Only the Gods Should Fly

De: Red and Catherine Rahm

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

To launch a rocket into space is a mixture of hubris and madness, that and the mathematics of thrust. A former aerospace launch controller becomes obsessed with recapturing the glory of being part of a space launch program by joining Freedom Launch Services, the enterprise of the story. What unfolds is a technological thriller following the formation of a privately funded satellite launch complex. Written in eleven chapters of unequal length, each chapter starts with an excerpt of a testimony from a Congressional hearing on the fate of Freedom Launch Services. As the tale approaches Freedom’s own pilot launch, the chapters become shorter and urgent. The reader will sense early-on that the fictional launch failed, but the extent of the catastrophe and the true cause will leave you stunned and questioning. Should private commercialization of space happen independently of a watchdog government? Should it be allowed to occur at all? The consequences of failure and potential misuse of such a business are horrific. This is a cautionary tale that such businesses should not be allowed to operate without direct control by the government. Yet to counter those who argue space flight is a complete waste of tax resources and brain talent, the story reveals the compulsion of certain engineers to be part of space launch. They would not be productive, and instead would live adrift, otherwise. The story both defends the essential need for such launches as well as condemns the way the government managed its own space program, Shuttle. Yet the cost of government oversight in launch delay and safety expenses would drive any private venture to an unprofitable demise. The streamlined alternative, a strictly commercial company, is Faust’s pact with the devil to obtain wisdom instantly, both highly suspect and recklessly dangerous. One of the co-authors worked for NASA and the Air Force on Shuttle and Titan launches. His experiences authenticate the technical aspects and characterizations in the story.