it was warm, cozy, with comfort, as in a compartment of the pullman car.
– Aeroplanny champions of height, certainly, pottered about in dust on
to comparison with us. For all these “saunders-Valkyries”,
“pharman-sou-pergoliafov”, “yunkers” twelve – fifteen thousand meters
were already almost extreme height. Researchers of a stratosphere rose
higher. But they rose on balloons. And recently in Taymsa I
read…
Blotton rode out the favourite fad and began a never-ending conversation
about height records, about rivals who can challenge its monasteries, about
chances of a victory of the same champions, as it.
– You will go to an interplanetary travel and at once will beat all
the rivals, – Vinkler told. Blotton did not understand a sneer.
– Yes, but., I am afraid that about it it will not be printed in Taymsa and
my rivals just do not learn about a new record, – melancholically answered
it.
Stratoplan decreased and reduced speed. Mountains on the horizon grew, dark
color of the sky turned pale, turned blue, stars, as one by one died away on
dawn.
Far below, at a foot of mountains as the bright green ocean, spread
violent tropical vegetation.
– The Andes – the South American continuation of the Cordilleras, – Vinkler told. —
Behind them the desert lowland, and further – the Rocky Mountains the republics
Ecuador.
– Surprisingly! It is difficult to get used to it. What speed, what
victory over space! – Finger exclaimed and once again Endured all
flight.
Europe – as if the big card. On the right – the Azores, at the left —
the Cape Verde Islands, hardly distinguishable even in the strongest sea
field-glass, South America… The basin of Amazon with its inflows similar on
tree branches… A semicircle of “atmospheric braking” over the Great ocean and
again coast of South America, already western.
– Yes, quite good way of studying of geography. It is better our school
books and maps, – Henry told. – But speed turtle. Other business —
space flight!
– Space flight! Turtle speed! – in Blotton’s tone continued
Vinkler. – That twelve mean some – eighteen kilometers in
second of space flight in comparison at least with thirty kilometers
flight of Earth? And star fogs! Some of them fly from huge
speed.
– ? – Blotton asked.
– About one thousand kilometers per second – usual average speed. But
there are also exceptions. According to the latest data, a fog Big Dipper
number twenty four flies with a speed of eleven thousand seven hundred
kilometers per second, Lev number one – nearly twenty thousand kilometers.
– Yes, such speed is pleasant to me. But do not laugh, kind Vinkler.
I understand in such things a little, but our friend Leo Zander said to me that
when we have radioactive energy down to a science, it will be possible
to reach also velocity of light.
– Alas, even with velocity of light you should fly to the next
stars four years and four months. To other sun stars, which we