M. on radar watch. A little
traffic, but nothing compared to what we get during the regular working
day."
"Any particular reason for that, sir?" asked Tom.
"Oh, there just aren't many arrivals and departures during that period.
We have night crews to handle light traffic, but by midnight the station
is pretty much like any sleepy Middle Western town. Rolls up the
sidewalks and goes to bed."
He motioned to Roger to follow him to the radar section and left Tom
watching the interesting spectacle on the giant teleceiver. A huge star
cluster flashed brilliantly, filling the screen with light, then faded
into the endless blackness of space. Tom caught his breath as he
remembered what Scott had told him about the light being thousands of
years old before reaching the solar system.
"Manning's all set, Corbett," said Scott at Tom's elbow. "Come on. I'll
show you the traffic-control deck."
Tom followed the young officer out of the room. As all true spacemen do
at one time or another in their lives, he thought about the pitifully
small part mankind had played so far in the conquest of the stars. Man
had come a long way, Tom was ready to admit, but there was still a lot
of work ahead for young, courageous spacemen.
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