A. Belyaev - Classics of a fantasy

asked a new question which nonplused Hans. Followed it

others – from the field of chemistry, astronomy, biology. It was real

examination. Hans was confused – he expected it least of all and therefore as to it

it seemed, not always answered truly and it is sensible even on well familiar

questions. Really it will fail at this examination? But Zander was,

apparently, it is satisfied. He nodded meaning that test

it is over, and told:

– You know more, than I assumed. But you should know immeasurably

it is more than what you know if you want to become my same assistant

as Vinkler.

Would he like to become! Hans was ready to work day and night that

to seize all necessary knowledge.

– You got used to be engaged independently? – the new question was asked. —

Vinkler will help you, but he will not be able to devote to it much time.

– And, addressing already Vinkler, Zander continued:

– I think, to our Hans Finger will be reasonably useful to live

month – another in a glass sphere. Observations will not take away from it too

it is a lot of time, and there it will be able to increase the mathematical knowledge. Without

mathematicians in our business it is impossible to step also to a step.

Zander talked some more minutes to Vinkler about affairs and got up.

The audience was ended.

– Well? Did not expect such bath? – Vinkler when they left from asked

houses. – You should sit in solitary confinement.

Month-other in solitary confinement! This prospect at all not

smiled to Hans. He wanted to get acquainted somewhat quicker with the city, from it

strange laboratories, extraordinary constructions. It not all

saw.

– To all time will come, – Vinkler consoled it. – Today you will carry out

put more “on freedom”, tomorrow, well, since morning you will bypass, you will examine

what did not see yet: laboratory where experience action of various

substances, other laboratory in which ways of cooling are tested

working part of the rocket – walls snuffled or дюз. For tomorrow it is enough.

– What will I do in the conclusion?

– Oh, your existence will be very peculiar! You on yourself have to

you will be to test and on you it will be checked whether the person can exist

in the conditions of artificially created circulation of substances. As soon as you

you will enter a sphere and you will receive the necessary explanations, a hermetic door

will slam for you. But there is phone, and we will be with you

to keep in contact. You will take with yourself necessary books, textbooks,

notebooks.

– But what I will eat there?

– Perhaps, you should sit a little on vegetarian food. You

you will eat those plants and fruits which grow in

to sphere greenhouse. To your services there will be an electric stove, a teapot.

– And water?

– Tomorrow you on everything will receive the answer. All allocations of your organism

will be processed. Allocations of intestines will go to fertilizers;

allocations of a bladder, having passed through the soil, through plants, gases,

refrigerators, filters, will turn into the purest water. Water will be given also

the cooled breath gases emitted by you, plants and “companions on

to the conclusion” – animals. You will have to look after and behind them – to feed,

to give to drink. Plants will give oxygen, they will absorb exhaled by you

and animals carbonic acid. In a word, if calculations are right, you will have in

sphere all necessary. I will visit you. If you it is nasty itself

you will feel, we will stop experience. Create to yourself the notebook or

notebook in which write down the major formulas, data from the theory

jet flights, help data, calculations. It is Zander’s council. Such

the notebook very much will help you.

Hans nodded and asked:

– By the way, tell whose portrait hangs in Zander’s office? His father?

Vinkler burst out laughing.

– Yes, in some way father. It is also the famous scientist-self-educated person

Tsiolkovsky, patriarch of a zvezdoplavaniye. Not “father”, and rather “grandfather”

his numerous followers: Roberta Esnopeltri, Robert

Goddard, Herman Obert, Walter Gomann, Tuberculine test, Debus and our Leo

Zander. I already spoke to you about this remarkable person. Modest

the provincial teacher, he managed to rise by “space” height

theoretical thought. This Columbus of the star worlds theoretically planned in

the main all next way of creation of interplanetary messages. Laid

to people road to the sky. In one thousand nine hundred third it published

work in which stated all theoretical calculations of space flights;

but the Russian imperial government helped nothing to it.

– So it is its works stand on the shelf under a portrait?

– Yes. Zander does not leave them.

This day ended with an effective show: from the mountain platform,

turned to the ocean, the first trial was started up in twelve o’clock in the morning

the rocket without people, with recording automatic devices. It had

two meters of height it was also strengthened almost steeply, with an easy inclination in

side of the ocean.

At experience there were Zander, Vinkler, Hans, Blotton and a little

the engineers working with Zander. Approximately a rocket deviation from a vertical

it was almost not noticeable, and Blotton told:

– And suddenly it will fall to us on the head? Zander, smiling, answered:

– It is a lot of years ago, in the seventeenth century, the monk Mersen and

the military Pti conducted such experiment: they delivered to a down vertically as

it seemed to them, and shot, observing whether the kernel on the earth will return. They

several times repeated this dangerous experiment. But as at them it did not appear

there is enough art to force a kernel to hit them directly the head,

they considered themselves to have the right to conclude that it hung in mid-air where and

long time will stay, undoubtedly. Not only at that time, but also now

it is seldom possible to find the gun which is perfectly calibrated for such experience

and it is difficult to establish it absolutely vertically. Well, and now depart.

I launch the rocket.

All departed and became silent waiting. In the dark sky stars flickered.

The new moon shone almost over the head, and it seemed that the rocket

goes to a lunar travel. Burst explosion. Thunder peals,

reflected by rocks, shook air. The fiery strip cut through

space. For a moment the mountain platform as though contacted the sky

golden bridge. Then the comet created by people picked up the tail,

turned into an asterisk and grew dim in height. Zander looked on

the dial of a chronometer and, counting seconds, spoke:

– Upper bound of the troposphere… Went beyond a stratosphere…

Return flight.

Next morning the whole flotilla of motorized vessels was sent for searches

the rocket which fell to the ocean. But Hans as he wanted it, could not

to take part in searches. Having examined several laboratories with Vinkler and

far without having got acquainted with all “shops” of grandiose

“the zvezdo-flight plant”, Finger took away chosen for him by Vinkler

books, a commonplace book, a recording feather also went to the glass

prison where had to spend not one day.

– All this is awful! – lady Hinton told. Put finger-tips to