"Michael Flynn - Wreck of The Rivers of Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Flynn Michael)

(тАЬDescribe the failure mode?тАЭ said Ratline aside to Satterwaithe. тАЬDid he go blind?тАЭ But Satterwaithe
did not laugh.)

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тАЬAhтАжThe anode draws electrons into the convergence zone, whichтАжтАЭ Miko spoke hesitantly, as if
reciting. The mate too was aware of the audience that watched and listened, but was less welcoming of
its attention than the engineer. тАЬтАжwhich creates a virtual cathode. And that, in turn, draws the ions so
they can compactify and fuseтАжтАЭ

тАЬI asked not how it worked, but how it failed.тАЭ

тАЬWell, thermal stress is usually due to ionic or electronic impact. I would guess that the magnetic
insulation failed.тАЭ

тАЬYou would guess,тАЭ said Bhatterji.

Miko hesitated. тАЬIтАЩm certain. Almost.тАЭ

тАЬVery good,тАЭ said Bhatterji. тАЬCertainty must never be absolute.тАЭ

(тАЬGo to the head of the class,тАЭ sneered Ratline. Satterwaithe sought to hush him with a hand to his wrist,
but the cargo master yanked his arm away and glared at the Third Officer. тАЬYou know better than that,тАЭ
he whispered harshly.)

тАЬAnd so,тАЭ said Bhatterji, тАЬwe inspect the magnetic projectors.тАЭ

Corrigan, from the bridge, interrupted. тАЬDid you examine the fiber optic controls?тАЭ

тАЬTheyтАЩre fried. The Florence struts are buckled too. Secondary failures caused by the anode slagging.тАЭ
He touched a helmet control and his vision went to infrared and he was engulfed in a starless haze. The
slagged anode was a dull ember. Far off to his left, he could just see Number Four still cooling down
after the automatic cutoff. To his right, the comm tower obstructed his view of Number Two.

Bhatterji examined the CoRE magnets and could see the residual heat in swirls of yellow and orange.
The scale on his visor gave him the temperature and a whispered query to Ship told him how hot the
coils must have gotten to be so warm yet. He did not like the answer, not at all.

тАЬThe magnet overheated,тАЭ he said.

тАЬThe safeties tripped,тАЭ Miko told him. But they had known that from the diagnostics soon after the
shutdown.

Bhatterji restored his sight to the visible bands. тАЬSo they did,тАЭ he said, тАЬbut perhaps a little too slowly.
Two of the breakers I see are visibly worn. In any event, the CoRE superconductors have also been
quenched.тАЭ