
Part 1
Part 2
In the stark isolation of an Antarctic research dome, two drafted soldiers—one a former astronomer, the other a reluctant radio specialist—grapple with the biting cold and the weight of a secretive national emergency. Their days are a mix of routine maintenance, stale cigarettes, and uneasy conversation about the world beyond the ice, where the Pentagon believes the South Pole holds the key to controlling global weather.
Against a backdrop of howling winds and humming machinery, they debate the futility and hope of searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, trading technical jargon for personal doubts. As the endless winter stretches ahead, their uneasy camaraderie hints at deeper questions about duty, survival, and the thin line between scientific curiosity and military necessity. Listeners will be drawn into a tense, thought‑provoking slice of speculative fiction that balances hard‑science musings with the human need for connection in the most desolate place on Earth.
Language
en
Duration
~35 minutes (33K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
New York, NY: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, 1962.
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2023-11-28
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1932–2020
A major voice in hard science fiction, he built stories around real science, space exploration, and the near future. His books often mix big cosmic ideas with human ambition, rivalry, and hope.
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