Stern, is there anything I can do for you?’ The steward turned to Meryl.
‘Yes, I would have thought so. Could I have some water, no gas please. I feel absolutely dry.’
‘Of course, Mrs Stern.’
Meryl and Lewis were sitting together in the front row of the cabin a little apart from the other passengers. Their seats were wider, with more personal adjustment choices available. First class passenger service implied a personal steward. Money gave wealthy travellers some privileges even in space.
‘Dear passengers, to the left of Ezo-4 you can observe the Federation international space station. We’ll dock to the station in 15 minutes. Please take your seats and fasten your seat belts.’
The modules of the Federation station were put into operation progressively, one ring after another. There were already eleven active modules, apart from the other two, work on which has been in full swing in four shifts non stop.
‘Reminds me a bit of the Guggenheim Museum, if only there were more levels to come on top. Don’t you think so, Lewis?’ Meryl turned to her husband.
‘Well, yes, the same tin can, only with lights, and everything is spinning,’ Lewis replied ironically.
‘You’re yourself the can!’
‘John,’ Meryl addressed the steward, ‘could you tell me which module we’re staying in?’
‘Mrs Stern, our ring is number six, counting from the left side. Up to one hundred people can be accommodated in each ring at a time. And as a rule all modules are fully booked—there are no vacancies. In total, there are almost 900 employees working at the station now. The remaining seats are reserved for guests.’
‘John, what are these little barrels? There, near the station.’ Meryl pointed to a series of cylindrical objects attached to the station around its perimeter.
‘Mrs Stern, these are the shuttles which are used for interplanetary flights. You will take one to fly to the Moon. You can even have a better look at it now. There it is, on the sixth ring. Blinking with red lights.’
‘I thought they were much bigger. And which way do we manage to be huddled there for so long!’ Meryl said, smiling.
‘Oh, Mrs Meryl, it just seems like these shuttles are small. This illusion is because of the size of the Federation. It’s huge. So it seems that interplanetary ships are small. The total height or length of the station, depending how you look at it, already now exceeds 300 meters, and the diameter is about 500. As you might have noted, its active construction continues.’
‘I see, John. It turns out that not everything is so bad,’ Meryl gave a wink.
‘I am absolutely sure that both you and Mr Podger will enjoy the trip. Moreover, it will not take much time—about 16 hours. Tomorrow you will wake up in lunar orbit already.’
‘Oh, come on, John!’ Meryl replied indignantly. ‘How is it possible to oversleep such a flight! I plan to be watching around all the time—the Earth disappearing, the Moon approaching. And, as far as I remember, during the flight we could take part in a number of experiments. Will such a program be available to us?’
‘I fully agree with you, Mrs Stern, it’s a fantastic sight and a unique experience. Please fasten up. We start docking now.’
The station already occupied the entire space in the cabin window.
‘It looks like a big modern business center that was just launched into orbit,’ Lewis noted, examining carefully the approaching station.
‘Yes, it’s impressive, dear.’
Each of the ring-modules or levels of the station were connected to each other by a set of crosswalks. All modules were numbered from 1 to 11 apart from the last two, the construction of which had not yet been completed. Each module had three-levels: two floors dedictaed for residential premises, scientific laboratories and administrative offices. The third was a technical one, where life support systems, communications and a system of engines maintaining a constant rotation speed of the station were located.
Artificial gravity at the station at 2/3 of the Earth’s gravity practically levelled the difference for its guests. The station staff and tourists felt quite comfortable. Despite the special living conditions on the Federation, as close as possible to those on the Earth, the duration of a business shift for the staff usually did not exceed six months. Doctors insisted on such regulations.
On the approach to the station, it became quite obvious that life would not stop there for a minute. The rings of the station were covered with lights, somewhere one could even see its staff in the large windows. In the opposite direction, the frame of the new modules under construction was visible, with some welding job on structures under way. Workers moved around in special chairs, designed for short distance travel. The chairs were equipped with everything required for welding. Elements and modules of the structure were also attached to them, significantly saving assembly time—there was no need to constantly fly to the hangar and back, dragging the necessary material for work.
‘My God, Lewis, who would have thought—we’ve got into the future!’ Meryl whispered. ‘Do you remember what the orbital station was like in our childhood—a Lego construction kit in comparison with this base! At the same time, it had cost thousands of times more to get to that constructor. It’s amazing how quickly things have changed…’
‘Meryl, it’s 150 years ago. Not so fast, if you’d think about it.’
Ezo-4 docked to the station silently, synchronizing the angle and rotation speed.
‘Dear passengers, welcome to the Federation International Space Station. The weather set fair today, the temperature outside is -270 °C,’ a laugh of approval went all over the cabin, ‘it’s still more comfortable at the station +22 ℃. Please note: the station uses the coordinated universal time corresponding to Greenwich Mean Time. So if you’ve come in from the UK, make yourself at home.’ Someone whistled a greeting.
‘Dear passengers, please
