Chapter 11: Planet Billiards

This yellow dwarf sun is extremely interesting.

We can see, using the deep space telescope, three planets sharing an orbit or very close orbits in the Goldy Locks slot. How do they manage not to bump into each other if they’re in the same orbit?

My sister Karen is our Astro-navigator and Marshall our Astronomer. Self taught through self study, and self discipline. Why is self discipline involved?

In a school, someone else demands you show up, sit at a desk and study on scheduled hours. Knowledge is the coin of the realm out here staring at reality, not ivory tower issued credentials and diplomas. Don’t think I’m wiping my arse with them. It’s a different world back on earth. Those papers are valuable in a competitive society with many seeking the few open positions.

Here, we have many positions to fill and few candidates, so we each wear multiple hats. Asking Marshall and Karen to explain, I learned this.

We know you can have two planets of similar mass and size in two similar orbits, one inside the other, and they swap orbits when the inner world overtakes the outer world. It sounds crazy, but it actually happens with Epimetheus and Janus, two of Saturn’s moons.

Charon and Pluto have overlapping orbits. The gas giants have many asteroids sharing orbits for billions of yeas but those are inherently unstable and eventually collide or get kicked out.

Earth shares an her orbit with an asteroid, 3753 Cruithne in a highly elliptical orbit that intercepts with earth’s orbit.

The three water worlds we observe orbiting this sol like yellow dwarf star, two form a binary planet, revolving around each other, like we saw the blue and green planets do back at BLACK SACK system. The third planet is not precisely in the plane of the elliptic, it’s orbit is slightly tangential to the orbits of other planets in this system. It’s also slightly more elongated than the other’s orbit, and swaps between an inner and outer orbit with the duo-planets.

What a treasure we’ve discovered. Three colonizable worlds close together.

We are in orbit about the odd ball loner of the three water worlds and using the telescope, we can see ruins of cities in the jungle below. This planet also has extensive ice caps, due to it’s eccentric orbit.

Only five of our company will be visiting the surface in the near future. The five with cyborg bodies. Not only are we stronger than flesh and bone, but our bodies are immune to disease. Also, amputated or scorched limbs can have off the shelf bolt on replacements.

Somethings are irreplaceable. When I acquired Marks testicles, the artificial scrotum for my cyborg body to contain then, is snap on. It stays aboard. I’m not risking my balls on any alien planet until I know it’s safe.

Today, is party time. We’ll make our first flyover reconnaissance after I recuperate from tomorrow’s hangover.

Extinct civilization ruins? Anxious to explore. Are they really extinct, no survivors hiding somewhere?

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.