Frank had begun pacing, the "rip, rip" sound of the velcro reassuring to him. "Yeah," he said. "The Parom part will be the drive section, with a medium-sized rocket and several ion engines. The idea is that they will launch the Parom into orbit, followed by the Kliper. Kliper will hook up with Parom, and come here. We'll add as many cargo sections as we need, and send it back. They'll send the cargo sections down. Parom, and maybe even Kliper, will stay in orbit. They'll pick up cargo sections the Russians have launched, and carry them back."
"That sounds like a space truck, not a space train."
Frank grinned. "I know. But if we make a couple of extra-long cargo sections, there's no reason we can't make a ship twice or three times as big as a Buran, add a fuel tank section, and send it out to the belt. Actually, we can make it as big as we want. Anton's design will give it a rocket kick start, and then ion engines for constant boost."
David was getting excited. "Hey, you're right! Put airlock doors on each section, and you could pressurize as much of it as you need. You could launch a ship a thousand feet long!"
Frank nodded, his grin even wider. "That's what I've been telling the Space Institute people. And Anton says that if it's not passing through atmosphere, there's no reason a space ship needs to be tubular in shape. We could make the cargo sections any length or shape we want. Well, we could as long as we maintained the center of mass."
David rose, more carefully than Frank had. "Frank, that sounds cool! Hell, you could put a big ball in the middle, and make a real space ship!" he calmed suddenly. "But that's for the Space Institute/L5 people. What kind of goodies do you have for me?"
Frank shook his head. "Nothing that spectacular, I'm afraid. I think our next step should be a moon colony."
David frowned. "What for? I mean, there's nothing there we need."
"Sure there is. A stepping-stone to space. Remember, the original idea was to colonize space. Well, the Space Institute people are doing it their way. A moon colony is my way."
He waved a hand. "You know L-1 isn't stable. Eventually, we're going to need to move Weatherly Station. That's where I part company with the Space Institute people. L-4 or L-5 will be as far from Earth as the moon is. So, why not colonize what's already there?"
"There's no water on the moon," David protested.
Frank shrugged. "So we catch another comet. Crash a comet into the moon wherever we choose and build a base under it. Put a big tent over the comet, and it won't vaporize away. The colonists will have oxy and water for years.
"No matter what we do, David, we're always going to be faced with the necessity of lifting everything through the Earth's gravitational field until we can get a real, self-sufficient colony going. And unless we have a real, self-sufficient colony, man still faces extinction. Besides," he added irritably, "at least the moon has real gravity!"
David shook his head, grinning. "You wouldn't believe how hard it was for us to deal with Earth's gravity again."
"Yes, I would," Frank replied. "I was there, remember? Seeing you guys get exhausted after a few minutes. Watching you have to work out for hours every day to try to rebuild your muscles. I'm not looking forward to going back to Earth myself." He grinned again. "I'd rather go to the moon, with its 1/6 gravity!"
"Okay," David said with a smile, "You've sold me. When do I start?"
"You don't," Frank replied. "You've had your fun. It's Mark Jenson's turn. You're going to learn what it means to be a millionaire businessman. You'll be in charge of the program."
David's smile disappeared. "You're grounding me? You bastard, that's how this whole thing started!"
Frank shook his head. "Look around you. Do you look like you're grounded? You won't be riding the Roman candle, but you're going to be in space for a long time."
David was silent for a moment. Finally, he sighed. "All right, you bastard. Tell me about it."
The two men hovered over Frank's desk, planning the future of mankind.
The End
About the Author . . .
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where I achieved nothing notable. I joined the Navy, and for the next twenty years was largely successful in tricking the Navy into thinking that I wasn't really a lazy slob. During this time, I met and married a wonderful woman. We had a beautiful daughter together. My wife passed away in 2008, and I had the incredible luck to meet another amazing woman. We married in December 2010. After retiring from the Navy, I attended the University of Arkansas. I received a BSBA in Human Resources Management, to my utter surprise (and that of some of my professors!).
I seem to be attracted to low-paying government jobs, and upon graduation, I became employed by the State of Arkansas as an Employment Interviewer and Employment Services Supervisor. There, I completed another 20-year career. Since then my life has been devoted to writing and convincing my new wife she didn't really marry a lazy bum.
I retired in March of 2011, and we retired to the Philippines. Yep, I actually Ran Off To An Exotic South Seas Island With A Beautiful Native Girl! How many people actually get to live a cliché?
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If you enjoyed this book, be sure to discover these other fine e-book titles by William Zellmann at Amazon.com
Death Ship Quest – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053UO7H4
The Emperor's Conspiracy – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005E8L5QG
The Privateer – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007K6SVX0