Another mass was recorded. "It's too close," he commented. "But it's something at least."
"We'll have to head for a probable orbit and follow it," I said.
"The whole thing looks improbable up close," John said.
"I agree," Paul said.
"Consider this. We're thirty days past its probable orbit. That's quite some figuring, roughly a small fraction of one percent. Unbelievably small error considering the distance we've come. I'm willing to stake my life that there will be such a planet."
"One thing," said John, "if this planet should exist we can find it in less than a year by following its probable orbit."
"That's half our answer," Carl said. "We can still look farther out with the radar."
John shook his head ponderously. "I remember when they first tested this drive. To the moon and back in sixty hours, with the ship so hot you could fry eggs on the wall. Now with the bugs taken out we can hit two million miles in an Earth day."
"Remember Ellington talking about the speed of light within the realm of fuels and metals?"
"Yeah. We could meet some of our children's children coming out to meet us."