"Robert A. Heinlein - Rocket Ship Galileo" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

ROCKET SHIP GALILEO
By Robert A. Heinlein



Chapter 1 :: тАЮLET THE ROCKET ROARтАЬ

тАЮEVERYBODY ALL SET?тАЬ Young Ross Jenkins glanced nervously at his two
chums. тАЮHow about your camera, Art? You sure you got the lens cover off
this time?тАЬ
The three boys were huddled against a thick concrete wall, higher than their
heads and about ten feet long. It separated them from a steel stand,
anchored to the ground, to which was bolted a black metal shape, a pointed
projectile, venomous in appearance and an ugly rocket. There were fittings
on each side to which stub wings might be attached, but the fittings were
empty; the creature was chained down for scientific examination.
тАЮHow about it, Art?тАЬ Ross repeated. The boy addressed straightened up to
his full five feet three and faced him.
тАЮLook,тАЬ Art Mueller answered, тАЮof course I took the cover off, itтАЩs on my
check-off list. You worry about your rocket, last time it didnтАЩt fire at all and I
wasted twenty feet of film.тАЬ
тАЮBut you forgot it once, okay, how about your lights?тАЬ
For answer Art switched on his spot lights; the beams shot straight up,
bounced against highly polished stainless-steel mirrors and brilliantly
illuminated the model rocket and the framework which would keep it from
taking off during the test.
A third boy, Maurice Abrams, peered at the scene through a periscope which
allowed them to look over the reinforced concrete wall which shielded them
from the rocket test stand.
тАЮPretty as a picture,тАЬ he announced, excitement in his voice. тАЮRoss, do you
really think this fuel mix is what weтАЩre looking for?тАЬ
Ross shrugged, тАЮI donтАЩt know. The lab tests looked good, weтАЩll soon know. All
right, places everybody! Check-off lists, Art?тАЬ
тАЮComplete.тАЬ
тАЮMorrie?тАЬ
тАЮComplete.тАЬ
тАЮAnd mineтАЩs complete. Stand by! IтАЩm going to start the clock. Here goes!тАЬ He
started checking off the seconds until the rocket was fired. тАЮMinus ten . .
minus nine . . . minus eight . . . minus seven . . . minus six . . . minus five . . .
minus four. . . .тАЬ
Art wet his lips and started his camera.
тАЮMinus three! Minus two! Minus one! Contact!тАЬ
тАЮLet it roar!тАЬ Morrie yelled, his voice already drowned by the ear-splitting
noise of the escaping rocket gas.
A great plume of black smoke surged out the orifice of the thundering rocket
when it was first fired, billowed against an earth ramp set twenty feet behind
the rocket test stand and filled the little clearing with choking fumes. Ross
shook his head in dissatisfaction at this and made an adjustment in the
controls under his hand. The smoke cleared away; through the periscope in
front of him he could see the rocket exhaust on the other side of the concrete