[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
"Well," she murmured, "so long as everybody's sure."
Low and Borden paid no attention to the discussion. They were too busy
computing trajectories, velocities, orbits, and a thousand and one other
necessities.
Low didn't even dwell on Robbins's planned participation in the EVA. When it
had first been proposed to him, he'd naturally been dead set against it. But
the agency had been adamant. The publicity was too
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
promising to pass up. Besides, with Low and Brink to watch her every move,
what could possibly go wrong? Spacewalking was old hat by now, the suits were
idiot-proof and it wasn't as if they had to perform some complex engineering
procedure during the EVA.
As it had been explained to him, it would be more in the nature of a stroll in
the park. Brink would be carrying out the actual research. The Commander could
spend most of his time keeping an eye on their resident journalist. If
necessary, all of her suit functions could be operated remotely from the
shuttle.
Nevertheless it was not an assignment that filled him with much glee.
Aware that he was arguing with a bureaucracy whose density approximated that
of lead, Low had eventually given in. That did not mean that in the interim he
had developed any enthusiasm for the proposal. If it had been left up to him,
he would have voted for an immediate return to the Cape as soon as their main
objective was accomplished. He did not propose the notion, knowing that Brink
would sooner maroon himself on the object than surrender the opportunity to be
the first scientist actually to do fieldwork on an asteroid. The scientist
would freely have walked through the fires of any religion's hell for the
chance.
Brink's urgency he could at least understand. For that matter, a small part of
him he tried hard not to acknowledge was also looking forward to the
encounter.
A compromise was reached. There would be an EVA, but it would be kept
conservatively short. They would make one drop, do some basic surveying, take
some surface samples, let Robbins gush breathlessly for the benefit of
watching millions, and return to the shuttle.
"We have concluded the engineering stage of this mission," Brink was
observing. "Now the work of science can begin."
"Not until we catch up to it again, Ludger." Borden glanced over at the
hovering scientist. "Tell me, what did the biologist say when he saw something
moving in the Black Forest?" When Brink did not reply, the copilot responded
with a deliberately heavy accent, "Gee!Gnomes!"
Miles laughed, Low conceded a grin and a smiling Brink nodded approvingly.
Robbins looked completely at a loss. Trying to puzzle it out, she drifted into
the rear of Low's seat. One elbow nudged his arm.
"Give me some room, please, Maggie."
"Sorry." Using one finger, she pushed off the back of his flight chair.
"Nobody's going to explain it to me, right?Right?"
"Hang on to something," Borden advised her cheerily.
Page 36
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Once more the shuttle's thrusters were fired, raising her orbit and slowing
her down. Before long they were closing on their target for the second time.
"There it is!" Robbins pointed excitedly toward the one increasingly bright
dot in the heavens, steadying herself with a handhold. "I can see it."
No one else commented. Low murmured a command to Borden, who executed the
required function as fluidly and efficiently as a third hand. Complex
operations continued to be carried out at the rate of
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
approximately six per casual joke.
Soon the lambent disk they were closing on resolved itself into a crusted
spheroid, becoming real instead of theoretical.
"I can see where one of the bombs went off," Robbins announced.
"Not bombs." Brink corrected her firmly."Attitude-adjustment devices. All
three space agencies involved will be most distressed if in your continuing
reports you refer to the devices as bombs."
"Whatever," she snapped impatiently. "Look over there."
A deep gouge where none had been before was clearly visible in the surface of
the asteroid. Since the rays of the sun struck the object at an angle, they
were unable to see very far into the newly created chasm. A second, matching
fissure lay somewhere farther to the relative west of the one they were
hovering above.
Not only was Brink not displeased by this apparent desecration of the
specimen, he was delighted. The cleft would provide access to the asteroid's
interior, something never before examined. He fully intended to explore it as
deeply as their suits would allow.
Low and Borden continued the delicate task of maneuvering the shuttle still
closer to the object, until they were racing along in orbit no more than
thirty meters apart.
"Looks clean."Miles played the shuttle's powerful external light over the
heavily impacted surface. It illuminated a portion of the recently created
crevasse, leaving the ultimate depths inviolate. "Not much debris floating
around."
"The force of the explosions would have blown most fragments clear," Brink
declared."Pity."
"Compliments to the engineers who built the devices."Low turned toward the
rear of the cockpit. "You ready for your stroll in the park, Ludger?" But the
scientist was already pulling himself toward the rear of the cabin and the row
of waiting suits.
"Level of residual radioactivity is high, but within acceptable limits." Miles
eyed the Commander. "I
wouldn't recommend more than the one EVA, though."
Low slid out of his chair. "That's all right, Cora. That's what we've
scheduled, and that's all we're going to do."
"You're sure this is perfectly safe?" Robbins followed Low.
"A little late to be wondering, isn't it, Maggie?" He looked over at her. "You
can back out anytime."
She flushed angrily. "I didn't say that. Did I say anything like that?"
"No, you didn't. And to answer your question, no, it's not perfectly safe.
Very little in science is perfect.
But it's pretty damn reasonably safe, or I wouldn't be going out there
myself."
She nodded thoughtfully as she digested this. Behind her, Borden called out
cheerfully. "See you guys in about an hour. If you happen to find a Circle-K
down there, I'd like a cold six-pack and a giant bag of
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
chips.Cajun-style."
Page 37
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Anything else?"Low asked dryly as he helped Brink with the first suit.
"Nothing that I'd request in mixed company."Borden looked around the back of
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]