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At 0946 GMT on the morning of September 11 in the exceptionally beautiful summer of the year 2077, most of the inhabitants of Europe saw a dazzling fireball appear in the eastern sky.
Even by the twenty-second century, no way had yet been discovered of keeping elderly and conservative scientists from occupying crucial administrative positions.
“Bernal and others thought this could be done with mobile worldlets a few kilometers across, carrying thousands of passengers on journeys that would last for generations. Naturally, the system would have to be rigidly closed, recycling all food, air, and other expendables. But, of course, that’s just how the Earth operates—on a slightly larger scale.
“But at least we have answered one ancient question. We are not alone. The stars will never again be the same to us.”
To most people, Mercury was a fairly good approximation of Hell; at least, it would do until something worse came along.
Rama is a cosmic egg, being warmed by the fires of the Sun. It may hatch at any moment.”
