"William Forstchen - Article 23" - читать интересную книгу автора (Forstchen William R)

Matt gulped and shook his head ruefully. The ultimate moment of embarrassment for the solar sailor had
been when he jumped up a bit too quickly at the dinner table, forgetting that he would not simply float
away. Instead, he crashed down on the table in the Chinese restaurant, ruining his dress white uniform.

"How you Earthsiders live with gravity all the time is beyond me," Matt said. "It'll be good to be able to
float again."

"We'll be back at the Academy soon enough," Justin replied.

It was hard to believe he was actually heading back to the Academy. Only two weeks ago he had
thought for sure that he'd wash out at the end of the summer session. Thanks to the help of a lot of friends
he managed (somewhat to his own surprise) to squeak through the Astro-Navigation course and was
now returning for his first full year as a cadet at Star Voyager Academy.

"Please fasten seatbelts for liftoff," a computerized voice announced.

Justin settled down into his seat by the window and strapped himself in.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Skyhook Tower One, first tower to the stars. This is passenger
car number 338, departing at 1303 Greenwich Space Time, arriving at Geosynch Orbit Base at 1919
Greenwich Space Time. Even if you have traveled with us before, please pay close attention to the safety
briefing."

Justin watched the computer screen mounted into the back of the seat in front of him as the crew pointed
out where space suits were stored in case air pressure inside the cabin was lost. Justin shook his head at
that one. If they had a catastrophic depressurization there would be just enough time to look at the
instructions for getting the shit out of its bag before it was all over.

"If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask your computer, the serving 'bots, or your flight
attendant. We are second in line for boost so please remain in your seats until the seatbelt light is turned
off."

A shudder ran through the cabin and Justin looked out the window to watch the show.

He half-wished that he lived back in the old days before 2050 when there was only one way to get into
space aboard a shuttle plane. He remembered his grandfather's stories about riding an old United States
second generation shuttle, soaring to the heavens atop a pillar of fire. But those days were just about
finished because of the Skyhook Tower, which was far safer and a hundred times cheaper for boosting a
passenger into space.

The tower was opening up space. Well over a hundred thousand passengers per day were going up or
coming back down on the thirty-seven thousand kilometer-high tower, along with several hundred
thousand tons of manufactured goods and supplies.

Outside his window he saw the vast domed pavilion of the Rio Skyhook Terminal, packed with
thousands of passengers rushing to catch their rides into space or waiting for those coming back. It was
obvious who the space travelers returning to Earth were. Many of them had been too long away from the
home world's standard gravity and moved slowly, or rode on small float chairs until they got used to
gravity again.