Kinsman expected that now they would finally go back inside, but Howard indicated he wanted to talk to them on their suit-to-suit frequency.
"We've got one more chore to do," the Captain said. "It's a big task, and we saved it for you boys."
Kinsman tried to glance at Colt, but his partner was slightly behind him and when he turned his head all he saw was the inside lining of his helmet.
"We haven't detached the booster fuel tank yet," How- ard explained. "It's still strapped on to the orbiter's belly."
"Can't re-enter with that egg hanging on to us," said Colt.
"We have no intention to. We're now heading for a rendezvous point where the last six missions have separated their booster tanks and left them in orbit. One of these days, when the Air Force has enough astronauts and enough money, we're going to convert these empty shells into a permanent space station."
"I'll be damned." Kinsman grinned to himself.
"Like the station NASA's building," said Colt.
"Nothing so fancy," Howard countered. "Now, then, your task is to separate the tank from the orbiter manually, and then take it over to the assembly that's already there and attach it to the other tanks."
"Simple enough," Colt said. "We practiced that kind of assembly in the neutral buoyancy tank in Huntsville."
"It sounds easy," Howard said. "But I won't be there to help you. You're going to be on your own with this one."
"We can handle it," Kinsman said.
Howard said nothing for a long moment. Kinsman watched him floating before them, his tinted visor looking like the dead, empty eye of a midget cyclops.
"All right," the Captain said at last. "But listen to me. If something happens out there, don't panic. Do you hear me? Don't panic."
"We're not the panicky kind," said Colt.
What's he worried about? Kinsman wondered. But he pushed the thought aside as Howard helped them to take a pair of Manned Maneuvering Units out of stowage. The 56
MMUs were one-man jet backs, built like a seat back with arms that held the controls. No seat, no legs. It strapped to their backs over their life-support packs.
Colt and Kinsman spent the next half-hour convincing Howard that they could fly the MMUs. They jetted back and forth along the emptied payload bay, did pirouettes, new upside down and sideways, even flew in formation, almost touching outstretched fingertips.
"There are no umbilicals or tethers," Howard warned. "You'll be operating independently. On your own. Do you understand?"
"Sure," said Kinsman. "We practiced with these in the simulator a hundred times."
