"Robert Zubrin - First Landing" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zubrin Robert)

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s
Imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business
establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.



The Penguin Putnam Inc. World Wide Web site address is
http://www.penguinputnam.com




For my daughters,
Rachel and Sarah,
explorers of the new world

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author wishes to acknowledge the assstance of many people who helped in the creation of this
book. These include: Jonathan Vos Post, who contributed many valuable ideas to the initial development
of the story; Greg Benford and James Cameron, who provided useful advice for the refinement of the
plot; Brian Frankie, who provided input on the rock-climbing scenes; and Laurie Fox, Susan Allison, and
Kevin Anderson, all of whom helped the author sharpen the final manuscript for publication.

Most of all, I would like to express my thanks to my wife, Maggie, without whose loving support the
writing of this novel would have been impossible.



CHAPTER 1

THEBEAGLEWHIRLEDsilently through the void. Round and round she looped, suspended by
centrifugal force at the end of a mile-long tether from her long-expended propulsion stage. Lit by the sun
on one side, and an eerie red Marsglow on the other, she looked more like a big tuna can riding on an
oversized plate than a daring ship of exploration. But brave explorer she was, and the plate her shield and
only protection against the incandescent blast of her imminent Mach 30 entry into Mars’ atmosphere. A
technological marvel, her inner workings included over ten thousand mission-critical electronic circuits.
As she approached her trial by fire, all but one were working perfectly.
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ABOARD THEBEAGLE , APPROACHING MARS