There was no other
sensation, even though the space cruiser was now spinning on its axis
through space at unaltered speed. The centrifugal force produced by the
spinning gave them an artificial gravity.
Now that he thought about it, _Brennschluss_ had come pretty early. The
trip apparently was going to be a short one. _Brennschluss_--funny, he
thought, how words stay on in a language, even after their original
meaning is changed. _Brennschluss_ was German for "burn out." It was
rocket talk, and it meant the moment when all the fuel in a rocket burned
out. It had come into common use because the English "burn out" could
also mean that the engine itself had burned out. The German word meant
only the one thing. Now, in nuclear drive ships, the same word was used
for the moment when power was cut off.
Words interested him. He started to mention it to Koa just as the
telescreen lit up. An officer's face appeared. "Send that Planeteer
officer to the commander," the face said. "Tell him to show an exhaust."
Rip called instantly to the safety officer. "Where's his office?"
The safety officer motioned to a spaceman. "Show him, Nelson."
Rip followed the spaceman through a maze of passages, growing more
weightless with each step.
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