Red Company: Contact by B. V. Larson

Author:B. V. Larson [Larson, B. V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Iron Tower Press
Published: 2023-06-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19: Approaching Jupiter

From a few million miles away, Jupiter appeared as a colossal sphere dominating our view. The gas giant’s swirling cloud patterns were stunning, and its beige and white bands stretched across the vast expanse of its surface. The planet’s famous Great Red Spot stood out like an angry blemish. It was actually a fierce, churning storm that had raged for many centuries, and dwarfed storms on Earth.

Together, Jupiter and its largest moons kept attracting my eye while I patrolled the upper decks. I found myself admiring the view at the various viewing stations. While on patrol duty on the command deck, I stopped to stare. I couldn’t help it. All four of the biggest moons had come out from behind the big planet, and I had to take a longer look.

“You see that one?” a feminine voice asked. It was Ensign Freya Carter, my ex-girlfriend. She’d caught me stargazing—but I didn’t much care. She wasn’t likely to report me, even if she had reason to.

“Which one?” I asked.

“I’m talking about Io,” she said, “the closest of the four. Just there, see?”

I stared at the vibrant yellow-orange sphere she’d indicated. The moon was speckled with dark spots.

“It has burn-marks on the face of it,” I said, “or something like that...”

“Yes. That’s exactly what they are. Io’s surface is marred by volcanic eruptions which send plumes of sulfur and other materials into space. They kind of stain the surface.”

Io was passing between Borag and Jupiter. The slowly stirring atmosphere of the gas giant created a nice backdrop of swirling colors behind the moon.

Freya had always been a fine student of astronomy. Standing there talking to her about these things made me recall our happiest days back on Mars. She’d often schooled me about the cosmos by day—and then schooled me about more personal matters at night.

“The next in line is Europa,” she continued. “That’s a strange one. Its surface is a single massive sheet of ice.”

I saw it, a white sphere with an icy, cracked surface that shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

“Europa’s smooth, ice-covered exterior hides a deep subsurface ocean beneath that frozen crust. We’ll mine that moon for water someday. Next to Earth, it’s the largest repository of water in the entire Solar System.”

“Liquid water…” I said. “That’s a real find out here in space.”

“It is. The hot core keeps it all from freezing to the bottom of that massive ocean, but the surface freezes solid because space is so cold. Then there’s Callisto—to the right, see it?”

I saw it. It was a heavily cratered moon with an ancient, battered surface.

“What about Ganymede?” I asked. “That’s where we’re going.”

“Ganymede is sunward. It’s the largest moon in the known universe, roughly the size of Pluto.”

I eyed the target moon with interest. It was a dwarf planet, really. The ancient craters and grooves had been plowed up by violent impacts over eons of time.

“What do we know about it?” I asked.

“It’s kind of weird that anyone would want to live there, honestly,” she said.

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