《Periodic Table Plutonium》作者： - Michael Swanwick【EPUB】

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Michael Swanwicks Periodic Table of Science Fiction 94 Pu Plutonium 244Pure Science The surface of Pluto is covered in ices. Methane ices nitrogen ices and carbon dioxide icesmostly but also a scattering of exotics like oxygen that warmed only a few degrees Kelvinsublime into gases. The waste heat of our vacuum suits was enough to do the trick. With everystep the ground exploded underfoot and billowed up overhead. Ken and I had to keep moving if wewanted to see at all. Behind us like Sodom burning was the giant updraft caused by the Bonestell melting a craterinto the ice. I didnt look backit would have turned my heart to stone. What now I saidtonelessly. Keep walking Ken said. We did. Is there a point to this I asked after a while. Yes. Its called basic research. Oh. You got something better to do Other than dying I laughed maybe a little shrilly. No nothing at all. We loped along scanning the land before us. Pluto was surprisingly hilly for such a tinyplanetalmost as small as its partner-moon Charon and by some definitions a planetesimalrather than a full world. It was I supposed basely possible wed chance upon something worthfinding before our oxygen ran out. Though I couldnt imagine what. Check it out. Ken gestured at a discolored streak that moved with imperfect straightnesstoward the horizon. Melted. And then Lets follow it. We did in long low bounds. Think theyll ever find us I asked. Oh yeah start at the crater follow our trail. Even if they mothball NASA like that idiot inWashington wants somebody a hundred or even a thousand years from now wont have any trouble We topped a ridge and stopped to take