Iron Motherlode

Story

Copyright 2022 by John Wells. All Rights Reserved.

Wendy smile as she reads the initial star system survey on her main screen. Nature made most of the astrological bodies out of iron, which is her best choice for a profit.

Every ship that is the first to enter a star system must make certain reports on it, such as star type, number of planets, number of moons for each planet, number of dwarf planet size objects, orbits, rotations, and sizes. This includes a three dimensional image of each object. Mining ships must do a remote survey on each object dwarf planet size or larger. Any object that might contain life must have a full planet's day survey on the surface. Earth's Galactic Authority regulates all of this.

Wendy’s job is to decide what to do, while the computer artificial intelligence (AI) does it all. Her AI calculates the path and flies the ship. If she can mine the iron, the AI will perform that job as well.

Her AI sends all reports directly back to the Earth’s Internet. This will update the data available to every spaceship from Earth. The AI accomplished it via a wormhole. A miniature wormhole allowing two-way serial data communication within an integrated circuit (IC). One end is on the internal Internet of the spaceship. The other end is on the Internet network on Earth.

All mining spaceship’s Internet connections are within the servers of Earth’s Mine Regulatory Authority. Things like mine claims do not leave the authority. They release star system data to Earth’s Galactic Authority which they report to. There are other authorities to manage each type of spaceship in existence all under the control of the Galactic Authority.

Wendy handles each astrological object in the quickest path, leaving the most interesting one last. She would rather wait to find out if the days ahead of her are a waste of time. Better to have less than a day left to waste than the two weeks doing everything required after finding out there is life here and she must move on.

Wendy smiles at each astrological object. They appear to all be solid iron or with a melted iron core. If the carbon dioxide (CO2) planet does not have life, she found the motherlode. She could buy a few bigger ships to harvest this entire system, leaving nothing but the red dwarf star.

Wendy looks at the remote geological survey report on her main screen about the planet below her from her mining spaceship. It is the last thing standing in the way of trillions of profit.

The density of the planet creates a lot of pressure on the surface. The atmosphere is unique, just CO2, and the surface is just iron. Her report concludes the planet is likely to be completely iron, even its melted core. As the planet spins, the side turned towards the star rains liquid CO2 down on the iron, dissolving it and leaving ponds. The colder side evaporates the CO2 every night.

At midday, supercritical carbon dioxide forms where you cannot tell what is liquid, and what is gas. What looks like liquid is above the surface without spilling, as surface tension keeps it together like a rain drop sitting on a surface. But it is a whole pond size drop.

But Earth’s galactic rules require there to be no life in the star system. Her AI stated this planet is the only possibility of life in her system scan. No planets here have water and past scientists have theorized CO2 could be another method.

Wendy sends a sampling drone down on the nighttime side. It gathers samples of the iron dust around and in a dried-up pond. It drills some core samples in the area as well. The data from the drone got sent via a wormhole connection to Wendy’s ship after analyzing each sample.

The drone will stay on the planet until a full day’s rotation completes. It will make samples every few hours at different locations throughout the day.

Wendy could see each individual report but all she cares about is the life or not answer. Then, she may consider other detailed reports. This is the limit to what she can do until the computer completes the analyzed results of the samples.

Once the day was complete, the drone returned to the ship. However, Wendy got the bad news within moments of the first sample completion. The drone discovered two forms of life. The cells of both life forms use liquid CO2 instead of water. Their DNA is comprised of the three atoms that exist on the planet: carbon, iron, and oxygen.

A reddish brown moss like growth surrounds the ponds entering to almost fifty centimeters (19.7 IN) of pond depth and extending twenty centimeters (7.9 IN) beyond the edge. It grows on a mixture of the CO2 liquid and its dissolved iron. It cannot survive the pressure deeper in the pool, while it dries out too much further from the edge.

A tiny (3 MM or 1/8 IN) brown spider like insect eats the moss and got seen moving around the entire planet. Those that get caught in a pool drown and dissolve by the time the pool dries out.

The only good news is she earned her place in the history courses for discovering life that is not water based. She proves astrobiologists Nediljko Budisa and Dirk Schulze-Makuch theory correct. CO2 can create life.