burning sunlight, nor cold as the chill of a shadow in
space.

Everything checked. Mike straddled his red-painted mount. Joe left the
lock and said curtly:

"Okay to pump the airlock. Okay to open airlock doors when ready. Go
ahead."

Mike went out, and Joe watched from a port in the Platform's hull. The
drone from Earth was five miles behind the Platform in its orbit, and
twenty miles below, and all of ten miles off-course. Joe saw Mike scoot
the red space wagon to it, stop short with a sort of cocky
self-assurance, hook on to the tow-ring in the floating space-barge's
nose, and blast off back toward the Platform with it in tow.

Mike had to turn about and blast again to check his motion when he
arrived. And then he and Haney--Haney in the other space wagon--nudged
at it and tugged at it and got it in the great spacelock. They went in
after it and the lock doors closed.

Neither Mike nor Haney were out of their space suits when Kent brought
Joe a note. A note was an absurdity in the Platform. But this was a
formal communication from Brown.

"_From: Lt. Comdr. Brown

To: Mr. Kenmore

Subject: Cooperation and courtesy in rocket recovery vehicle
launchings.

1. There is a regrettable lack of coordination and courtesy in the
launching of rocket-recovery vehicles (space wagons) in the
normal operation of the Platform.

2. The maintenance of discipline and efficiency requires that the
commanding officer maintain overall control of all operations at
all times.

3. Hereafter when a space vehicle of any type is to be launched, the
commanding officer will be notified in writing not less than one
hour before such launching.

4. The time of such proposed launching will be given in such
notification in hours and minutes and seconds, Greenwich Mean
Time.

5. All commands for launching will be given by the commanding
officer or an officer designated by him._"

Joe received the memo as he was in the act of writing a painstaking
report on the maneuver Mike had carried out. Mike was radiant as he
discussed possible improvements with later and better equipment. After
all, this had been a lucky landing. For a robot to end up no more than
30 miles from its target, after a journey of 4,000 miles, and with a
difference in velocity that was almost immeasurable--such good fortune
couldn't be expected as a regular thi