Sample of Einstein’s Conveyor Belt

A Science Fiction Short Story by John Adams Theibert Jr

Dr. Mierriden walked up to a clear glass podium wearing an orange spacesuit without his helmet. NASA’s trademark symbol was etched on the front plate of the podium. A large cluster of microphones stuck out from the center of the podium. “It’s the beginning of a new dawn of space exploration,” that’s what Dr. Mierriden said as he prepared to unveil the first interstellar spacecraft ever designed.

Huge, fifty-foot high and three-hundred foot long, blue curtains, with yellow stars and galactic disks covering them, wrapped around the spacecraft behind the stage where Dr. Mierriden was giving his speech. A twenty-foot wide forty-foot tall navy-blue tarp, also behind Dr. Mierriden, had NASA’s trademark on it and below that a symbol for the spacecraft, which was that of a golden conveyor belt, starting with the first roller, and heading off in a curving line into a starry expanse. “This is the culmination of many years of research and development and is based on the near-miraculous finding of the now world-famous Einstein Conveyor Belt Papers.

“The irony of the pages of Albert Einstein’s lost theory was that they were found on a mysterious play he had written. The play was found thirty years ago in a yard sale in Pattonsburg, Missouri population 225. It was purchased by retired Nuclear Physicist Dr. Marten D Haginstein for fifty cents. It was titled ‘A Pathway I Found One Day’ by E. A. Steinbert. Hidden in the play were clues to its contents, encrypted in its prose, and the name of the true author, Albert Einstein, encoded in the pseudonym.

“Dr. Haginstein eventually decrypted the theory and gave the world a great hope for future space exploration. Apparently, in the play, Einstein also gave a reason for withholding the theory until as it states: ‘Natural forces line up to allow the discovery of the “Pathway” for the key to its gate is in its location.’”

Dr. Mierriden continued his speech, which eventually ended thirty minutes later. Dr. Mierriden was lucky enough to be selected by Congress to be the first person to take a ride on the space vehicle, in what was called the “First Interstellar Test Flight Hearings.” After four grueling ten-hour questionings sessions and after being grilled by nearly every member of Congress on everything from his knowledge of the machine to his political persuasions, Dr. Mierriden, who was appointed by The President to be the world’s first “Ambassador to Extraterrestrial Species or Beings,” was eventually confirmed.

After Dr. Mierriden’s speech ended the blue curtain covering the spacecraft and the tarp slowly rose. The spacecraft behind the curtain looked like a huge high-tech lathe with the single-occupant pod connected to the center of a ten-foot-thick, sixty-foot-long, silver cylinder. At either end of the central cylinder were too massive magnetic hyper-solenoids, or two huge torus-shaped electromagnetic coils.

Bundles of wires and conduits snaked throughout the machine giving it an ominous appearance. Dr. Mierriden walked back towards the machine. At the top of the ramp next to the pod, an official placed and fastened a helmet on Dr. Mierriden’s blaze orange spacesuit. The pod’s front-facing door opened and Dr. Mierriden stepped into the cockpit. The doctor took the seat, which he was all too familiar with, having been the chief design engineer for the spacecraft. Dr. Mierriden used the intercom to tell the thousands of members of the press more about the machine. The press and guests were all gathered inside the newly constructed largest open-air structure on Earth called the “Hollow Matrix Spimeon Collector.”

The collector was a huge hemispherical geodesic dome with deep blue tubes connected together in even geometric patterns. The structure was five hundred meters tall and one thousand meters wide at the base. Dr. Mierriden stated that: “The collector harnesses the Earth’s extra spimeons or space-time particles in order to help the machine curve space-time around its hyper-magnetic cylinders.

“The hyper-magnets line up the spimeons so that they can grab space-time like a clamp. The spimeons then rap space-time around the machine, until the space-time starts to stretch. The stretched space-time then spools around the cylinders in thin sheets, pulling the dimensional framework of the universe together creating what is known as a ‘Spimeon Dent.’ As the spimeon dent deepens it pulls the space-time of an increasingly distant point in the universe around the cylinder. In effect, the dent brings the destination to the machine in discrete sheets of space-time.

“Essentially, I won’t be leaving; I will be bringing a sliver of the distant place I am going to, to this machine. After the place I am going to gets here, I will open the door to this pod and take a spacewalk in the space surrounding the pod. I will be tethered for the first missions, as I am now. The tether clamped into my suit when I took my seat. I will be using rocket jets on my space suit to maneuver around during my spacewalk. Then when I am finished with the walk the tether will winch me back into the pod and the door will close. I can take some questions from the press now,” the doctor stated. Many reporters raised their hands, and a reporter was selected among them by an official. The reporter was from a national newspaper.

“Dr. Mierriden, approximately how far will you be going on this first mission; and could this ‘spacecraft’ allow you to walk on the moon?” The reporter asked.

“Good question, as for the first part, we are testing it at about near earth orbit for this first mission. We will be implementing the new computerized orbital insertion techniques requisite for the spacewalk; otherwise, I will just end up dangling from the tether under nearly full Earth gravity. Strikingly, until I leave the pod I will still be under full G-forces.

“As for the second part of your question, I think it should certainly be able to send me to the Moon, or Mars for that matter, actually the applications for exploration of just our solar system are practically unlimited. We could visit basically any of the planets, moons or other bodies in the solar system with this machine, in mere moments rather than the years it normally takes; next question.”

Another reporter was selected by the same official. “Hi, Garrison Knightly, Reuters. Could this machine have military applications such as, and I don’t want to be alarmist but, planting of bombs and such, in enemy strongholds, throughout the world,” the reporter asked?

“Certainly, that would be a violation of international law, and could not be applied to this machine. So the answer is absolutely no…” Dr. Mierriden stated.

“Excuse me, but what you are saying is it’s not legal but it’s still possible, physically?” The reporter retorted.

“Clearly it’s physically… plausible, but highly, highly unethical and illegal; next question.”

Another reporter was selected. “Humm, pardon me, Rachael Oliver, BBC. Not to sound silly, but is it safe to be in here, with all these subatomic particles whizzing about? And if not what kinds of health concerns should be worrying us?”

“Yes, it’s perfectly safe, the particles, the spimeons, are collected and focused at this machine, and all of them are used to wrap up space-time, so none are going to be reaching you…” The doctor said.

“Yes, Yes but, what of the space-time rapping? Is that terribly safe?” The Reporter interrupted.

“It has been done successfully thousands of times before bringing this program public with this first human test flight. We have sent robotic probes and conducted thousands of very thorough tests with the most sophisticated sensory equipment on Earth, to test radiation and other phenomenological exposures of occupants and audiences around the machine. All have come up as safe and secure. No ill health effects have been detected at any point during the testing.”

Another reporter questioned. “Dr. Mierriden, what exactly is a ‘spimeon,’ and how exactly are they collected by this, structure?”

“Excellent question; spimeons were referred to as space-time particles in the Einstein Conveyor Belt Papers. They are a part of a recently proven quantum theory of gravity that Einstein developed in secret for obvious reasons, some of which were alluded to in previous questions here. As for the method of their collection by the ‘Hollow Matrix Spimeon Collector’ that is accomplished through the careful application of Einstein’s quantum theory of gravity. You see according to the theory all matter in the universe radiate space-time, specifically in the form of these space-time particles or spimeons, which is chiefly why all matter has mass.

“In order to make a spimeon collector we had to first find a way to curve space-time. This structure is not only the largest but, even if you consider the Great Wall of China, also the heaviest known man-made structure on Earth. Each of the colossal 260 foot thick tubes of this 1,650-foot high geodesic dome is filled with concrete laden with large quantities of depleted uranium. The shape and mass of this geodesic dome curve space-time just enough for this device, at its center, to grab that curvature and wrap it around the outside of the cylinder of the spacecraft.”

After several more questions regarding everything from religious concerns to conspiratorial posers, Dr. Mierriden ended the questioning.

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