"Ben Bova - Jupiter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bova Ben)

Grant nodded.

"The scientists have had their research station in Jupiter orbit for nearly twenty years," Beech said, stressing the word "scientists" ever so slightly. "They have been poking around with the life-forms that exist on two of the planet's moons."

"Three," Grant corrected without thinking. "Plus they've found life-forms in Jupiter's atmosphere, as well."

Beech continued, unfazed. "The work these scientists do is enormously expensive. They are spending money that could be much better used to help the poor and disadvantaged here on Earth."

Before Grant could respond, Beech raised a silencing hand. "Yet we of the New Morality do not object to their work. Even though many of those scientists are doing everything they can to try to disprove the truth of Scripture, we allow them to continue their godless pursuits."

Grant didn't think that studying the highly adapted algae and microbes living in the ice-covered seas of the Jovian moons was a godless pursuit. How could any attempt to understand the fullness of God's creation be considered godless?

"Why do we not object to this enormously expensive waste of funds mid effort?" Beech asked rhetorically. "Because we of the New Morality and similar God-fearing organizations in other nations have seen fit to establish a compromise with the International Astronautical Authority- and the global financial power structure, as well, I might add."

"Compromise?" Grant wondered aloud.

"Fusion," said Beech. "Thermonuclear fusion. The world's economic well-being depends on fusion power plants. Without the energy from fusion, our world would sink back into the poverty and chaos and corruption that spawned wars and terrorism in earlier years. With fusion, we are lifting the standards of living for even the poorest of the poor, bringing hope and salvation to the darkest corners of the Earth."

Grant thought he understood. "And the fuels for fusion-the isotopes of hydrogen and helium-they come from Jupiter."

"That is correct," Beech said, nodding gravely. "The first fusion power plants ran on isotopes dug up on the Moon, but that was too expensive. Jupiter's atmosphere is thick with fusion fuels. Automated scoop-ships bring us these isotopes by the ton."

Grant asked, "But what's that got to do with the scientific research being done at Jupiter?"

Beech spread his hands in a don't-blame-me gesture. "When we of the New Morality pointed out that the money spent on those scientists could be better spent here on Earth, the humanists of the IAA and the major money brokers of our global economy demanded that the research be allowed to continue. They absolutely refused to shut down their research activities."

Good, thought Grant.

"So the compromise was struck: The scientists could continue their work, as long as it was paid for out of the profits from the scoopship operations."

"The fusion fuels pay for the research operations," Grant said.

"Yes, that's the way it's been for the past ten years."

"But what does all this have to do with me? Why are you sending me to Jupiter?"

"We know what the scientists are doing on the moons of Jupiter. But last year they sent a probe into the planet itself."

"They send lots of probes to Jupiter," Grant pointed out.

"This one was manned," said Beech.

Grant gasped with surprise. "A manned probe? Are you certain? I never heard anything about that."

"Neither did we. They did it in secret."

"No! How could-"

"That is why you are being sent to Jupiter. To find out what those godless humanists are trying to achieve," Beech said flatly.