Chapter 19 19. Moon pioneers

"Do you know, Dr. Morgan, what exactly is causing your misfortune?" said the man in the easy chair of the two-wheeler. "Essentially, it's because you're not on that planet." "I suppose," retorted Morgan, "the same applies to you." She smiled knowingly: "However, I'm only here for a week in total. I'm going back to the moon soon, where gravity can return to normal. Of course, I can also walk if I need to, but I think it's better to sit in a car." Better." "Then why did you fly to Earth yourself?" "In some cases, it is absolutely necessary to visit the scene in person. Contrary to the prevailing opinion, I believe that communication alone is far from enough to solve the whole problem."

Morgan nodded: the minister makes sense.In many occasions, understanding the organizational structure of a certain material, touching the stones and the soil under your feet, smelling the breath of the forest, and letting the water droplet touch your face will have a positive effect on the design work that people are engaged in. very important meaning.Chances are, at some point in the future, people will be able to transmit even these by radio.However, "beware of counterfeiting" is required. "If you're flying here just for me," said Morgan, "I'd be honored. But please excuse me from going to work on Mars. I'm happy to retire: now I can sometimes I will meet with my relatives and friends, and I don’t plan to start another business again.”

"But you are only fifty-two years old. How can you not work?" asked the minister regretfully. "Just a little work. The engineers of old—the Romans, the Greeks, the Incas—had always interested me, but I never had time to study them. I was invited to the University of the World. to teach, and suggested that I write a textbook on the newest methods of construction. Perhaps through this work I might be able to systematically organize and develop some of my ideas...” "However, this is not a long-term solution. Sooner or later you will get tired of writing articles and lecturing. Dr. Morgan, you are a person engaged in creative activities, and you belong to those who find their greatest happiness in creating the world with their own hands!"

Morgan didn't answer.These words reached his heart. "So, what is your idea about the fact that we are very interested in the space elevator?" The minister asked urgently. "I'm a little skeptical. I've approached you. The answer I gave was: This kind of idea is very good, but at present, funds need to be used to develop Mars. It's nothing more than that: when help is no longer needed, And say we'll be happy to help..." Morgan opened old accounts. "That was a year ago; now the whole situation has changed. Now we support the construction of elevators. Only not on Earth, but on Mars. Do you find it interesting?" The minister quickly changed the subject Come.

"Yes. Go on, please." "On Mars, the gravitational force is only half of that here. The height of the synchronous space orbit will also be reduced by half. Our personnel have initially calculated that the cost of building such a system on Mars can be reduced by an order of magnitude." "It's entirely possible." The minister's remarks clearly aroused Morgan's interest. "That's not all. Although the atmosphere on Mars is very thin, there are hurricanes. However, we have a limited number of mountains that cannot be blown by the wind. Sri Konda - just a poor five-kilometer-high hill That's all. And our Mount Pavonis, which is located exactly on the equator, is 21,000 meters high, and there are no monks or the like... And the position of Deimos, you will remember, it The total distance above the fixed space orbit is only three thousand kilometers, so that we have several megatons ready-made just where the counterweight is needed."

"But the reason why the Earth needs an elevator," said Morgan after a moment of silence: "You know the reason. And what's the use of it for Mars?" "Have you heard of the 'Ios' project? Have you heard of the plan to 'rejuvenate' Mars?" "I know that. Are you trying to dissolve the polar cap?" "Exactly. If this can be done, the density of the atmosphere will increase. In the future, it will gradually become unnecessary to wear a cosmic seal; after a while, the air will become breathable. Rivers will appear on Mars." and a small ocean, after which plants will grow. After two centuries, Mars will be transformed into a paradise. It is the only planet that can be transformed with modern technology," the Minister described a fascinating picture.

"It's clear. But what does it have to do with the lift?" "The problem is that millions of tons of materials need to be transported to space orbit. To heat Mars, many mirrors with a diameter of several hundred kilometers need to be used. When the ice melts, they will maintain normal temperature." "Don't you have many mines on the various asteroids between Mars and Jupiter? Don't you have any raw materials to mine there?" Morgan asked puzzled. "There will be some, no doubt. But good mirrors for this purpose are made of sodium, which is very rare in the universe. The most convenient is to use the salt mines of Tharsis .Fortunately, they are located right next to each other, at the foot of Pavonis."

"It's all very interesting, indeed," Morgan said, "but you may not fully understand that in order to realize this project, a lot of work needs to be done in many aspects, such as: organizing the industrial production of superfibers, reliability and testing. questions and so on... I could literally talk all night." "That's not necessary. If we don't pay attention to various details, we will not be able to continue to survive on Mars. Our engineers have studied all the reports you submitted in detail and suggested that simulation tests be carried out. .This kind of experiment can solve many technical problems and will verify that the design scheme is feasible in principle."

"But what is there to prove here?" Morgan asked. "I agree with you. However, an intuitive performance, no matter how primitive it may be, will change a lot of perceptions. You can have a minimal experimental system--a stick A wire that hangs a few kilograms. Put it from space orbit to the earth. If the system can stand here, let alone on Mars. And then use this system to transport something so that everyone will see that the rocket is indeed obsolete. The cost of experimentation will be relatively cheap, but it will provide practical experience and, in our opinion, avoid Years and months of long-term debate." The minister's words were clearly deliberate.

"Yes, you have indeed thought of all the questions. So when do you need answers?" "To be honest, it would be best to answer now. But, anyway, things can be put off for a while." "Okay, then please send me all your materials." Morgan used very clear words: "As for my decision, I will notify you in a week at the latest." "Thank you. Here is my communication number. You can reach me at any time." Morgan stored the Minister's private number in the memory of his intercom.Perhaps, at this point he had made up his mind about the whole thing.

Had the Martian made no major errors in his calculations--and the chances of them being errors were extremely small--then his idle life would have ended.Morgan was quite comfortable with himself: he often found it difficult to make up his mind on less important issues, and he never hesitated for a second when life turned a corner.And, there are almost never mistakes. As the minister departed in his easy chair--he still had a long way to go to reach Taiping via Oslo and Gagarin--Morgan found that something he had planned to do during the long northern night Can't do it anymore.The suddenly changed future aroused his fanatical imagination. Morgan sighed resignedly, got up from the table and went to the arbor.The night was calm and windless; the chill was not overwhelming - on the contrary it brought a sense of refreshment.The sky was twinkling with stars, and a pale yellow crescent moon was sinking towards its reflection in the fjord; the fjord was so dark and calm that its waters looked like polished ebony generally. Where is Mars?Morgan is ashamed to admit that he didn't even know if he could see Mars today!Scanning forward along the entire ecliptic, from the moon to the dazzling Venus, among the countless diamonds that filled the sky, he found nothing similar to the dark red planet.It's incredible!He, who had never been beyond the space orbit of the Moon, would soon be admiring the majestic splendor of the crimson landscape, and the tiny Martian moons that were rapidly changing phases... At that moment, his illusion was shattered.Morgan stood there for a moment as if rooted, then walked quickly back to the hotel.The beauty of the good night has been forgotten by him.In a blink of an eye, he was already in the studio connected with the Global Information Center, dealing with all the knowledge of mankind single-handedly. During his college years, Morgan had more than once won the race to quickly find information—the first to answer the most intricate questions posed by the most thoughtful judges. (Example: “What was the amount of precipitation in the capital city of the smallest country on the day with the most combined scores in the varsity baseball championship game?” Morgan always recalls this question with fondness.) With years of experience, His technique has become more proficient, not to mention that the questions he is asking now are not at all roundabout.Thirty seconds later, the display unit responded. Morgan stared at the monitor screen for a full minute, then shook his head in bewilderment. "It's a question they never ignore," he murmured, "but how do they get out of it?" Morgan pressed the "Written Copy" button, and returned to his room with a small piece of tissue paper, ready to study it carefully.But what to study?The problem is all too obvious.Couldn't Morgan see even such an obvious answer?To raise the issue—that means putting oneself in a position to be ridiculed.But there is no other way out... Morgan looked at his watch. It was past midnight.But things must not be delayed any longer.The Minister of Finance of the People's Mars must be contacted immediately. To Morgan's relief, the minister heard back immediately. "I'm really sorry, I didn't disturb your sleep, did I?" Morgan said a little insincerely. "No, we're going to land at Gagarin soon. What's wrong?" came the minister's voice from afar. "The problem is that ten-trillion-ton behemoth moving at two kilometers per second—your inner moon, Phobos. The space cruiser will pass every eleven hours in the area where the elevator is. I haven't had time to make accurate calculations, but I can be sure that there will inevitably be a chance of a collision within a few days." Morgan said in a positive tone. The other end of the line fell silent.Finally, the minister spoke. "It's a question that even I can imagine. That said, there will be an answer from my partner working on Mars. It's likely that Phobos will have to be moved from its present position." "It's too heavy. I'm afraid it won't work." "I should get in touch with Mars immediately. The duration of the signal transmission is now twelve minutes. An answer will be available within an hour." The Minister decided decisively. "Well," thought Morgan, "now that I've got to work on this, I hope there's a good answer..."

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