Metafire

George messaged back, "We have another American capsule holding for a join after the Russian capsule is joined. Can you please expedite?"

"I'll be in touch." The Colonel later resorted to a brief email, and the email was equally welcome, "We can do the work immediately. We have messaged the Russian capsule Whitefire. They are being tendered to our location and will arrive tomorrow. Please arrange with your tug to be at the following coordinates..."

The Discovery crew had looked at the problem. They figured to have the entire operation completed within a single twenty four hour stay. The management at the NSP had approved the joining as a means of creating a colony that mixed Americans with Russians. They had been concerned for some time that the fact that these colonies could not mix might create problems in the future. A few mixed colonies, they reasoned, would break down any sense of mistrust that could otherwise develop over the years. Of course, with the proposed arrangement there would be exactly one passage that connected the American capsules and the Russian capsules. A new generation of capsules was being designed that would permit American and Russian capsules to mix more freely. The fact that the NSP anticipated a fair number of mixed communities allowed them to discount the fact that the Metafire One capsule was so obstinent. They also reasoned that, perhaps, it was the intention to join with a Russian capsule that made them so obstinent about joining in the first place. Just like the capsules were designed to go aloft only once, the pressure door seals were designed to be formed only a few times. They were aircraft aluminum and could not stand up to repeated bumping or repeated wear. Furthermore, people talked widely about the o-rings used for the seals, and NASA's sad track record with o-rings. The 1930's miracle of the O-ring, the round cylinder in a square trough as a sealing device, has always been poorly appreciated. Worry in space abounded.