That's about all."
Nuclear physics had been part of his training. He read the gamma meter
again and did some quick calculations. They would be exposed for the
entire trip, at a daily dosage of--
Koa interrupted his train of thought. Evidently the sergeant major had
been doing some calculations of his own. "How long will we be on this
rock, sir? You've never told us just how long the trip will take."
Rip said quietly, "With luck, it will take us a little more than three
weeks."
He could see their faces faintly in the dim sunlight. They were shocked.
Spaceships blasted through space between the inner planets in a matter
of hours. The nuclear drive cruisers, which could approach almost half
the speed of light, had brought even distant Pluto within easy reach.
The inner planets could be covered in a matter of minutes on a straight
speed run, although to take off from one and land on the other meant
considerable time used in acceleration and deceleration.
The Planeteers were used to such speed. Hearing that it would take over
three weeks to reach Earth had jarred them.
"This piece of metal isn't a spaceship," Rip reminded them. "At the
moment, our speed around the sun is just slightly more than ten miles a
second.
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