Read Online Star One: Tycho City Survival by Raymond L. Weil - Free Book Online
Authors: Raymond L. Weil
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its exact trajectory.”
Mase reached
forward and picked up one of the photographs. He noticed that LaRann had
circled a dim dot in the center in red. It looked so harmless in the photo.
Mase was silent for a moment as he thought about what he needed to do. His
throat felt dry, and he reached out and poured some cold water from a small
pitcher on the table into a glass. After taking a long drink, he began thinking
about what his options were.
If this
neutron star was a real threat, Steve Larson on Star One would have to be
notified immediately. Mase would need Steve’s help in order to figure out what steps
they needed to take. The computer core on Star One would be needed to evaluate
the data from Farside’s observations.
Then they
would have to notify Tim McPhryson, the president’s Science Advisor. Mase felt as
if the weight of the world had just settled on his shoulders. There would have
to be a lot of decisions made if this neutron star was coming toward them. With
a sinking feeling, Mase knew this neutron star was about to change all of their
lives. He grew worried about his brother Phillip on Earth and how he might be
affected by all of this. Most of the people living on the Moon still had close
family members on Earth. This could be very difficult for a lot of them once
the news got out.
After speaking
with Pierre for a few more minutes, Mase made his way over to the Albertson
reflector. He wanted to talk to Charles and LeAnn and get their input on the
situation. The two were brilliant scientists in their own right and might be
able to give him more insight on this momentous and dangerous discovery.
Entering the
main observation room, which contained the reflector, he saw the two huddled
over a large computer screen. They both looked up as he walked over to them.
“Have you
talked to Pierre?” LeAnn asked in a quiet voice, her eyes showing deep concern.
“Has he told you what Adam found?”
“Yes,” replied
Mase, trying his best to sound calm. “Are both of you certain that this is a
neutron star we’re dealing with?”
“I found it
hard to believe in the beginning,” admitted Charles, looking up at Mase. “But
after using the telescope and photographing it, there can be no doubt. It’s
there!”
“From our
observations, it’s about eighteen miles in diameter and 2.2 times the mass of
our sun,” continued LeAnn, in an informative voice. “From what Adam told us
earlier, it’s rotating around its axis about two times per second.”
“We also think
it’s heading in our direction,” Charles spoke with a worried frown spreading
across his face. “From the time it was first discovered until now it has shown
virtually no sideways movement.”
“It’s a long
distance from us,” Mase pointed out. “It might take time to show much movement
if it’s moving slowly toward us.”
“That’s the
problem,” added LeAnn with a deep sigh. “If our initial observations are
correct, it’s moving toward us at an extremely high rate of speed.”
“How high?”
asked Mase, feeling a chill run down his back. He didn’t like the looks on
their faces.
LeAnn looked
over at Charles before answering. “We need to run everything through Star One’s
computers, but we think it’s coming toward us at a speed of over three hundred
miles per second.”
Mase’s eyes
widened at this revelation. “Three hundred miles per second,” repeated Mase slowly.
“Isn’t it unusual for a neutron star to be moving at that speed?”
“No,” replied Charles,
arching his eyebrows. “They are the remnants of a nova and the velocity of most
neutron stars is quite high.”
Mase was quiet
as he thought about what the two scientists had just told him. It sounded to
him as if they both believed the neutron star was heading straight toward the solar
system.
“This neutron
star could be extremely dangerous to our solar system and even Earth,” LeAnn
stated, her brown eyes focusing intently on Mase. “If it is on
Mase reached
forward and picked up one of the photographs. He noticed that LaRann had
circled a dim dot in the center in red. It looked so harmless in the photo.
Mase was silent for a moment as he thought about what he needed to do. His
throat felt dry, and he reached out and poured some cold water from a small
pitcher on the table into a glass. After taking a long drink, he began thinking
about what his options were.
If this
neutron star was a real threat, Steve Larson on Star One would have to be
notified immediately. Mase would need Steve’s help in order to figure out what steps
they needed to take. The computer core on Star One would be needed to evaluate
the data from Farside’s observations.
Then they
would have to notify Tim McPhryson, the president’s Science Advisor. Mase felt as
if the weight of the world had just settled on his shoulders. There would have
to be a lot of decisions made if this neutron star was coming toward them. With
a sinking feeling, Mase knew this neutron star was about to change all of their
lives. He grew worried about his brother Phillip on Earth and how he might be
affected by all of this. Most of the people living on the Moon still had close
family members on Earth. This could be very difficult for a lot of them once
the news got out.
After speaking
with Pierre for a few more minutes, Mase made his way over to the Albertson
reflector. He wanted to talk to Charles and LeAnn and get their input on the
situation. The two were brilliant scientists in their own right and might be
able to give him more insight on this momentous and dangerous discovery.
Entering the
main observation room, which contained the reflector, he saw the two huddled
over a large computer screen. They both looked up as he walked over to them.
“Have you
talked to Pierre?” LeAnn asked in a quiet voice, her eyes showing deep concern.
“Has he told you what Adam found?”
“Yes,” replied
Mase, trying his best to sound calm. “Are both of you certain that this is a
neutron star we’re dealing with?”
“I found it
hard to believe in the beginning,” admitted Charles, looking up at Mase. “But
after using the telescope and photographing it, there can be no doubt. It’s
there!”
“From our
observations, it’s about eighteen miles in diameter and 2.2 times the mass of
our sun,” continued LeAnn, in an informative voice. “From what Adam told us
earlier, it’s rotating around its axis about two times per second.”
“We also think
it’s heading in our direction,” Charles spoke with a worried frown spreading
across his face. “From the time it was first discovered until now it has shown
virtually no sideways movement.”
“It’s a long
distance from us,” Mase pointed out. “It might take time to show much movement
if it’s moving slowly toward us.”
“That’s the
problem,” added LeAnn with a deep sigh. “If our initial observations are
correct, it’s moving toward us at an extremely high rate of speed.”
“How high?”
asked Mase, feeling a chill run down his back. He didn’t like the looks on
their faces.
LeAnn looked
over at Charles before answering. “We need to run everything through Star One’s
computers, but we think it’s coming toward us at a speed of over three hundred
miles per second.”
Mase’s eyes
widened at this revelation. “Three hundred miles per second,” repeated Mase slowly.
“Isn’t it unusual for a neutron star to be moving at that speed?”
“No,” replied Charles,
arching his eyebrows. “They are the remnants of a nova and the velocity of most
neutron stars is quite high.”
Mase was quiet
as he thought about what the two scientists had just told him. It sounded to
him as if they both believed the neutron star was heading straight toward the solar
system.
“This neutron
star could be extremely dangerous to our solar system and even Earth,” LeAnn
stated, her brown eyes focusing intently on Mase. “If it is on
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