IV
During the fifteen-minute wait before they dared venture back, Capt. Wilkins, interrupted once by what appeared to be a moderately mild after-shock from the previous moonquake, explained the phenomena they had just observed.
"A room-temperature-curing epoxy liberates heat during its curing reaction. And the hotter it is when you mix it, the faster it reacts. The drum had been absorbing heat out here for several hours much faster than it could radiate it away. It may have been forty or fifty degrees C when we stirred in the curing agent. At that temperature, a pound mass will normally kick over in five or ten minutes. But here, the only way it can lose the reaction heat is by the slow process of radiation. And that means as the heat builds up, the epoxy goes faster and faster, building up even more heat. And furthermore, we're not talking about a pound, which can maybe get up to 250 C. in air. We're talking about 500 pounds, liberating five hundred times as much heat as one pound, and getting God knows how hot—"
"I sure wish you'd have told me this a little bit earlier," Major Winship said. "I certainly wish you'd told me."
Capt. Wilkins said, "Honest, it never occurred to me Finogenov would be dumb enough to tell us to mix a whole drum of epoxy."
Major Winship began to curse mechanically.
"I don't think he did it deliberately, Charlie. I really don't," Captain Lawler said. "I don't think he knew any better. Maybe he was showing off by giving us a whole drum. Hell, I know he was showing off. But something like that could kill somebody, and I don't think he'd go that far."
"Think it's safe, yet?" Major Winship asked. He was perspiring freely again. "I need some thermal protection. What'll we do? You know damned well. We'll have to go live with them. And that sticks in my craw, gentlemen. That—sticks—in my—craw."'
"There's nothing for it," Capt. Wilkins said helpfully.