from Stansted while we could take off from Mildenhall, allowing me more time to organize myself.
I put all the equipment that I'd need into a tool box and carefully packed up the valve and wave guides. I wrote a message on the blackboard for my students telling them I'd be away for a few days, picked up my tool box and guides and returned to College. Once there I hurriedly changed into a pair of working overalls. As I finished zipping myself in there was a buzz from the door bell.
A young soldier stood to attention on the doorstep. `Are you ready, sir?' he said, as I opened the door to let him in.
`Yes,' I said and after a glance round, we left. He had kept the helicopter running. I put the tool box behind my scat and got in.
`Would you mind fastening your safety harness, sir?' said the driver as we took off.
`Why?' I said with curiosity.
`There's a strong wind coming up from the southwest, and my orders are to get you to Mildenhall without incident,' said the young man.
At around two hundred feet I began to realize what he meant. The manual helicopters had no stabilizing gyros on them and the strong wind was throwing us around like a small ship in a typhoon.
On arrival I felt very seasick. The driver put the helicopter neatly down almost on top of Colonel Ganges' well-polished boots. Ganges took one look at me and then roared with laughter.
`Man, you look terrible,' Ganges said, still laughing.
`Thank you for those few words of encouragement,' I said, with as much coldness as I could muster. Ganges just guffawed.
The destroyer stood on the concrete not far from the DSP 15 exploratory space craft. The crews of those early ships must have had immense courage to fly into the unknown with a ship as frail as the DSP 15, in comparison with Rhodes' bull-nosed ship. The driver stood a little way off with my tool box and guides in his hand.
`How long do you think it will be before you have this valve gadget working?' Ganges said, as we moved off towards the ship.
`I'm not sure. I suppose the slower we go the better,' I said, pondering on Ganges' expression.
`Don't think you'll be traveling much slower than usual,' said Ganges.
`Why?' I said, wondering what traveling in a space ship would be like.
`The orders are to proceed as quickly as possible to your observing point along with the rest of the group from Stansted.'
`Well, I suppose I'll be able to manage,' I said, beginning to feel a few misgivings at volunteering for such an operation. Surely there were good army electronic engineers who could do this job. Did it really need a physicist?
We reached the destroyer. Ganges stretched out his hand. 'Good luck.'
`Thanks, you shouldn't be so pessimistic about things.' He grunted.
The young soldier who'd brought me from Cambridge handed over my equipment. I stepped on to the outside lift platform, pressed the button and was shot skywards, which didn't help the sick feeling in my stomach.
`Hello, Warboys,' said Rhodes, greeting me at the small hatch.
`Here,' I said, handing him my gear. 'I think you'd better call me Dick.'
`All right, mine's Colonel.'
`You're what!' I said, banging my head against the low ceiling in the air lock.
`My father was always very military minded. He was very disillusioned at having two daughters, so when I came along he must have been very excited and confused, as my birth certificate is registered as "Colonel Rhodes",' Rhodes said with a chuckle.
`What an introduction. Colonel Colonel Rhodes,' I said with great amusement.
Colonel led the way down a short passage that went from the outside door to the middle of the ship. Here there was a lift that served the ship from top to bottom.
Colonel closed the gate and we moved leisurely upwards for a short distance.
`We'll drop your equipment off here,' he said, opening up the gate and moving into a largish room. This was obviously the communications part of the ship. There was a computer, and masses of electronic devices. `I'll leave your
I put all the equipment that I'd need into a tool box and carefully packed up the valve and wave guides. I wrote a message on the blackboard for my students telling them I'd be away for a few days, picked up my tool box and guides and returned to College. Once there I hurriedly changed into a pair of working overalls. As I finished zipping myself in there was a buzz from the door bell.
A young soldier stood to attention on the doorstep. `Are you ready, sir?' he said, as I opened the door to let him in.
`Yes,' I said and after a glance round, we left. He had kept the helicopter running. I put the tool box behind my scat and got in.
`Would you mind fastening your safety harness, sir?' said the driver as we took off.
`Why?' I said with curiosity.
`There's a strong wind coming up from the southwest, and my orders are to get you to Mildenhall without incident,' said the young man.
At around two hundred feet I began to realize what he meant. The manual helicopters had no stabilizing gyros on them and the strong wind was throwing us around like a small ship in a typhoon.
On arrival I felt very seasick. The driver put the helicopter neatly down almost on top of Colonel Ganges' well-polished boots. Ganges took one look at me and then roared with laughter.
`Man, you look terrible,' Ganges said, still laughing.
`Thank you for those few words of encouragement,' I said, with as much coldness as I could muster. Ganges just guffawed.
The destroyer stood on the concrete not far from the DSP 15 exploratory space craft. The crews of those early ships must have had immense courage to fly into the unknown with a ship as frail as the DSP 15, in comparison with Rhodes' bull-nosed ship. The driver stood a little way off with my tool box and guides in his hand.
`How long do you think it will be before you have this valve gadget working?' Ganges said, as we moved off towards the ship.
`I'm not sure. I suppose the slower we go the better,' I said, pondering on Ganges' expression.
`Don't think you'll be traveling much slower than usual,' said Ganges.
`Why?' I said, wondering what traveling in a space ship would be like.
`The orders are to proceed as quickly as possible to your observing point along with the rest of the group from Stansted.'
`Well, I suppose I'll be able to manage,' I said, beginning to feel a few misgivings at volunteering for such an operation. Surely there were good army electronic engineers who could do this job. Did it really need a physicist?
We reached the destroyer. Ganges stretched out his hand. 'Good luck.'
`Thanks, you shouldn't be so pessimistic about things.' He grunted.
The young soldier who'd brought me from Cambridge handed over my equipment. I stepped on to the outside lift platform, pressed the button and was shot skywards, which didn't help the sick feeling in my stomach.
`Hello, Warboys,' said Rhodes, greeting me at the small hatch.
`Here,' I said, handing him my gear. 'I think you'd better call me Dick.'
`All right, mine's Colonel.'
`You're what!' I said, banging my head against the low ceiling in the air lock.
`My father was always very military minded. He was very disillusioned at having two daughters, so when I came along he must have been very excited and confused, as my birth certificate is registered as "Colonel Rhodes",' Rhodes said with a chuckle.
`What an introduction. Colonel Colonel Rhodes,' I said with great amusement.
Colonel led the way down a short passage that went from the outside door to the middle of the ship. Here there was a lift that served the ship from top to bottom.
Colonel closed the gate and we moved leisurely upwards for a short distance.
`We'll drop your equipment off here,' he said, opening up the gate and moving into a largish room. This was obviously the communications part of the ship. There was a computer, and masses of electronic devices. `I'll leave your
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