资源描述：
《Arthur C. Clarke - Inheritance》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、INHERITANCEArthurC.Clarke1948AsDavidsaid,whenonefallsonAfricafromaheightoftwohundredandfiftykilometers,abrokenanklemaybeananticlimaxbutitisnonethelesspainful.Butwhathurthimmost,hepretended,wasthewaywehadallrushedoutintothedeserttoseewhathadhappenedtotheA.20andhadn'tcomene
2、arhimuntilhourslater."Belogical,David,"JimmyLangfordhadprotested."WeknewthatyouwereO.K.becausethebase'copterradioedwhenitpickedyouup.ButtheA.20mighthavebeenacompletewrite-off.""There'sonlyoneA.20,"Isaid,tryingtobehelpful,"butrockettest-pilotsare-well,ifnottwoapenny,atanyr
3、atetwelveforadime."DavidglaredbackatusfrombeneathhisbushyeyebrowsandsaidsomethinginWelsh."TheDruid'scurse,"Jimmyremarkedtome."Anymomentnowyou'llturnintoaleekoraperspexmodelofStonehenge."Yousee,wewerestillprettylight-headedanditwouldn'tdotobeseriousforawhile.EvenDavid'siro
4、nnervemusthavetakenaterrificbeating,yetsomehowheseemedthecalmestofusall.Icouldn'tunderstandit-then.TheA.20hadcomedownfiftykilometersfromherlaunchingpoint.We'dfollowedherbyradarforthewholetrajectory,soweknewherpositiontowithinafewmeters-thoughwedidn'tknowatthetimethatDavid
5、hadlandedtenkilometersfarthereast.Thefirstwarningofdisasterhadcomeseventysecondsaftertakeoff.TheA.20hadreachedfiftykilometersandwasfollowingthecorrecttrajectorytowithinafewpercent.AsfarastheeyePage1couldtell,theluminoustrackontheradarscreenhadscarcelydeviatedfromthepre-co
6、mputedpath.Davidwasdoingtwokilometersasecond:notmuch,butthefastestanymanhadevertraveleduptothen.AndGoliathwasjustabouttobejettisoned.TheA.20wasatwo-steprocket.Ithadtobe,foritwasusingchemicalfuels.Theuppercomponent,withitstinycabin,itsfoldedacrofoilsandflaps,weighedjustund
7、ertwentytonswhenfullyfuelled.Itwastobeliftedbyalowertwo-hundred-tonbooster-whichwouldtakeituptofiftykilometers,afterwhichitcouldcarryonquitehappilyunderitsownpower.ThebigfellowwouldthendropbacktoEarthbyparachute:itwouldn'tweighmuchwhenitsfuelwasburnt.Meanwhiletheupperstep
8、wouldhavebuiltupenoughspeedtoreachthesix-hundred-kilometerlevelbeforefallingbackandgoingintoagli
