to terminate hydrogen feeds.”
The airspeed indicator now read Mach 24.8. Clos¬ing. . . .
Vance reached for the heavy throttle grips, watching the final seconds tick down.
. . . four, three, two, one . . .
“Terminate hydrogen feeds.”
He yanked back on the handles, feeling a dying tremor flow through the vehicle. The airspeed indicator had just hit 17,108 mph.
In the unearthly silence that followed, Petra's synthetic voice cut through the cabin. “Preliminary orbital coordi¬nates are computed as perigee 101.3 miles, apogee 117.8 miles. Duration is one hour and twenty-seven minutes. Radar altimeter will provide data for second iteration of calculations in thirty-six minutes.”
The engines were completely shut down now as they coasted through the dark. Nothing could be heard but hydraulic pumps, air conditioners, light groans from zero-gravity-induced stresses in the massive fuselage.
"Zadroka!" Androv shouted. "We've done it! Maybe there is a God."
Now, as