"I have always believed NASA's greatest investment is in the men and women we send into space, not the technology that carries them there. The human element," he said. "And you have proven yourself good enough to handle the training of our astronaut corps for the past three years."

Annie paused a moment, then said, "I'm flattered by your confidence, but it frankly doesn't eliminate my concerns. My background isn't in technical science. Every one of Orion's electronic and structural systems will have to be analyzed to find out what went wrong--"

"You've operated a shuttle and taught others to do so, which makes you intimately acquainted with its workings. But that's almost beside the point. Of course no one is expecting you to do it all. I'm talking about leadership. You would have wide discretion in handpicking a team of professionals from both inside and outside the agency."

She looked at him. "I'd expect a few ranking members of the organization to be very unhappy about being passed over for consideration."

"Leave that to me," he said with a dismissive sweep of his hand. "If their feelings get hurt, they can come in here and I'll hand out Kleenex, scold them, compliment their hairdos or neckties, whatever it takes to settle them down. Ninety percent of what I do, day in and day out, is play conciliator between massive egos. I can butter a bun as well as any diplomat."

A thought suddenly crossed Annie's mind as she listened to him.

"I have to ask you right out," she said. "Is this whole thing about trotting me out before the television cameras again? Using me as a figurehead?"

"Fair question," he said. "And I won't tell you the esteem with which you are held by the public hasn't been taken into account. They need to believe in the findings of our task force, and truth from government is a hard sell. But the fact that you go down well with television viewers is only part of it." He paused, his eyes meeting Annie's. "I hope I've already made clear that the high regard for your ability and integrity extends into this office. And you also should know that Roger Gordian is pushing like hell for you."

The revelation left her nonplussed again. "You've consulted with him?"

"We were on the telephone earlier this morning." Dorset's lips hinted at a smile. "And I can assure you, he left no room for confusion about his preference."

Annie felt an unaccountable twitch of nervousness as that sank in.

"I don't know what to say," she told him. "There are other issues. The shuttle will have to be reconstructed piece by piece, and the Vehicle Assembly Building at Canaveral's the only facility we have that's large enough to hold it. I'd have to be in Florida to constantly oversee things, stay on top of the progress that's being made. It would mean uprooting my family...."