Report from a Dead Planet

And now, another tale well calculated to keep you in... ...spence. A report from a dead planet, written for suspense by George Bamber. Oh, Dr. Siddance. What are you doing here?

I might well ask you the same thing. Well, I couldn't sleep. I'd close my eyes and then I'd think... ...Jeffrey's old man. Tomorrow you make history one of the first men to set foot on an inhabitable planet Then the next thing I'd know my eyes is hop open and I'd be staring up in the darkness

So you came up here to have another look at it huh? How did you know? I'm afraid buck favor isn't restricted to the young. Oh gosh It's beautiful, isn't it? Yes, yes, it is. Just look at it. Oh It hangs out there in space It's a nice motionless, like a huge baller, a giant pearl.

Kind of luminous and gray. It's rich against the blackness of space, the light of the stars. Red, green, just yellow. Look here on the radar. The landmass has show up quite clearly now, it's with the cloud layer.

Oh, doctor, it's almost water. Mm-hmm. More than three quarters of X-37J services covered with water. Well, do you think the land will be firm enough to set down? As dry as the land at home.

Tension? That is... Dr. Sitons, I was just going to send for you. What's up? I don't know. I just got a report from the con at the Van Allen Belt for this planet is about 50 times more intense than they anticipated.

Oh, here, let's see. Yes, I see. And radiation is about 50 times above normal. Is it okay? Yes. Our hull is designed to withstand 100 times that. What do you make of it? Well I don't know.