"Robert L. Forward - Rocheworld 02 - Return to Rocheworld" - читать интересную книгу автора (Forward Robert L)

"Are you and Arielle going to have time to cycle through? We could cram
in six."
"You forget someone has to land this thing, and I'm not leaving Arielle
up here all alone." The minute we stop I'm blowing the front canopy and
Arielle and I will go out over the nose. Carmen! Are you monitoring?"
"Yes," Carmen Cortez replied from the rocket lander at Rocheworld Base.
"Is the winch on the lander down?"
"Yes," came the voice of Red Vengeance over the radio link from the
lander. "Ready and waiting. Hurry up!"
"I see the bore on the scanner video, it's gaining on us," said Richard
Redwing from the science console half-way down the aisle of the plane.
"Give us a last reading on time difference, then get in that air lock!"
commanded George.
"Eleven minutes," interrupted the distinctive voice of the airplane's
semi-intelligent computer, Jill. "Get into the airlock, Richard," it bossed.
Richard obeyed the computer and trotted to the rear of the plane and the lock
door closed behind him. George and Arielle were left with the hiss of air
passing over the silent airplane and the distant throb of air-lock pumps going
through their motions on almost non-existent air. George could now see the
rocket lander, sticking up forty-five meters into the air, its dark outline
just to one side of the setting globe of Barnard.
"Bad luck," complained George. "We're flying right into the sun.
"No! It's good!" said Arielle. "I can now see rocks easy because of
their big shadow." She banked the plane slightly to pick a path that was
relatively clear of boulders and gave up the last of her altitude for speed.




Page 2
 "BRACE YOURSELF!" screamed Jill to everyone but Arielle through their
suit imps. Arielle pulled the plane up into a stall.
"Flaps!" she commanded, both her hands busy, one with the airplane
controls and the other operating the fans at full reverse thrust. George
pushed at the flap controls but found that they were already moving.
"Flaps, down," he and Jill said at the same time. The plane started to
drop heavily to the surface, but Arielle dipped it just enough to bring it
under control again, the forward speed almost gone, and slid the plane through
the sand directly at the lander.
_We're going to hit!_ thought George, his voice too tight to speak.
Arielle wrenched the rudder around at the same time as she twisted the
fan controls. The _Magic Dragonfly_ went into a broadside slide and came to a
stop with its nose on one side of the lander and the left wing on the other,
not ten meters from the legs of the lander.
"I made ringer, George!" shouted Arielle with delight.
"BLOW THE HATCH!" came Jill's sharp command in George's ear. His thumb
flipped up the safety cover, but his suit imp, running rapidly down his arm,
beat his gloved finger to the switch. There was a loud BANG! and the cockpit
windows flew into the air. The ammonia-methane atmosphere rushed into the
plane and there was a dull THUMP! as the inflowing gasses burned with the