Moonfall

FRANK CRANDALL'S ALL-NIGHTER. 10:53 P.M.

"I'll tell you, Frank, I'm with the woman who said the whole thing's just a con game to free up money for the aerospace people. That's all it is. That rock isn't coming down tonight, never was gonna come down. But Haskell will claim credit and a lot of taxpayer money'll go to Lockheed and the LTA. Mark my words."

With Bruce Kendrick.

"The entire world appears to be kneeling in prayer tonight____________________

"

Skyport Flight Terminal. Midnight.

The last of the SSTOs, 708 from Moscow, broke away from Skyport with measured speed. Almost everyone on the station was standing along the flight terminal's Apollo Deck, which had the best view of the launch. For a long time after Moscow's lights vanished into the night, almost no one moved.