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Authors: Benjamin Johncock
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back to the fall of fifty-seven, sitting outside Pancho’s with a warm beer; Jim and a few of the others passing round the binoculars, trying to see the Sputnik as it passed overhead.
Ike said anything? Pancho said.
Why the hell should he? Harrison said.
You can certainly hear the damn thing, Ridley said.
Cardenas had pulled his car over. KCAW was broadcasting the satellite’s transmission live. You sure we’re gonna be able to see it? he said.
Damn right, Pancho said. I can’t get that goddamn bleeping out of my head. You think it’s a code, or something?
Hang on, Harrison said. Listen.
— launched earlier tonight. The official Soviet news agency TASS says that the man-made satellite is circling the Earth once every hour and thirty-five minutes. The rocket that carried the artificial moon into space left the Earth at five miles a second. It has a diameter of twenty-two inches and weight a hundred and eighty-four pounds. Nothing has been revealed about the material of which it is constructed, nor where in the Soviet Union it was launched from.
What’s the big deal? Harrison said.
Beats me, Ridley said.
Both us and the Russians have been talking about launching an Earth satellite since fifty-five, for chrissake; part of the International Geophysical Year. Why the surprise? The Naval Research Lab’s launching ours on a Vanguard in December. That right, Jack?
That’s right.
Whole lot of fuss over nothing, Cardenas said.
Well I sure as hell don’t like the idea of some secret Commie machine buzzin me fifteen goddamn times a day, Pancho said.
I don’t like it either, Grace said.
Wait til the X-15 rolls out, end of June, Ridley said. It’s been designed to fly at two hundred and eighty thousand feet—that’s fifty miles up—beyond where the atmosphere ends and space begins. Scotty’s already in training to fly it. Jim here, a few other fellas—an maybe a coupla boys from the NACA—will follow. Forget satellites, they’ll be the first men in space.
Grace stared at her husband. He shrugged his shoulders.
You fellas got your sights set on space? Pancho said.
We been goin higher an faster the last ten years, Ridley said. Next logical step for the X-series.
Sounds like a whole heap of pie in the sky, Pancho said.
North American’s already working on the follow-up, Harrison said. Two pilots will fly it into orbit, take a few little turns around the Earth, land on that glorious ol lakebed out there.
Hold on, Cardenas said, binoculars pressed against his eyes. I think I see it.
They watched the white grain glide across the silent dark sky as the country slumbered below.
Feels strange, Grace said. Creepy. Like we’ve invaded the heavens or something.
Harrison looked at her and frowned.
What I mean is, she said, no one’s been up there— out there—before, ever; now here we are.
We’re not, the Reds are, Cardenas said.
Makes you wonder what else they got up their sleeves, don’t it? Pancho said.
You don’t feel it? Grace said to Jim.
Feel what?
Like something’s shifted.
No one’s going to remember this in a year’s time, Harrison said.
Hey, Ridley said. I can see it without the bins.
On the radio, the announcer said, listen now for the sound that forevermore separates the old from the new.
That next morning , Grace went to Rosamond and bought as many newspapers as she could carry. When she got home, she spread them out on the kitchen table in front of Jim.
SOVIETS FIRE EARTH SATELLITE INTO SPACE
RUSSIAN MOON CIRCLING THE EARTH
SPACE AGE IS HERE !
COMMUNISTS WIN RACE INTO OUTER SPACE
TRACK RED MOON BY RADIO
He put down his coffee.
What the hell? he said and started to read.
You think the press is going to give a damn about the X-15? she said.
The Sputnik in its flight across the world may be a courier of such dire portent to national security that considerations of partisan politics have no place in the discussion of how this happened and what to do about it , he
Ike said anything? Pancho said.
Why the hell should he? Harrison said.
You can certainly hear the damn thing, Ridley said.
Cardenas had pulled his car over. KCAW was broadcasting the satellite’s transmission live. You sure we’re gonna be able to see it? he said.
Damn right, Pancho said. I can’t get that goddamn bleeping out of my head. You think it’s a code, or something?
Hang on, Harrison said. Listen.
— launched earlier tonight. The official Soviet news agency TASS says that the man-made satellite is circling the Earth once every hour and thirty-five minutes. The rocket that carried the artificial moon into space left the Earth at five miles a second. It has a diameter of twenty-two inches and weight a hundred and eighty-four pounds. Nothing has been revealed about the material of which it is constructed, nor where in the Soviet Union it was launched from.
What’s the big deal? Harrison said.
Beats me, Ridley said.
Both us and the Russians have been talking about launching an Earth satellite since fifty-five, for chrissake; part of the International Geophysical Year. Why the surprise? The Naval Research Lab’s launching ours on a Vanguard in December. That right, Jack?
That’s right.
Whole lot of fuss over nothing, Cardenas said.
Well I sure as hell don’t like the idea of some secret Commie machine buzzin me fifteen goddamn times a day, Pancho said.
I don’t like it either, Grace said.
Wait til the X-15 rolls out, end of June, Ridley said. It’s been designed to fly at two hundred and eighty thousand feet—that’s fifty miles up—beyond where the atmosphere ends and space begins. Scotty’s already in training to fly it. Jim here, a few other fellas—an maybe a coupla boys from the NACA—will follow. Forget satellites, they’ll be the first men in space.
Grace stared at her husband. He shrugged his shoulders.
You fellas got your sights set on space? Pancho said.
We been goin higher an faster the last ten years, Ridley said. Next logical step for the X-series.
Sounds like a whole heap of pie in the sky, Pancho said.
North American’s already working on the follow-up, Harrison said. Two pilots will fly it into orbit, take a few little turns around the Earth, land on that glorious ol lakebed out there.
Hold on, Cardenas said, binoculars pressed against his eyes. I think I see it.
They watched the white grain glide across the silent dark sky as the country slumbered below.
Feels strange, Grace said. Creepy. Like we’ve invaded the heavens or something.
Harrison looked at her and frowned.
What I mean is, she said, no one’s been up there— out there—before, ever; now here we are.
We’re not, the Reds are, Cardenas said.
Makes you wonder what else they got up their sleeves, don’t it? Pancho said.
You don’t feel it? Grace said to Jim.
Feel what?
Like something’s shifted.
No one’s going to remember this in a year’s time, Harrison said.
Hey, Ridley said. I can see it without the bins.
On the radio, the announcer said, listen now for the sound that forevermore separates the old from the new.
That next morning , Grace went to Rosamond and bought as many newspapers as she could carry. When she got home, she spread them out on the kitchen table in front of Jim.
SOVIETS FIRE EARTH SATELLITE INTO SPACE
RUSSIAN MOON CIRCLING THE EARTH
SPACE AGE IS HERE !
COMMUNISTS WIN RACE INTO OUTER SPACE
TRACK RED MOON BY RADIO
He put down his coffee.
What the hell? he said and started to read.
You think the press is going to give a damn about the X-15? she said.
The Sputnik in its flight across the world may be a courier of such dire portent to national security that considerations of partisan politics have no place in the discussion of how this happened and what to do about it , he
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