He checked the cooling apparatus. It seemed in perfect working condition and should keep the two passengers from roasting alive until the ship crashed. At least this was a comfort.
Lieutenant Riley, who had been sleeping, opened his eyes.
"Say, Paul, I've an idea!"
"Yeah? Spill it."
"Why couldn't we keep the ship in an orbit outside the earth's atmosphere until it is sighted by telescope?"
"There are two pretty good reasons for that," Paul Bonnet replied. "In the first place we'll be going too fast. If we tried to get into an orbit we'd sail right out again. To become a satellite of the earth—and I suppose that's what you're thinking of—we'd have to slow ourselves down to exactly the right speed necessary to overcome the earth's gravity. That would be hard to do with the instruments on this lifeboat, even if we had the fuel necessary to brake. In the second place, if we got close enough to the earth to be seen by a telescope, our orbital speed would be too fast for any 'scope to keep us in focus. We'd be mistaken on photographs for a meteor."
"I guess we're up against it, eh Paul?"
"I've been thinking," Captain Bonnet said.
"What's this, a joke?"
"There's one plan that might work—a suicide plan. But even that might be spoiled by an accident."