Egocentric Orbit - John Cory 2

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Egocentric orbit by John Cory. It took a long time
for human beings to accept that our little piece of
meteoric rubble wasn't the exact and absolute center of the universe.
It does appear that way, doesn't it. It may not
take so long for a spaceman to learn. Near the

(00:24):
end of his fifteenth orbit, as Greenland slipped by noiselessly below,
he made the routine measurements that tested the operation of
his space capsule and checked the automatic instruments which would
transmit their stored data to Earth on his next pass
over control. Everything normal. All mechanical devices were operating perfectly.

(00:45):
This information didn't surprise him. In fact, he really didn't
even think about it. The previous orbits and the long
simulated flights on Earth during training had made such checks
routine and perfect results expected. The capsules were developed by
exhaustive testing, both on the ground and as empty satellites
before entrusting them to carry animals and then the first human.

(01:08):
He returned to contemplation of the panorama passing below and above, although,
as he noted idly, above and below had lost some
of their usual meaning since his capsule, like all heavenly
bodies was stable in position with respect to the entire universe,
and thanks to Sir Isaac Newton and his laws, never changed.

(01:29):
The Earth and the stars altered over his head during
each orbit up now meant whatever was in the direction
of his head. He remembered that even during his initial orbit,
when the Earth first appeared overhead, he accepted the fact
as normal. He wondered if the other two had accepted
it as easily, for there had been two men hurled

(01:51):
into orbit before he had ventured into space, two others
who had also passed the rigorous three year training period
and were selected on the basis of over all performance
to precede him. He had known them both well and
wondered again what had happened on their flights. Of course,
they had both returned, depending upon what your definition of
return was, The capsules in which they had ventured beyond

(02:15):
Earth had returned them living. But this was to be expected,
for even the considerable hazards of the descent through the
atmosphere and the terrible heating which occurred were successfully surmounted
by the capsule. Naturally, it had not been expected that
the satellites would have to be brought down by command
from the ground, but this too was part of the

(02:35):
careful planning radio control of the retro rockets that moved
the satellite out of orbit by reducing its velocity. Of course,
ground control was to be used only if the astronaut
failed to ignite the retro rockets himself. He remembered every
one's surprise and relief when the first capsule was recovered
and its occupant found to be alive. They had assumed that,

(02:58):
in spite of all precautions, he was dead because he
had not fired the rockets on the fiftieth orbit, and
it was necessary to bring him down on the sixty fifth.
Recovery alive only partially solved the mystery for the rescuers,
and all others were met by a haughty, stony silence
from the occupant. Batteries of tests confirmed an early diagnosis,

(03:20):
complete and utter withdrawal, absolute refusal to communicate. Therapy was unsuccessful.
The second attempt was similar in most respects, except that
command return was made on the thirty first orbit. After
the astronaut's failure to deorbit at the end of the
thirtieth his incoherent babble of moons, stars and whorlds was

(03:43):
no more helpful than the first test. After test confirmed
that no obvious organic damage had been incurred by exposure
outside of the Earth's protective atmosphere. Biopsy of even selected
brain tissue seemed to show that microscopic cellular changes due
to prolonged waylessness or primary cosmic ray bombardment, which had
been suggested by some authorities, were unimportant. Somewhat reluctantly, it

(04:08):
was decided to repeat the experiment a third time. The
launching was uneventful. He was sent into space with the
precision he expected. The experience was exhilarating, and although he
had anticipated each event in advance, he could not possibly
have foreseen the overpowering feeling that came over him. Weightlessness

(04:29):
he had experienced for brief periods during training, but nothing
could match the heaty impression of continuous freedom from gravity.
Earth passing overhead was also to be expected from the
simple laws of celestial mechanics, but his feeling as he
watched it now was inexpressible. It occurred to him that
perhaps this was indeed why he was here, because he

(04:51):
could appreciate the experience's best. He had been told the
stars would be bright unblinking and an infinitude in extent,
but could mere dis descriptions or photographs convey the true seeing.
On his twenty first orbit, he completed his overseeing the
entire service of the planet in daylight. He had seen
more Earth than anyone able to tell about it, but

(05:13):
only he had the true feeling of it. The continents
were clearly visible, as were the oceans in both polar
ice caps. The shapes were familiar, but in only a
remote way. A vague indistinctness born of distance served to
modify the outlines, and he alone was seeing and understanding.
On the dark side of the planet, large cities were

(05:35):
marked by indistinct light areas, which paled to insignificance compared
to the stars and his sun. He speculated about the
others who had only briefly experienced these sights. Undoubtedly they
weren't as capable of fully grasping or appreciating any of
these things as he was. It was quite clear that
no one else but he could encompass the towering feeling

(05:58):
of power and importance generated by being alone in the universe.
At the end of his twenty fifth orbit, he disabled
the radio control of the retro rockets and set back
with satisfaction to await the next circuit of his Earth
around him. The End of egocentric Orbit by John Cory