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Tale of the 'Evans, Fall 1944
Page 4
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page 4 ---------------------------------------------------------- from the data supplied, I am thus able quite accurately to compute the weight, mass, and consequent gravitational pull. I then plot our curve of descent; of course taking into consideration the weight and mass of our ship and that of the asteroid, using the well-known formula you learned your first week in Pilot School. Usually we can also get a good idea of the shape and general surface conditions by means of telescopic photographs, whicha thurd assistant takes. From his continuous "look0secs", as we are approching, we get a last-minute accurate location for the smoothers and easiest landing. This quarter hour's quick work on the part of our pilot-crews finishes, and our data compiled, we then start our engines again, and drop in closer to S-927, and begin the curve that will start us revolving about her. As we draw ever closer, we com at last within about twenty miles of the surface; our speed is increased and our radius shortened until we are spinning in ever-lossening concentric circles about the body, at the same approximate velocity that the asteroid is making. As we drop closer we augment or decrease our speed as necessary until we come, at a height determined by the size of the rock, to a point where our speed of rotation is the same as that of the body beneath us, and we then appear to be travelling with it, along its surface, and not around it, as we were before. Sounds cock-eyed, but you'll get what I mean. Our gravity plates are gradually switched on, but only up to a slightly lesser degree than the gravity pull of the body; our propulsion motors are slowed, and gradually we begin to drop the remaining few hundred yars, increasing slowly and carefully th gravity attraction of our keel plates, exactly and in opposite proportion to the slowing of our motors, and according to the results of our formula as above. This is a very ticklish part of the whole show, I want to warn you. For it is here that the pilot must be most careful, in the regulation of his gravity-pull, or he will either drop too quickly with a resultant smash-landing; or. if not enough pull is exerted as the motros are slowed, his ship will then "drop upward" -- thrown away by the centrifugal force, as it were-- and lose the position that has already been gained. We were lucky enough to do neither at any time, except on V-94, when we lost position bevauce of too-low gravity pull, and had to go into the void again and try another landing, which was then successful. Had we, at any time, used too much pull, you can readily understand that we would not be Earth-bound at the present moment. Once the landing is an accomplished fact, we anchor the ship with our BX magnetic grapples; and, before the powers i fully shut off from the propulsion motors, make new tests to get the exact amount of gravity pull that must be left in force in the keel-plates to hold the ship steady on the surface. If tis were not done, the boat might float off without us -- which would be "just too bad", as our forefathers used to say. Conversely, too much gravity pull may damage the ship's underplates. Important, also -- be sure and leave your protective screens on, as the meteor-falls on those little asteroids is usually quite terrific. Our most interesting landing, and the forty-eighth we made, was
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page 4 ---------------------------------------------------------- from the data supplied, I am thus able quite accurately to compute the weight, mass, and consequent gravitational pull. I then plot our curve of descent; of course taking into consideration the weight and mass of our ship and that of the asteroid, using the well-known formula you learned your first week in Pilot School. Usually we can also get a good idea of the shape and general surface conditions by means of telescopic photographs, whicha thurd assistant takes. From his continuous "look0secs", as we are approching, we get a last-minute accurate location for the smoothers and easiest landing. This quarter hour's quick work on the part of our pilot-crews finishes, and our data compiled, we then start our engines again, and drop in closer to S-927, and begin the curve that will start us revolving about her. As we draw ever closer, we com at last within about twenty miles of the surface; our speed is increased and our radius shortened until we are spinning in ever-lossening concentric circles about the body, at the same approximate velocity that the asteroid is making. As we drop closer we augment or decrease our speed as necessary until we come, at a height determined by the size of the rock, to a point where our speed of rotation is the same as that of the body beneath us, and we then appear to be travelling with it, along its surface, and not around it, as we were before. Sounds cock-eyed, but you'll get what I mean. Our gravity plates are gradually switched on, but only up to a slightly lesser degree than the gravity pull of the body; our propulsion motors are slowed, and gradually we begin to drop the remaining few hundred yars, increasing slowly and carefully th gravity attraction of our keel plates, exactly and in opposite proportion to the slowing of our motors, and according to the results of our formula as above. This is a very ticklish part of the whole show, I want to warn you. For it is here that the pilot must be most careful, in the regulation of his gravity-pull, or he will either drop too quickly with a resultant smash-landing; or. if not enough pull is exerted as the motros are slowed, his ship will then "drop upward" -- thrown away by the centrifugal force, as it were-- and lose the position that has already been gained. We were lucky enough to do neither at any time, except on V-94, when we lost position bevauce of too-low gravity pull, and had to go into the void again and try another landing, which was then successful. Had we, at any time, used too much pull, you can readily understand that we would not be Earth-bound at the present moment. Once the landing is an accomplished fact, we anchor the ship with our BX magnetic grapples; and, before the powers i fully shut off from the propulsion motors, make new tests to get the exact amount of gravity pull that must be left in force in the keel-plates to hold the ship steady on the surface. If tis were not done, the boat might float off without us -- which would be "just too bad", as our forefathers used to say. Conversely, too much gravity pull may damage the ship's underplates. Important, also -- be sure and leave your protective screens on, as the meteor-falls on those little asteroids is usually quite terrific. Our most interesting landing, and the forty-eighth we made, was
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