If we just shifted orbits and kept the same speed, it would take
us months to reach Terra. But we'll use one bomb for retrothrust, then
fire two to increase speed. The estimate is that we'll push up to about
forty miles a second."
Koa spoke up. "That's not bad when you think that Mercury is the fastest
planet, and it only makes about thirty miles a second."
"Right," Rip agreed. "After the asteroid is kicked out of orbit, it will
fall toward the sun. At our closest approach to the sun, we'll have
enough velocity to carry us past safely. Then we'll lose speed constantly
until we come into Earth's gravitational field and have to brake."
It was just space luck that Terra was on the other side of the sun from
the asteroid's present position. By the time they approached, it would
be in a good place, just far enough from the line to the sun to avoid
changing course. Of course, Rip's planned orbit was not aiming the
asteroid at Earth, but at where Earth would be at the end of the trip.
"That means more than three weeks of radiation, then," Corporal Santos
observed. "Can we take it, sir?"
Rip shrugged, but the gesture couldn't be seen inside his space suit. "At
the rate we're getting radiation now, plus what I estimate we'll get from
the nuclear explosions, we'll get the maximum safety limit in just three
weeks.
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