"Stephen Goldin - The Last Ghost & Other Stories" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goldin Stephen)

But there was no longer any room in the MLSA 5400 for a little girl.
 The Girls on USSF 193

This first appeared in If, December 1965. This was my first time. Please be gentle.
Sen. McDermott: Now, Mr. Hawkins, I want you to realize that this private hearing is not a trial, nor are
you charged with any crime.
Mr. Hawkins: Is that why you recommended I bring my lawyer?
Sen. McDermott: I only made that recommendation because some topics or questions concerning legal
matters may be brought to the attention of the committee. The purpose of this hearing is merely to
investigate reports of rather unorthodox behavior ...
Mr. Hawkins: Ha!
Sen. McDermott: ... with regard to orbital satellites USSF numbers one eighty-seven and one
ninety-three.
I would appreciate your frankness on the matter.
Mr. Hawkins: Let me assure you, Senator, that I have no intentions of being secretive, nor have I ever
had any. However, as Director of the National Space Agency, I felt it best that certain information about
those two space stations be put on a security list for the best of all concerned.
Sen. McDermott: Spoken like a politician — you missed your calling, Mr. Hawkins. But tell me, this
whole mess was your idea from the very start, wasn't it?
Mr. Hawkins: Yes, it was.
Sen. McDermott: And when did the idea first come to you?Mr. Hawkins: About a year ago. I was doing
some research ... . — Excerpt from official record (unpublished) Senate Special Investigatory Hearing
October 10,1996

#

The kind of research Jess Hawkins was indulging in when the idea came to him may only be speculated
upon. However, it is a fact that his friend, Bill Filmore, visited him in his office on September 15,1995.
"Jess," he said, "I've known you for thirty-seven years, and when you go around grinning like a Cheshire
cat, you're hiding something. That pixie smile of yours is a dead giveaway. As your best friend and a
member of the Space Agency Board, I think I have a right to know what's up your sleeve."
Hawkins looked at his friend. "All right, Bill, I guess I can trust you, but please keep all this in the strictest
confidence. I believe I've found a way to stimulate our astronauts' heart muscles while they're up in USSF
187 for prolonged periods."
"Why should you want to keep that a secret?"
"Let me continue. We know that during sustained periods of freefall the heart tends to relax because it
doesn't have to work as hard to pump the blood under weightless conditions. Upon return to Earth,
however, the heart muscles have difficulty readjusting to normal standards. We've already had three
astronauts who suffered heart attacks when they came back, and one of them was damn near fatal. The
calisthenics program the doctors instituted seems to have had little effect. I think the time has come for
drastic measures."
"Just what is it that you propose?"
"Think a minute. What is it that stimulates the heart, both literally and figuratively, is desirable enough for
the men to use frequently, and is useful, besides, for improving morale aboard the satellite?"
"I was never much good at riddles, Jess."
"It can all be summed up in a common, everyday, three-letter word," Hawkins grinned. "Sex."
Filmore stared a moment in silence, then said, "By God, Jess, I think you're really serious."
The smile temporarily vanished from Hawkins' face. "You're damn right I am, Bill. We've been lucky so
far, but there's going to be a dead astronaut around soon if something isn't done. I've given the matter a
lot of thought, and I feel that shipping girls up to one eighty-seven is the best solution."