Metafire

George really liked this idea, but he knew the others would regard it as too risky when other methods would probably work. So, he said, "I suggest we keep that one in mind, but don't do it. We should first, at least, see if we can decode the radio signal to the satellite. Now, I think that Jane and Andrei may have the best solution. You know, they have been looking at making mechanical changes to the air and water systems. Jane, Andrei?"

Andrei had decided to speak. "We propose to take the Metafire Two capsule out and inspect precisely where the satellite is located on the hull of the tug. We suspect that we can cut the hull around the satellite and move it away from the colony. We are sure this can be done from the inside of the tug, without depressurization."

Jane then said, "There is one possible problem, however. We don't know the method by which the satellite senses that it is attached to the hull. We know that it uses adhesives. It may just be establishing an electrical contact, but it may use magnetic field information as well. If it senses the magnet fields in the general area of its attachment, then we may not be able to move it even if it remains attached to the hull plate."

Platon objected, "The rockets generate huge electro-magnet flux shifts. There is so much electro-magnetic activity out there, just with high speed particles blowing about the vacuum and inducing currents on our hull. The magnetic signature couldn't be a very good one. I would bet any electro-magnetic sensing is done in millimeter distances, not even centimeter, let alone meter."