old-fashioned letter rather than an electronic squirt,” she said, opening it.
“Hang the expense,” Viktor said. “Is also much more secure this way.”
They read it together. “Now will be much fun to talk to Praknor,” Viktor remarked.
“I can’t believe it,” Praknor said.
They showed her the letter. Axelrod had even written it by hand; he never trusted the security of digital media and more than once had been proved right. Praknor read it over twice.
“The big nuke is for heavy Mars hauling, yes.” Viktor began, as usual, by illuminating the tech angle. “Will land with plenty supplies, rovers, support gear. Rut will take off with water in holds.”
“This is insane,” Praknor said quietly.
“Maybe, but is orders.” Viktor even smiled.
“I thought, I was told, I was to prepare you for transfer to the moon. But, but—to send you to Pluto!”
“They need help,” Julia said. “Nobody there has experience dealing with alien life, communication—”
“And you …”
Praknor didn’t finish her sentence, but Julia knew how it went: You over-the-hill types are going to ride out there in the biggest, best nuke yet built, to help? When young people like me are available? Ah, the arrogance of youth!
“We are only part of it,” Viktor said crisply. “This nuke has crew, supplies needed on Pluto, just needs us for maybe helping with the communication problem. And Axelrod, he has money in his mind, too.”
Praknor shook her head. “There’s no money to be made at Pluto. That’s an ISA expedition.”
Julia suppressed a smile. The whole nuclear rocket program had emerged from military, commercial, and exploratory arms. The Mars Prize itself had been the first step toward true international cooperation, and it had drawn two entries: Axelrod’s Consortium from the USA, flying in big chemical boosters, and the Euro-Chinese end run, using a nuke.
After that, it seemed obvious that merging abilities and assets, with economies of scale, could make space a far easier enterprise. Ultimately that cooperation had formed the International Space Agency. Axel-rod’s can-do personality had driven much of it. Julia spoke with him nearly every week, still, but her memories of him were over two decades old now and fading. But she was sure that the man would never do anything that did not hold at least the promise of profit.
“You forget the ice asteroids,” Viktor said.
Praknor just looked perplexed, so he went on. “Inner solar system was dried out by early, hot sun—the T Tauri stage, is called. Sun’s light pressure blew lots of light elements out, so the gas giants are all beyond the asteroids—and even ’roids are dry. To develop inner solar system, need light elements—water, carbon dioxide, methane. There are whole chunks of that orbiting out beyond Neptune—the Pluto expedition found lots. Tested a few. Axelrod wants to move some in, far in—to here—so Consortium can use.”
Praknor snorted with derision. “Move asteroids? Wouldn’t it take huge energies?”
“No, little needed. ’Roids out there move with orbital velocities of maybe one, two kilometers per second. Slow. Take that away, they fall straight in toward sun.”
“But even a small change, for such a huge mass—”
“Use nuke reactor. Melt some of ice, heat, blow it out back, makes rocket. Use the ’roid’s own ice to move it. Cheap.”
Praknor blinked, her mouth pursed, and then she stiffened. “That’s what the board thinks?”
“Axelrod says so in his letter,” Julia added. “Me, I think he wants to get all the help he can for the Pluto expedition. After all, it’s getting plenty of media attention—distracting people from what we’re doing here.”
Praknor said slowly, “He wants to get back in the game.”
Julia could tell by the subtle sag of Praknor’s shoulders that she was accepting defeat. “If he can supply water to people in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, he can capture all
“Hang the expense,” Viktor said. “Is also much more secure this way.”
They read it together. “Now will be much fun to talk to Praknor,” Viktor remarked.
“I can’t believe it,” Praknor said.
They showed her the letter. Axelrod had even written it by hand; he never trusted the security of digital media and more than once had been proved right. Praknor read it over twice.
“The big nuke is for heavy Mars hauling, yes.” Viktor began, as usual, by illuminating the tech angle. “Will land with plenty supplies, rovers, support gear. Rut will take off with water in holds.”
“This is insane,” Praknor said quietly.
“Maybe, but is orders.” Viktor even smiled.
“I thought, I was told, I was to prepare you for transfer to the moon. But, but—to send you to Pluto!”
“They need help,” Julia said. “Nobody there has experience dealing with alien life, communication—”
“And you …”
Praknor didn’t finish her sentence, but Julia knew how it went: You over-the-hill types are going to ride out there in the biggest, best nuke yet built, to help? When young people like me are available? Ah, the arrogance of youth!
“We are only part of it,” Viktor said crisply. “This nuke has crew, supplies needed on Pluto, just needs us for maybe helping with the communication problem. And Axelrod, he has money in his mind, too.”
Praknor shook her head. “There’s no money to be made at Pluto. That’s an ISA expedition.”
Julia suppressed a smile. The whole nuclear rocket program had emerged from military, commercial, and exploratory arms. The Mars Prize itself had been the first step toward true international cooperation, and it had drawn two entries: Axelrod’s Consortium from the USA, flying in big chemical boosters, and the Euro-Chinese end run, using a nuke.
After that, it seemed obvious that merging abilities and assets, with economies of scale, could make space a far easier enterprise. Ultimately that cooperation had formed the International Space Agency. Axel-rod’s can-do personality had driven much of it. Julia spoke with him nearly every week, still, but her memories of him were over two decades old now and fading. But she was sure that the man would never do anything that did not hold at least the promise of profit.
“You forget the ice asteroids,” Viktor said.
Praknor just looked perplexed, so he went on. “Inner solar system was dried out by early, hot sun—the T Tauri stage, is called. Sun’s light pressure blew lots of light elements out, so the gas giants are all beyond the asteroids—and even ’roids are dry. To develop inner solar system, need light elements—water, carbon dioxide, methane. There are whole chunks of that orbiting out beyond Neptune—the Pluto expedition found lots. Tested a few. Axelrod wants to move some in, far in—to here—so Consortium can use.”
Praknor snorted with derision. “Move asteroids? Wouldn’t it take huge energies?”
“No, little needed. ’Roids out there move with orbital velocities of maybe one, two kilometers per second. Slow. Take that away, they fall straight in toward sun.”
“But even a small change, for such a huge mass—”
“Use nuke reactor. Melt some of ice, heat, blow it out back, makes rocket. Use the ’roid’s own ice to move it. Cheap.”
Praknor blinked, her mouth pursed, and then she stiffened. “That’s what the board thinks?”
“Axelrod says so in his letter,” Julia added. “Me, I think he wants to get all the help he can for the Pluto expedition. After all, it’s getting plenty of media attention—distracting people from what we’re doing here.”
Praknor said slowly, “He wants to get back in the game.”
Julia could tell by the subtle sag of Praknor’s shoulders that she was accepting defeat. “If he can supply water to people in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, he can capture all
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