Chapter 39: Spectacular Launches

“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me, God,” Kelly said.

We all clapped as she smiled at us. While there was no photography allowed in the Senate, I knew it was a ceremony none of us would forget. Kelly would get pictures with the Vice President, later, in his office. Since Kelly was elected via a special election and Barbara Boxer had secured a regular election for the other California seat, Kelly had just become the younger, but senior senator for the state of California.

We made our way out of the gallery and down to the main floor to greet her as her new colleagues shook her hand and wished her well. The family mobbed her as she came out.

“We’re so proud of you,” Mom said as Jim beamed.

Jeryl and the kids and I gave her hugs, though I’m not sure the kids really understood what she had accomplished.

“Way to go, sis,” I said when it was finally my turn for a hug.

“Thanks for all your support, Paul,” she replied. “I don’t think I could have done this without you guys.”

“Hey, isn’t that what little brothers are for?”

“What’s on the agenda for the rest of the day? Do you have to go straight to work?” Jeryl asked.

“No. The only order of business, today, was me swearing in. There was already a motion to recess before I started up the aisle. How about lunch, and then you can see my offices.”

I glanced at my watch.

“Sounds good, but it might just be everyone else seeing your offices. I’ve got appointments down the street this afternoon.”

“Oh?” she asked as she took my arm and we headed outside. “Would that be at the Pentagon or the White House?”

I hated to tell her, “Both.”

“What are you up to, Paul?” she asked as we walked toward our waiting cars.

“Just doing a little business.”

“But meeting with the President? He just finished a pretty arduous campaign to get re-elected. Frankly, I’m surprised he’s in town.”

I shrugged. His chief of staff had not really given me much to go on with regard to what the meeting was about. My only hint did not bode well for my Pentagon meeting. General Baker had sent me a note asking me to stay calm until I talked to the President.

I put the upcoming meeting out of my mind and listened attentively as Kelly shared stories from the campaign trail with Mom and Jim and Jeryl. Anna had taken the kids back to the hotel after Kelly promised to see them later in the afternoon. All in all, it was a good lunch.

Hunter was waiting for me at the Pentagon. This meeting had a broader mix of Air Force blue at the table. General Baker was the last to arrive. He shook my hand and offered a warm smile. I could tell he was playing for the audience and decided to try and take my cues from him.

“Ok, gentlemen, let’s get to the agenda,” he said after quick introductions.

“Yes, General,” Admiral Porter the man in charge of the Navy’s efforts said. “First of all, we wanted to discuss the operations of the Naval Shore Power program we are running, with PT Innovations. We believe it is time to begin phasing over operations of the first two generators to Naval Reactors personnel. They have been through the training pipeline and completed all required supervisory watches under PT Innovations supervisors. The Navy feels that this is the next logical step in gaining greater familiarity with the generator operations.”

Hunter looked at me and I nodded. “Your offices can work with me to hammer out a transition plan for the first two installations. The other seventeen that are operational or being stood up will need future review per our contract with the DoD,” he said.

The Admiral smiled and a few of the Navy personnel seemed to sit more easily in their chairs.

“Good. We thought that discussion would take much longer,” the Admiral said. “The next agenda item is a new request.” He glanced at the papers before him. “We’d like to discuss purchasing some lift capacity for a new generation of navigation and communications satellites.”

“That’s pre-mature,” I said immediately.

Suddenly, the heavier Air Force presence made sense.

“We have only had a single launch for testing,” I said.

“And put a payload in lunar orbit,” one of the Air Force Colonels responded.

I mentally kicked myself. Of course the military had NASA’s data, and could see the possibilities.

“Regardless,” I continued. “We are nowhere near ready for operations. Our next launch will be the first tests of our automated systems for operational delivery.”

“We’re not looking for a launch next month,” the Admiral said, trying to regain control of the room and meeting. “We want to start the discussions for future launch capacity. We won’t have the satellites ready for eighteen to twenty-four months. You should have operational capacity by then, right?”

“If our testing goes well, yes.”

“So what sort of price per pound are you looking at once operational capability is proven?” the Air Force Colonel asked, interrupting again.

“The market at the moment is about eighteen thousand per kilo,” I said quoting the shuttle operating costs estimates we had pulled together.

“That’s the shuttle cost. What’s yours?”

“Colonel, perhaps you missed that this is private enterprise? My price to you will be a market rate, not a cost plus offer. I will not commit now to a low-ball bid for the Navy or Air Force. Once we have proven operational capability; we will determine our operating costs, our desired margin, and look at the competing launch platforms. Then we’ll set a price. Will it be the same as the shuttle? No. But it won’t be free, either.”

“Where are you going to launch from?” the Colonel responded. “It won’t be the Cape if you aren’t willing to work with us.”

“That’s enough, Colonel Philips,” General Baker said. His stare and tone were far from friendly.

“Paul,” he said after a moment’s pause, “if we were to budget at half the price of the shuttle, say nine thousand per kilo for delivery to orbit, would we be in the ballpark?”

I thought for a moment of the R&D costs, and our planned operational life-cycle. For the unmanned launcher, we would be well under that price.

“That should be a safe budget number,” I admitted.

“Good. Colonel, that is the number you needed to hear, correct?”

The Colonel nodded, then said, “But we also need confirmation of total payload size, and polar orbit capability.”

“Our first operational vehicle should easily accommodate payloads of up to thirty-thousand kilos.”

“Our numbers and analysis indicate a much greater payload capacity, based on your test launch,” the Colonel said.

“It’s possible, but again, I am not yet willing to commit to higher capacities.”

The tension in the room was palpable. I took a deep breath.

“Look, you obviously want something, and you want it sooner than later. I am a business man and inventor. I want to advance the state of the art, and have a positive impact on the country and the world. Why are you assuming I won’t be reasonable? Why not just open a dialogue?”

General Baker nodded and said, “As much as we would like to do just that, it’s your calendar of appointments today that is preventing it. I should have kept the second portion of this meeting for a later date. I apologize for trying to cram them together, Paul.”

I nodded at him.

“Understood, sir. How about I stay over in D.C. tonight. We can reconvene tomorrow if these gentlemen are available?”

It was Friday. I wondered if they would be as hard-headed coming in on a Saturday.

“That sounds like an excellent suggestion.”

Just that quickly, our two hour meeting was trimmed down to less then thirty minutes.

“Paul, I am sorry,” General Baker said as he escorted us to his office. “I should have known better than jump starting the conversation with Colonel Philips in the room. He can come across as chickenshit, but he is a solid engineer and a good officer. Sooner or later, he’s going to be interacting with you.”

“What’s his role?”

“DoD manned space flight certification.”

“Interesting. Why was he on point for discussions on satellite launches?”

The General looked at me and considered his words carefully. “Step one is satellite launches, but what we’re really interested in is your plans for GO-X. Believe it or not, we can do math inside our five-sided funny farm. Your engine and orbital platform are going to make the Shuttle look like a Model-T compared to a modern car. You know it, and we know it. It could allow us to start dreaming bigger, once again. Shit, Paul, you’ve already proven you can get us back to the moon for Christ’s sake.”

“And is that the plan?”

“It’s one of the ideas,” he admitted. “Look. You’re meeting with the President. He has some thoughts and ideas that he wants your perspective on.”

“But the Air Force gave them to him, right?”

The General shook his head as he said, “No ... well, not all of them, anyway. Anyone with a brain and a little understanding of your background is going to realize you will go into space. Orbital manufacturing is the absolute minimum any of the think-tanks came up with. That sort of capability is going to have military and political implications. We’re trying to be prepared.”

I thought about his words and what he wasn’t saying.

“Just don’t reach any conclusions until you meet with the President, and keep an open mind when you hear some strange ideas. Can you do that for me?”

“General, you’ve always played straight with me, so yes I will do that for you. I guess we’ll see you tomorrow?”

He actually grinned.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said.

“That’s quite a vision, Mr. President,” I said as George H. W. Bush finally paused for my response.

He had spent an impassioned ten minutes talking about the good a strong American return to space would mean for the world. He was not talking small steps either.

“It is a vision for the future.”

“What about international cooperation?” I asked.

“We would build on the partnerships we’ve created for the International Space Station, but your inventions and discoveries can let us do so much more. In the late seventies, there was a big drive to go back into space and build solar power satellites. We don’t need them with your generators, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other things we should be doing.”

“As a people or as a government, sir?”

“What do you mean?”

“As a people ... a race, if you will ... I agree that we need to expand beyond earth. I’m just not convinced a big government project is the right way to do it.”

He nodded and paused for a moment.

“What about chartered companies?” he asked.

His willingness to compromise so quickly, surprised me. Again I was struck by his intelligence. His son might have tarnished his reputation in my eyes, the first time through.

“I guess that would depend on the charter.”

“Well, that is where the rubber would hit the road. If we, as a nation, were to endorse a charter; it would have to have a few concrete protections for civil liberties, and there would have to be an economic incentive for the government.”

“A tariff on imported goods?”

“Or a discounted buying rate.”

I nodded. It was an interesting idea. I said as much.

“Good. We at least have some common ground to begin from. My understanding from the engineering folks is that at $9,000 per kilogram, it is feasible for us to pursue this sort of approach.”

I smiled. “Mr. President, I did not want to be pressured by the Air Force earlier today when I gave them that number. It’s going to be significantly lower than that, to put material in orbit.”

“Really? How much so?”

“If it’s all going to the same orbit, a thousand dollars a kilo. Possibly less, once we work the kinks out.”

I didn’t want to tell him that we were actually looking at less than fifty dollars per kilo once we were fully operational. We still needed return flight data, but our working model was two hundred launches per vehicle, with a maximum payload of 125,000 kilos per launch. Also, I thought our numbers were conservative.

“What sort of launch cycle?”

Another intelligent question. Something must have shown on my face, because he gave me an easy smile.

“I was a pilot, and I have a degree in economics,” he said. “I understand what really goes into the total cost basis for aircraft operations.”

“Right now, we’re planning on three automatic vehicles for initial testing of the systems. Our final test cycle will be three near simultaneous launches with staggered returns and re-launches. We want to show a three day turn-around on the vehicles.”

He made a low whistling sound. “Would you sustain that sort of operating cycle?”

I shook my head in the negative.

“If we have the demand, we would build additional craft. For manned operations, we built a budget assuming point to point flights for global transport, more than orbital operations. Under that model, the craft turn-around is supposed to be a single day.”

“Will you be selling these craft?”

I tilted my head and then shrugged.

“Eventually, I’m sure we will. My deal with Gulfstream and Rolls-Royce is for the first three unmanned vehicles, and then the first six manned. We’ll operate those all under our joint venture agreement. After that, we’ll see.”

The President sat back in his chair.

“Paul, I’d like to have you hammer out a lot of details over the next six weeks with NASA, DoD, Commerce, and State. If we can get a framework established, I’d like to share with the nation plans for America’s return to space in a meaningful, long-term way during my state of the union address in January.”

It was my turn to be surprised. The Republicans had maintained a slight majority for control of the House in the election, and had kept the White House, but only held forty-seven seats in the Senate. While they had a chance of ram-rodding legislation through, I did not think that was the tenor they would take.

“I’d be happy to be involved in those discussions, Mr. President, but I’m curious if this is politically feasible.”

He smiled.

“Our economy is strong, thanks in part to you. But we need more jobs creation, and we need a vision to excite the country and make us all look to the future. I believe this will give us such an opportunity. Your television show has shown America and the world that science and engineering can be exciting and can also be good business. Your efforts in Africa have helped show that we face global issues that will not be solved by continuing to take from our planet. If America is going to be a true world leader in the post cold-war era, we need to lead. This is our chance.”

“Over the holidays, Paul? Really?”

I could tell Jeryl was not just playing at being mad at me. I wanted her involved in the discussions with the government, especially for the business terms and structure we were working out. We had worked on our perspective following the D.C. meetings after Kelly’s swearing in, and then had gotten together for our family Thanksgiving in Maine. I had conceded to ‘no business talk in front of the family,’ during Thanksgiving, but we had hit some sticking points the following week. Now, a week before Christmas, Jim Baker, the President’s Chief of Staff, was insisting on reconvening the negotiations between Christmas and New Years to give us the first two weeks of January for a final round.

“It is the White House, asking,” I said.

“I don’t care if the Pope jumps in, along with the U.N. Secretary General and the Queen of fucking England! You are putting their timeline and plans ahead of your own work, your own needs, and your family.”

She was right.

“I’m only saying what they have asked for. I haven’t agreed.”

Jeryl took a deep breath and then plopped down on the sofa next to me.

“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be a bitch. I’ve really enjoyed working with you on this. It’s exciting. It reminds me of the first Nike deal,” she said with a small smile. “But you’ve been running yourself ragged, since May. Every night you’re not home, Ali and Jer ask if you are going to be home in the morning. You’ve been great about spending time with all of us, but we’re the intermission, not the main attraction.”

I pulled her in for a hug.

“You know how much I love you all, right?”

She nodded and hugged me back.

“I know it. I understand how you are torn. This is such an opportunity, not just for us, but also for the world. Unfortunately, I can see things going even faster once the State of the Union address is made. Now is your chance to rest and recharge.”

“Okay,” I said. “You know I count on you for keeping me balanced. What are our plans?”

She pulled back from me a little and smiled. “Small. Just immediate family. It’s been a while since we’ve been to Saint Lucia.”

It had been well over a year since we had visited our island get-away there. We managed to make it Hawaii every six months or so, even if it was just for a long weekend, but Saint Lucia was a bit longer hop. Of course, the GX-3 made the flying time difference much smaller.

“Okay. Is Alison coming, with Rose?”

Alison’s plan for adopting had gone better then she had hoped. Hunter and Lila’s accountant friends had met Alison through Lila and put her in touch with the Catholic orphanage in Dublin. They had a young mother a few months later wanting to give her baby up for adoption. In August, when the baby girl was born, Alison was there with all the paperwork, and ringing endorsements from friends and family. She had confided to Jeryl and myself that it was the only time she ever felt blessed to have been raised Catholic. She and Rose had moved into her new house in Deer Valley in September and she had limited her travel while spending much more time with Jeryl, Anna, Ali and Jer. There were days it felt like I was coming home to a polygamous compound.

I was smart enough to keep that thought to myself, thankfully.

“Yes. She’s actually going down with some security folks a couple of days early to make sure everything is cleaned up and ready. I think Philip is going down with them.”

I smiled.

“Well, I guess that means we’ll eat and drink well,” I said.

Jeryl laughed and said, “You know he’s practically another uncle to the kids, right?”

“I can’t think of a better man for them to look up to.”

I remembered his actions in Greece when we were attacked, and the genuine look of sorrow when he handed me a scotch at Cynthia Morgan’s wake. I really couldn’t think of a better role model for the kids.

“So, when do we leave?”

“Friday. We go down on the 18th and aren’t coming back until the 5th. The State Department, and the Commerce Department, and the DoD and NASA will all have to get along without us for that time.”

“Or settle for corresponding via email,” I said.

“Just manage expectations, Paul. You can check email and respond, but I will take away your computer if it starts taking up too much time.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said with a smile.

She swatted my arm and then gave me a quick kiss.

“How is Tamara doing in Kenya?”

We had sent my new P.A. on a project to help our new African division explore extending the rail lines south to Tanzania. Jeryl helped come up with a reasonable cover story, but the truth was Tanzania had never ratified the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, while Kenya and most of the rest of the world had. Neither country had ratified the Moon Treaty, so we thought operations from that region would have a veneer of diplomatic legitimacy.

We didn’t plan on violating the significant principles of the first treaty. My key concern was the article stating, “The activities of non-governmental entities in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty”. The U.S. government was holding that over our heads, in defining the structure of the charter structure we were hammering out.

“She sends me an update every couple of days. She’s getting some notice from the government. She even partnered with the local Peace Corps bureaucracy working on the benefits of building a spur south from Mombasa or southwest from Nairobi. Given the economic progress Kenya is seeing, the government is pretty keen on getting some of our investments into their country.”

“They don’t really need the desalination plants and farms, do they?”

“No. I’ve got Don and Scott building up the coast from Kenya, near the Somalia border. Your idea of getting the UN and NGOs onboard was brilliant, by the way. They are helping us get into Somalia under the UN resolutions just passed.”

“Promise me you’ll stay out of that mess,” Jeryl said.

“Trust me, I have no desire to go anywhere near there. You and Alison would both kill me, I’m sure.”

“So, you’ll want to start building a launch facility in Tanzania soon?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No, but I want the agreement in place to be able to build one. I’d like to get that agreement before the State of the Union address, but that’s not going to happen.”

“Why not?”

“Too many details to hammer out. We need to spend time with the lawyers, to make sure it is solid and enforceable. For practical purposes, it’s going to be a treaty, more than a contract.”

“Okay. Do you want me to drive that part?”

“Not if it means you aren’t involved in the discussions with the U.S. government.”

“No, I’m just thinking you need a big picture view on Tanzania. I understand the blocks. You want options to circumvent them in the U.S. processes, and make sure those bases are covered.”

I saw where she was going.

“You also understand the overall business structure, and the goals to make sure we don’t get painted into a corner,” she added.

I nodded and said, “I think that is a wonderful idea. When can you start with them?”

She gave me a dirty look and then smiled.

“Not over the holiday, but I probably have time to hop over to Ireland and get the ball rolling this week before we leave.”

“Have them come to you,” I chided. “Sending a GX-3 is such a perk.”

She smiled and swatted my arm before giving me a passionate kiss.

“I love you, Paul, even when you frustrate the hell out of me.”

“I love you, too.”

“Nearly three decades ago, America took up a challenge to journey to the moon. Our best and brightest met that challenge and showed the world what our country, our people, and our spirit could accomplish. As Neil Armstrong said, it was ‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’. It ushered in a new era.” the President paused and looked into the cameras from the rostrum of the House chamber. “Last week, we witnessed the dawning of another new era.”

We had declined an invitation to attend in person, feeling we were going to get enough press as the full story of the President’s plan unfolded. Instead we were watching via satellite from our house in Utah. Last week, GO-X Prime had successfully delivered three communications satellites to geosynchronous orbit and then returned successfully to land at the same runway the shuttles used in Florida. It was this first demonstration of a fully reusable spacecraft the President was referencing.

“A private American company,” he continued, “in conjunction with NASA support, successfully launched and landed a fully reusable spacecraft and delivered into orbit three communications satellites that massed more than the largest load ever carried by our Space Shuttle. They have shown us a path to the future that America had previously turned away from. With the breakthroughs shown us by P.T. Innovations, I will submit to Congress for its consideration a new bill, the Space Homesteading and Resource Exploration Act, to pave America’s return to the moon and establish a full time presence in space; to permanently return to the path first blazed by NASA and our astronauts.”

The audience broke into applause. Once it subsided, the President continued. “Just as the original quest was not simple or easy, this journey will have its challenges, but I believe it is the right course for America, and the world. Our economy is growing slowly; having a new frontier will help it expand dramatically. Our resources are becoming limited; the resources of space are nearly limitless. Our world is growing smaller as all people learn and grow closer; a new frontier will expand our nation’s and the globe’s horizons.”

Once again applause broke out.

“And while many will say we can’t afford to undertake this journey, to create new opportunities and frontiers, I challenge everyone to think of our children and all the children of the world. We choose to embrace our destiny and lead mankind to the spaces and planets beyond earth. To paraphrase one of my more eloquent predecessors, ‘We choose to do these things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because this goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills’. We choose to undertake this journey to demonstrate that America is great and our spirit strong.”

The chamber was on its feet applauding as the President channeled John F. Kennedy into his re-worked speech. The camera pulled back to show everyone on their feet. Senators and representatives from both parties were grinning from ear-to-ear. The Joint Chiefs were applauding, with stoic faces.

The applause continued as the President turned and shook first the Vice President’s hand then the Speaker of the House’s hand before making his way slowly down the aisle, pausing frequently to shake hands like a true politician.

“Tomorrow is going to be busy,” Jeryl said with a smile. We had already been inundated with requests for bids on launch capacity after last week’s successful mission. Gulfstream was already looking at expanding the production run of the GO-X Prime to handle the forecasted demand.

I was about to respond when the phone rang. I shook my head and picked up the call after seeing who it was from. Caller-ID was a feature I had insisted DigiNet build into their phone platform.

“Hi, Kelly. I’m surprised you made it out of the chamber so quickly.”

“You son of a bitch, Paul, you could have given me a little forewarning,” she said.

“Jeryl and I were asked, officially, not to mention it. Sorry. Besides, you’ve been busy in the Senate since being sworn in.”

“My aides have five requests for interviews already. How am I supposed to respond when asked about this bill I know nothing about?”

“The same way as every other Senator, I guess. You need to read and evaluate the bill before responding.” I could imagine her rising anger at my deflections. “Look, you chose the path you are on and we supported you. Now, you need to act like the senior senator of California. I can tell you the bill is good for jobs growth and industry in the state. I can tell you it is good for the country as a whole. Just because it is a Republican initiative does not mean you should not support it. Look at its merits and decide, just like you would for any other proposed law.”

I heard her sigh into the phone. “Okay, I’m sorry if I was a little short. Did you have enough of a hand in this legislation that I’ll be seeing you in a committee hearing?”

Kelly had been assigned to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

“I doubt it. They just want to buy capacity from us, mostly.”

“Okay, at least that won’t be a conflict of interest for me. What about the show? How is it going to feature into this?”

I smiled. Kelly was still as sharp as ever. “If you guys are too slow passing the legislation, it could generate some poor publicity for the legislative branch. If you move quickly, it could give you all some very positive press. Read the bill and then decide what is in your and your party’s best interests. I’m looking at a two year horizon, so I can work with Tom to play it either way.”

“Two years? For what?”

“I want a manned lab in orbit in two years or less. I believe our technology will support that time frame. I know our lift capacity will support it. I don’t need anything from the government to reach that milestone, but the U.S. of A. will not look very credible if private industry has that sort of capability, but the government does not. That part is in your hands, Kelly.”

She sighed, again.

“Why should I have thought you would make this new job easy on me? Okay, Paul, I guess you are once again giving me work to do. I thought I escaped that when I ran for the Senate.”

At least her remarks were given in a joking tone.

“If you have questions after you read the legislation, I’ll be happy to talk. I have context, if nothing else.”

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