Sampler probe

“Status of probe?” I say.

Rocky checks his readouts. “Device is functioning.”

Rocky did a good job on the sampler probe. At least, I think he did. Engineering isn’t my forte.

The sampler is a steel sphere, 20 centimeters across. It has a nice, thick ring on top that connects to the chain. Small holes perforate the sphere along its equator. They lead to a hollow inner chamber. There’s a pressure sensor in there and a few actuators. The pressure sensor knows when the probe is at the right altitude, and will trigger the actuator to seal off the chamber. It’s a simple matter of rotating the inner chamber shell a few degrees to deliberately misalign the holes in the outer sphere. That misalignment, along with some well-placed gaskets, will seal the local air in the chamber.

He also added a thermometer and heater in there. Once the sampler seals, the heater will maintain whatever temperature the air inside started at. Simple stuff, really, but I hadn’t thought of it. Life can be pretty picky about temperature ranges.

The only remaining piece is a small radio transmitter that broadcasts a weird analog signal I wasn’t able to read or decode with my equipment. Apparently it’s a very standard Eridian data connection. But he has the receiver for it and that’s what matters.

Just like that, with minimal complication, Rocky had made a life-support system for Adrian life-forms—a system that didn’t need to know the conditions to provide in advance. It just maintains the status quo.

He really is a genius. I wonder if all Eridians are like that, or if he’s special.

***

Chapter 19