that quick. Based on that information, I am going to schedule the next sphere for a week from today and then sphere every three days after that. The second and third spheres are scheduled to be the warehouses for the equipment we are shipping up."

  "Regrettably Jim, I will not be able to stay around for the next sphere. I have to get back to earth. I need to get the plants lined up for the agricultural sphere. The horticulturist is scheduled to arrive on one of next week's launches. One of my technicians is already up here and will supervise the installation of the environmental unit, airlock, and any seals that the sphere needs. Please let me know if there are any issues with the sphere before my shuttle leaves at 2100 hrs. It has been a pleasure to work with you and your team."

  Shaking hands Jim agreed "I feel the same. Without your technology and hard work, the space community we are creating wouldn't be possible. I am looking forward to you joining us once the project is complete."

  Ben Wilson’s office, St Louis MO

  After getting out of the cabin St. Louis, MO, Agent Chane looked up at the One US Bank, Plaza building where Humanity Holdings maintained their corporate offices.

  The buildings tenant sign indicated that Humanity Holding occupied both the 30th and 31st floors. The elevator ride gave me some time to decide how I wanted to conduct the interview with Mr. Wilson the CEO.

  Upon exiting the elevator, I saw that the floor plan was open with a receptionist desk to the right and some offices along the side.

  Receptionist, "Can I Help You with Anything, sir?"

  "Yes, I am Special Agent Chane with the FBI, and I have an appointment with the CEO Mr. Wilson."

  After Looking at the appointment book, the Receptionist indicated, "Yes, I see you have an appointment with Mr. Wilson, he is in a meeting with one of his engineers at the moment if you would have a seat. He will be with you in a few minutes. Would you care for anything to drink while you wait?"

  "After the ride in from the airport, I could use a cup of coffee, black please," I replied, as I sat down in the chair. A moment later the receptionist handed me a cup of coffee. The coffee had a strong aroma and tasted slightly bitter.

  Going through my notes on the case, I failed to notice when Mr. Wilson walked up.

  "Hello, I am Ben Wilson. What can I do for you Agent Chane?" he asked, as we entered his office.

  "This is regarding the Sustainable Earth Initiative. The FBI has been charged with assuring compliance with the initiative and bringing legal action against companies that don't comply. As the lead agent, my research flagged your company and Space Development Holdings. Would you explain your relationship with them and how you are winding down your space business?"

  Ben, "Well there is no mystery. As you probably are aware Humanity Holdings has a space launch division. Space Development Holdings was set up to provide services to companies working in space. Some of the services SDH provides are financial, research and networking. Until recently, as a founding member, we used their services primarily for research and locating qualified engineering staff. SDH has been at the forefront of developing space technology."

  "The news agencies have are reporting that your space division is continuing with launches at this time, would you care to explain that Mr. Wilson?"

  "Certainly, our space launch division intends to continue while the legal and constitutional issues of the presidential executive order is litigated in the court system," stated Ben then continuing, "Once the court case is settled, if it is ruled in the presidents favor we will whine down operations."

  "That would seem to violate the intent of the executive order and open your company up to equipment and monetary forfeiture. Shouldn't you be complying with the executive order now?"

  Ben, "Not at all, as you are probably aware the US federal circuit court has issued a stay of execution. For this reason, we are well within our rights to continue operations. The scheduled launches have continued for a couple of reasons. The first is that this type of business would take substantial time and cost to restart provided the litigation is successful. Even more important is supporting the people currently in space and finishing current projects."

  Seeing a possible opening, "What current projects are we talking about?"

  "Some of the projects are research into space construction, materials development, and communications. For example, there are several ongoing communications projects. One is researching the viability of using cell phone technology in space and its communication with the earth. The second is a throwback from an earlier age. We are constructing spheres that are 250 feet in diameter that can reflect radio waves back to earth. If we pull back from space, the spheres would be important as the communications satellites fail over time. Here let me show you on the screen," said Ben as he brought up a picture of earth with half a dozen spheres orbiting it. "Due to the materials used to construct the spheres, they not only reflect radio waves but also certain microwave and laser wavelengths. Much of our current communications technology uses microwaves that are the only line of sight and the same for laser communications. So once the satellites fail, we would still be able to communicate by reflecting those line of sight communications off the spheres. Currently, we are assessing the first sphere and plan to start constructing the others in a few days. Once they are all constructed, they will need to be moved to their appropriate locations. Some of the launches are to provide the orbital vehicles to move them to the proper orbits."

  "Okay, I can see why you are continuing with some of the launches. Regardless though, while the executive order runs through the court system, you will need to file the paperwork indicating your time frame to exit from space and wind down your space industries. Once the case is settled, I expect you to have shut down everything within two weeks or the date indicated in the initiative whichever is later."

  Ben, "While I disagree with the policy that the initiative sets, I believe those expectations are reasonable. Did you have anything further for me?"

  SDH, World Trade Center, Building 2, New York NY

  Upon entering the World Trade Center, Building 2's Parking garage, I saw that the FBI Teams were already set up in the garage. As I pulled in next to a van, the rear door opens and out steps Agent Michaels. I caught only a glimpse of the electronics inside the van.

  As
I get out of the car, Agent Michaels walks up to me, "Agent Michaels, I see that you and your team beat me here. How soon until you're ready to raid Space Development Holdings?"

  Agent Michaels, "We have only been here about five minutes or sir. I have a team of agents proceeding up the North stairs, and they should be ready to enter the 21st floor in about 10 minutes. Another team of agents will be going up via the elevator. Let's step into the command center van for an update on the operation." As he opened the door to let me enter the van.

  The inside of the van had seats for four agents with large LCD screens in front of each. Two of them were occupied by technicians that were quietly talking on headsets. Each of the screens had a series of video feeds from the helmets of the FBI team teams. On the first screen, I could see the legs of agents that were going up the stairwell and the second screen displayed the agents around the elevator as they waited for approval to go.

  The first Technician, "Agent Michaels, the stairwell team is currently on the 16th floor and will be in place in three minutes. Should I have the second team proceed to the 20th floor and hold the elevator there? "

  "Agent Chane, I believe you wanted to go in with the second team?" Questioned Agent Michaels as he handed Agent Chang and FBI flak jacket.

  "That is correct give me a moment to get with the team and then we will proceed" exiting the van and walking across to the agents by the elevator. "Agent Michaels, I'm in place, let's get this show on the road."

  Agent Michaels, "Team two proceed to the 20th floor and hold. Team one what is your status?"

  Team leader "we've just arrived on the 21st floor, and we are at the emergency exit door. Holding."

  Technician, "Roger team one, hold as directed while two team gets into place. We will let you know when to proceed." The video feed from team two showed that the elevator was just passing the 18th floor."