Free Kinsella (Kinsella Universe Book 1) by Gina Marie Wylie Page B

Science Advisor’s resignation was accepted.  Yesterday, all three of NASA’s Assistant Directors were fired.  If any of you should ever get into a top policy position with the government, don’t do what those NASA managers did.  The President asked them why he could get good pictures of Mars, but not of the moon.
    “NASA told him that’s because the moon wasn’t important.”
    There were guarded chuckles around the room.  NASA was a known problem to the engineers in the room.  A few of the top NASA brass had been allowed to visit, but not many.
    “Two weeks ago, Professor Kinsella and her students dropped that VW Bug onto the moon, in a controlled landing.  As you can see, the landing was soft enough that the camera didn’t break.”
    “It’s a standard web cam,” Stephanie explained.  “We put an optically neutral lens over the real lens, then cast the whole thing in epoxy, then did a few other things to keep the whole shooting match from evaporating in the vacuum of space.  We think it’s a credit to off-the-shelf electronics that we still have a picture after this long.  However, the area is about to fall into shadow and that will, undoubtedly, end that.” Stephanie told the assembled engineers.
    “It’s now close to lunch,” John told them.  “Professor Kinsella will pass out copies of the patent so you have some light reading as you eat.  We’ll reconvene in forty minutes or so.”
    Actually, once Stephanie passed out the patent application, the meeting never un-convened.  Instead she was peppered with a steady barrage of questions about the patent.  While none of the engineers were up to snuff on all of the mathematics, combined, they were.
    It was Brian Taverner who got things back on track.  “I must say, Professor Kinsella, that the patent is an interesting read.  I’ve already faxed copies to some of our physicists, who, I’m told, are now walking around in circles, banging their heads against walls saying, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’”
    Stephanie shrugged.
    “I said it before, I’ll say it again.  Why are you here, Professor?  I mean, aside from the fact that you just jerked the rug out from under our feet, the fact that you’re here has to mean something.”  He nodded to Captain Gilly.
    “Captain, I know what you said earlier, but there has to be more to it than that.”
    Captain Gilly sighed.  “I’m going to upset the Professor, but I think this is important.  You people in this room, you’re down-in-the-trenches engineers.  You’ve taken ideas and turned them into reality.  Then you took that reality and made it work.  I flew tankers when I was in the Navy, and while that’s not as sexy as flying fighters or being a test pilot, I certainly learned to appreciate people like you because every year I flew my job grew easier and safer.
    “Professor Kinsella has proposed a project.  An ambitious project.  She has, however, no practical engineering experience to speak of.  She went through her schooling at a gallop, got her doctorate and hit the road running, aiming to get where she is today.
    “I’d like to turn this into a brainstorming session.  I’d like to find a simple concept and have us come up with a concept statement, preliminary designs... and then I’d like you to give Professor Kinsella the benefit of your expertise and experience, to give her some idea of what the project manager would face between concept and roll out.”
    “No,” Stephanie’s voice was harder than her expression.
    “The problem, Captain Gilly, with haring off on your own is that sometimes you find yourself close to the right place, but not quite there.
    “I would like to amend the captain’s suggestion.  I already have a concept.  I will propose it in general terms; it’s mine, do you understand?  You can’t have it.  If Lockheed tries to do anything along the lines I suggest, it will be ugly.  Don’t do it.  On the other hand, I also have another