lite, complete with
meteor pits, be made and placed in a special display in the Smithsonian
Institution. The original itself, '58 Beta will be placed in the third
stage payload compartment of the Smithsonian's Vanguard missile and ...
in an historic re-enactment of the first launch ... will be injected
into permanent orbit about the Earth."

There was a loud snap as Jordan turned off the Vibrolounge. In a single,
convulsive movement he was on his feet and around the desk.

"Get out of my chair," he yelled at Clements. "Let me at that phone! Get
Gerry in here! Get Flack on the telephone ... try to catch him at the
White House if you can! And get Administration to send over some forms!"

Clements started for the other phone ... then stopped and stared at
Jordan.

"Forms?" he repeated slowly. "What kind of forms?"

Jordan's answer rattled the windows.

"Resignation forms, you idiot!"

* * * * *

General Criswell walked briskly to the front of the conference room. He
took chalk in one hand and pointer in the other. He rapped sharply on
the desk with the pointer and sent a keen, Air Force type glance over
his assembled staff.

"Gentlemen, by direction of Congress and under orders issued by the
Secretary of Defense the Air Force has been assigned the mission of
relaunching satellite '58 Beta. The launching vehicle will be either the
Smithsonian exhibit Vanguard or a duplicate if the old one proves to be
structurally unsuitable.

"To help you understand the magnitude of the problem involved and, of
course, to give you guidelines for additional staffing, I will review
for you the major techniques utilized in the original Vanguard
launchings. I have had copies of the 1958 launch documentary films
printed for each department. They represent excellent source material
for your planning sessions.

"Now, gentlemen ... the original Vanguard was the classic example of
what we now call, somewhat facetiously I'm afraid, the hybrid propulsion
system. It utilized chemical fuels throughout ... liquid oxygen and
kerosene in the first stage, fuming nitric acid and unsymmetrical
dimethyl-hydrazine in the second stage and an unknown form of solid
propellant in the third stage."

* * * * *

A buzz of nervous comment ran through the assembled officers, and
sitting in the back row, Jordan felt his blood run cold. Where, he
wondered in a sort of dreadful daze, would they