Джек Макдевитт - A Voice in the Night

California was considering a law that would legalize group marriage. Chester Winslow was throwing his hat in the ring for the GOP nomination. Another candidate, William Forrest, was attacking the current administration for defunding NASA. And CNN announced breaking news: Margo Everett, the enormously popular singing sensation, had been arrested on a DUI.

While the onscreen experts were discussing the impact of the Everett arrest, the crawler reported that an asteroid had been sighted, and that it would pass close to Earth.

They went to financial news. Then, when they came back to the newsroom, the story had been elevated: The host, Clive Thomas, introduced Professor Edward Albright, from the American Museum of Natural History. “What can you tell us about this asteroid, Professor?” said Thomas. “Is it a threat?”

Albright was young, probably still in his twenties. He looked worried. “We know,” he said, “the asteroid’s present course will bring it very close to us. It’ll pass through the southern sky Friday at about 5:00 a.m. In fact, we should be able to see it. But, to get to the important part, it will miss us. If it stays on its present course.”

“Good.” Thomas smiled, but then his face clouded. “I think. What do you mean ‘if it stays on its present course’ ?”

Albright tried a lighthearted laugh, but he wasn’t good at it. “It’s simple enough, Clive. The asteroid will also pass very close to the Moon. That’s going to have an effect. And we’re not sure yet how that might change things.”

“An effect on the direction it goes, you mean?”

“Yes. The Moon’s gravity will bend its vector somewhat. In our direction.”

“So you’re saying it might hit us?”

“I’m saying probably not . But at this point we can’t be sure.”

“Okay, Professor. If it does come in on us, how much damage will it do?”

“Clive, it’s two hundred meters long. Judging by its reflection, it looks like nickel-iron. Unfortunately.”

“Why unfortunately ?”

“Nickel-iron is heavier, more massive, than rock.”

“Okay. It keeps getting worse, doesn’t it?”

“We’ll probably be okay. I really wouldn’t begin to worry yet.”

“So how big an impact would it have, Professor? I mean, how big is two hundred meters?”

“About two football fields.”

“That doesn’t sound good. how big an impact would that be?”

Albright took a deep breath. “Clive, have you ever been out to the Barringer Crater in Arizona?”

“You mean Meteor Crater?”

“Yes.”

“Yes. I’ve been there.” An image of the crater appeared onscreen.

“The object that hit out there would have been about the same size and density as this thing that’s coming in now.”

“My God, Professor. Do you have any idea where it would hit? If it does hit?”

“We don’t, Clive. And look, I don’t want to start a panic. The thing will probably just pass across the sky. Let’s hope so.”

“When will we know for certain?”

“After it gets past the Moon.”

They went to commercial. A smarmy lawyer came on, and started explaining how he would stand up for any viewer who got injured in an accident. In the middle of it, the radio beeped. It was Laura. “Matt,” she said, “I’m being diverted.”

“To the Moon?” It wasn’t really a question.

“Yes. They’re timing it so I can get a good look at this thing during its passage. They’re calling it 2024-MY. Anyhow, I wanted to let you know I’ll be a little bit late picking you guys up.”

“I guess so. So you’re going to get a close-up? What’s the point of that?”

“You haven’t heard from them yet?”

“Not since the first time.”

“Okay. They’re trying to figure out whether there’s a problem. Whether this thing is going to get pulled off course enough to cause a collision. To do that—”

The radio beeped again. Another call. “Hang on, Laura. I think we’re about to hear from them. I’ll get back to you.” He switched over.

“This is Houston.” The lawyer went away and was replaced by pictures of asteroids. “We’re trying to get a handle on where the asteroid will go after it interacts with the Moon. We’re sending Laura to track the passage. We want you to coordinate with her so we can watch this thing from both angles. That should provide us with enough data to figure out where it’s going.”

Matt looked over at Judy. “You know how to do that?”

“Sure,” she said.

“Okay, Houston. When’s all this going to start?”

“In about eighteen hours. We want you to lock onto the asteroid and follow it all the way in until it passes the Moon.”

Scopes were mounted fore and aft on the Cernan . Matt watched the Moon slide slowly into the center of his auxiliary screen as Laura turned and headed directly toward it. “I’m going into orbit,” she said. “If we have it right, the asteroid will come directly over the top of the Moon. Around the side from your perspective. I’ll get close to it on the back side my second time around. The plan is that as it makes its closest approach to the Moon, I’ll leave orbit and assume a parallel course. I’ll be in front of it when we start, but it’ll catch up and pass me pretty quickly. I should be able to get a good read on it, though.”

He was uncomfortable. “I wish I was there with you.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

Judy opened her mike. “There’s a lesson to be learned from this, Laura,” she said. “I hope the PR guys at NASA take advantage of it. There’s no reason we should have to be concerned about incoming rocks.” She took a deep breath. “Idiot politicians.”

Laura laughed. He remembered the last time he’d seen her, at an award ceremony for the people who’d designed the L2 platform. She’d been seated toward the front, caught up in the celebration, lovelier than ever, pretending not to see him. And then she’d surprised him by tracking him down outside to congratulate him on getting assigned to the station. Then she’d been gone again.

“You know,” she said, “it almost makes me wish the thing would hit. A desert somewhere, maybe, where it wouldn’t do any harm.”

“I’m not sure there’s any place on the planet where it wouldn’t do some serious damage,” Matt said.

And Judy picked it up: “Six to ten megatons. If nothing else, Matt, that would throw a lot of dust into the atmosphere.”

“We’d be in for a cold summer.”

“I know. That’s why I said almost.”

“I’ll be glad,” he said, “when this is over.”

“Me, too.” Laura’s voice was soft. But very far away. “You guys were right about the laser cannons.”

“I know,” said Matt.

“Maybe I could throw something at it.”

Matt tried to think of a witty response. What could she throw at the rock that would get a laugh? A shoe, maybe?

“The only reason I joined NASA,” said Laura, “was that I hoped one day I’d get a chance to go to Mars. My folks always thought I was deranged.”

“We all are, Laura. You have to be to come out here. But hell, we haven’t even made it to the Moon.”

“Matt, you’re well out past the Moon.”

“But I’ve never set foot on it. Despite all the talk the last few years we’ve done almost nothing.”

“We built Earthport.”

“It’s not the same thing. Earthport is supposed to be a gateway, a first step to serious space exploration. But what happened? We changed administrations and a new president comes in, looks at the budget and shakes his head. Cost-cutting always starts with us.”