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Human Error By: Raymond F. Jones (1915-1994) |
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BY RAYMOND F. JONES Illustrated by Paul Orban [Transcriber Note: This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science
Fiction April 1956. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
[Sidenote: The government was spending a billion dollars to convince
the human race that men ought to be ashamed to be men instead of
errorless, cybernetics machines. But they forgot that an errorless man
is a dead man.... ]
During its three years' existence, the first Wheel was probably the
subject of more amateur astronomical observations than any other single
object in the heavens. Over three hundred reports came in when a call
was issued for witnesses to the accident that destroyed the space
station. It was fortunately on the night side of Earth at the time, and in a
position of bright illumination by the sun. Two of the observers had
movie cameras attached to their ten inch mirrors. The film in one of
these was inadequate, but the other carried a complete record of the
incident from the moment of the Griseda's first approach, through the
pilot's fumbling attempt to correct course, and the final collision. The scene was lost for a few seconds as the wreckage drifted out of the
field. The observer had been watching through a small pilot scope,
however, and had wits enough to pan by hand so that he got most of the
remaining fall that was visible above his horizon as the locked remnants
of the Wheel and the Griseda began their slow, spiral course to Earth. By the time this scene was finished, word of the disaster was already
flashing to Government centers. Joe McCauley, radio operator aboard the
Wheel, had been talking with Ed Harris on the Griseda . As a matter of
routine, all their conversation was taped, and some of this was
recovered from the crash and played back at the investigation. " and get this," Ed was saying, "my kid had his fifth birthday just
last week, and I've got him working through quadratic equations already.
You've got to go some to beat that one." "Doesn't mean a thing," said Joe. "You know how these infant brain boxes
burn out. Better take him fishing and forget that stuff for a while.
Hey what the devil's going on? You got a truck driver in the control
room? I just saw you out the port and it looks like you're right on top
of us!" "Jeez, I dunno. It's been like that ever since we cleared Lunaport.
Sometimes I think this guy Cummins trained in a truck the way he Hell,
he's comin' up on the wrong side of the Wheel! I relayed the orders to
go to the east turret. Acknowledged them himself " "Ed! I can see you outside the port we're going to hit!" The words were ripped by the shattering, grinding roar of colliding
metal. Then a moment later the blast of an exploding fuel tank. "Ed!" "Joe yeah, I'm here. Lights gone. Emergency power still on. Take the
emergency band if you've still got a rig. I'll stand by " Joe switched over without comment and called Space Command Base on the
emergency channel, which was always monitored. "Wheel just rammed by
Griseda ," he said. "Possible loss of orbital velocity. Extent of
damage unknown." Lieutenant James, on duty at the Base, had just returned from a three
day leave and was scarcely settled in the routine of his post once more.
He glanced automatically at the radar tracking screen and his face paled
at the sight of the irregular figure there, slightly out of the
centering circle. It was no gag. "You're dropping," he said. "Orbital velocity must be down. Can you
correct?" "I haven't been able to contact the bridge," said Joe. "Alert all
Command and have crash point computed. Stand by." It developed that the bridge was entirely gone, along with a full thirty
percent of the station. Captain West had been spared, however, being on
inspection in the other sector of the station. He came on at once as Joe
McCauley managed to get the communication lines repatched. "Emergency red!" he called... Continue reading book >>
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