But the choice was logical enough. He knew that
most, if not all, of the Planeteer astrophysicists were in either high
or low space on special work. Chances were there was no astrophysicist
nearer than Ganymede. So the choice had fallen to him.
He had a mental image of the Terra base scientists feeding data into the
electronic brain, taking the results, and writing fast orders for the men
and supplies needed. Work at the Planeteer base had probably been
finished within an hour of the time word was received.
When they opened the cases brought aboard by the Martians, he would see
that the method of blasting the asteroid into a course for Earth was all
figured out for him.
Rip was anxious to get at those cases. Not until he saw the method of
operation could he begin to figure his course. But there was no
possibility of getting at the stuff until _Brennschluss_. He put the
problem out of his mind and concentrated on what his men were saying.
"... and he slugged into that asteroid going close to seven AU's," Santos
was saying. The corporal shrugged expressively.
Rip recognized the story. It was about a supply ship, a chemical drive
rocket job, that had blasted into an asteroid a few years before.
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