“With less than an hour before the meteor’s impact,” President Rust continued ceremoniously, “I would now like to ask our science adviser, Dr. Eisenblatt, to brief us on the current situation.”

Jerome Eisenblatt was a highly regarded theoretical physicist.

He had graduated at the top of his class from MIT, took his Ph.D. at Cambridge, then entered government service. He was generally considered to be apolitical—at least, he was as neutral as possible in the Washington environment. His views were generally in the mainstream of modern science, and his briefings were always concise and lucid. Unlike the majority of cabinet officers who gained their stripes by inside service to the ruling party, Eisenblatt’s position was due more to a true dedication to the task of harnessing scientific knowledge for the good of mankind. He was trusted by all who knew him, which had, in turn, made him a respected adviser to administrations of both major parties.

Dr. Eisenblatt rose slowly, took a deep breath, and began. “Thank you, Mr. President. As you all know by now, at this hour we are working around the clock to establish reliable intelligence and communications links on all levels: television, radio, short wave, microwave—essentially all major military and civilian frequencies— and many other specialized resources. Everything is being called into service. Our three main IntelSats are currently processing more than a hundred thousand simultaneous events, and two of those satellites have the capacity to observe and photograph the surface of the earth with extraordinary clarity. So that is a main area of focus at this moment.”

Eisenblatt walked a few paces to a large easel that had been set up behind him. He drew back the cloth that had been covering it to reveal several charts and graphs. “One of our most sensitive satellites,” he said, pointing to a sketch at the top of the page, “is in geosynchronous orbit to allow detailed photography of southern California. Right here,” he said, pointing to a glossy photograph, “is a still-frame picture taken this morning. It shows just how very good and how very precise the satellite imaging actually is. This particular technology can magnify virtually any object. . . . This, for example, is the warning label on a package of cigarettes, as seen from space.”

There was a spontaneous reaction from the cabinet members. “That’s incredible,” said the secretary of energy. “I knew they were good, but I had no idea . . .”

“Naturally, our main concern,” Eisenblatt continued, “is the size, shape, trajectory, and velocity of the approaching object—the meteor, for lack of a better definition. Our most high-powered terrestrial telescopes have been tracking the object’s entry into earth’s atmosphere. We want to know as much as we can at every second. Then, to be cer-tain that we leave no stone unturned, we also have helicopters in the air at this moment with sophisticated photographic capabilities.”

“Vince.” President Rust looked around for the chief of staff. “Vince, will you please dim the lights so we can see the pictures Dr. Eisenblatt has brought us?”