"The Sails Of Tau Ceti" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCollum Michael)

this light sail. That does not mean wehave to send it out. How do we know weТll
learn anything worthwhile?Ф
УDamn it, weТre talking about a vessel built by alien sapients,Ф an exasperated
Hunsacker muttered. УHow can wenot learn from it?Ф
УNo sense getting upset, Boris,Ф Pierce said calmly. УToryТs questions deserve
an answer. What do we know about this light sail?Ф
Hunsacker put up the hologram showing Tau Ceti, its light ring, and the sail
just beyond the ringТs milk-white boundary. УFrom its infrared spectrum, we
estimate the sail temperature to be 50░K. That is a bit high for that distance
from Sol, but not excessively so. We can also estimate its size.Ф
УSurely it isnТt close enough to show a disk,Ф Groschenko said.
Hunsacker laughed. УNo, not anywhere near close enough. We can put an upper
bound on its size from the fact that we did not detect it before now. To have
escaped our notice, the sail cannot be larger than 1000 kilometers in diameter.
It may be smaller.Ф
Pierce looked at his comely assistant. УTheyТve got the proxies of every one of
our sponsors on Earth. Even if we wanted to stop them, we couldnТt. How long
before we can launch?Ф
She activated her implant and quickly reviewed the projectТs status. A moment
later, she answered, УA month, Dard. We will need to accelerate the
certification process. That should not be a problem now that the mission has
been shortened. ThereТs a big difference between a voyage lasting a few years
and one lasting half a century.Ф
УWhat about fuel loading?Ф
УWeТll need to get priority at the Phobos refinery.Ф
УI will take care of it, Miss Bronson,Ф Jorge Contreras, the Mars government
representative, said from across the table. He scrawled a note on his electronic
notepad.
Pierce nodded. УThen we launch one month from today. Let us talk about
whatStarhopper is going to do when it gets there. Boris, you have had the most
time to think about it. What say we begin with you?Ф

CHAPTER 3

Victoria Bronson sat at the bar and nursed a double scotch, her second. Ben
Stalling regarded her with curious eyes.
УWhatТs the matter with you?Ф she asked petulantly after intercepting his third
sidelong glance in as many minutes.
He sipped from his beer before answering. УOf all people, I would expect you to
be the most ecstatic about this discovery.Ф
УI am ... sort of.Ф
УThen why the long face?Ф
УItТs hard to explain.Ф
УIТm listening.Ф
УIТve spent the three years of my life working on that damned probe.Ф
УSo?Ф
УSo, we built it to go to the stars, not to take pictures of a bit of space
flotsam.Ф
УItТs damned important flotsam.Ф
УWhy? Just spotting it tells us that we are not alone in the universe. What else