Koa reported, "Sir, the block of thorium is ready. We've hung it on a
line behind the landing-boat. The blast won't hurt it, and it's too big
to get inside the boat."
"Fine, Koa. Well, Captain, that does it."
The Mercurian Planeteers got into their craft and blasted off, trailing
the block of thorium in their exhaust. Rip watched the cruiser take the
craft and thorium aboard, then drive toward Mercury, brilliant sunlight
reflecting from its sleek sides. The planet was only a short distance
away by spaceship. It was the largest thing in space, except for the sun,
as seen from the asteroid.
Past the orbit of Mercury, the sun side of the asteroid grew dangerously
hot for men in space suits. Rip and the Planeteers stayed in the bitter
cold of the dark side, which ceased to be entirely dark. The temperature
rose somewhat. They were close enough to the sun that the prominences,
great flaming tongues of hydrogen that sped many thousands of miles into
space, gave them light and enough heat to register on Rip's instruments.
Mercury was left far behind, and Earth could not be seen because of the
sun. There was nothing to do now but ride out the rest of the trip as
comfortably as possible, until it was time to throw the asteroid into
a series of ever-tightening elliptical orbits around Earth, known as
braking ellipses.
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