The Project Gutenberg eBook of Four-billion dollar door
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.
Title: Four-billion dollar door
Author: Michael Shaara
Illustrator: Arnold Arlow
Kelly Freas
Release date: March 23, 2026 [eBook #78281]
Language: English
Original publication: New York: Renown Publications, Inc, 1956
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78281
Credits: Tom Trussel (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Luminist Archive)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOUR-BILLION DOLLAR DOOR ***
[Illustration]
Four-Billion Dollar Door
by Michael Shaara
_Old Sam Button devoted his life to being the first man on the
Moon--in one way, he was._
I see, by the latest history books my boy brings home from school, that
they are already beginning to rewrite the incredible tale of Sam Button
and the door. And I can see their point. Sam Button was a great hero,
first man to reach the Moon and all that, and it was a rare moment in
history when he made it.
But still, they haven’t got any right to hush up about the door.
Because, even if that was one of the great moments in history, it was
also undoubtedly one of the funniest. Anything that funny ought to be
handed on to posterity. So, since nobody else had taken on the chore I
guess I’ll have to take it on myself.
Old Sam Button was a long lean man with blonde hair that looked like it
had been stuck on with glue. Old Sam was a rare man, as well as a lean
one. For as far back as I can remember, Old Sam lived with one great
dream, to get from Earth to the Moon. There are a lot of people like
that nowadays, but there weren’t so many then.
We used to kid him about it. “Old Onward and Upward Button”, we used
to call him, and it was a standing joke that his mother had been
frightened by a flying saucer.
Kidding never stopped Old Sam--not even when he was Young Sam. He knew
exactly where he was going. He kept at it all through school, up to a
Ph.D. in physics, and then went right to work on guided missiles. He
planned it from the very beginning, so that, when the chance came, he
would be ready. When it finally came, Old Sam was readier than any man
in the country. Which shows you what a deeply dedicated man he was. It
also makes it kind of peculiar that such a comedy finish should finally
wind up his dream.
Old Sam had faith every step of the way--I mean faith in science. He
was absolutely certain men would get to the Moon, and Mars, and all the
other places, and he was pretty sure that most of it would be within
his lifetime. So he traveled around the country, making speeches.
In his spare time, Old Sam wrote science articles, speculating on the
amazing things we would find when we got wherever we were going. I
guess he had more to do with the first big rocket being built than any
man in the country. It cost four billion dollars, you see, which even
now will go a good long way in the right hands, and Congress naturally
had to be practically dynamited before they’d hand it over.
But Old Sam never gave up. He bribed them, he warned them, he sweetened
them, he promised them everything. He claimed that the Moon was an
invaluable military base, that whoever got there first would rule
the world, that the scientific information we would receive would be
enormous. He even hinted seriously that there might be loose diamonds,
lying around on the Moon’s surface--caused, he said, by meteors
striking rock with great speed and pressure.
He promised them, in short, the Moon--and, in the end, he got the money.
I have never heard a more eloquent speaker. The only time I ever saw
him stumped was when one Senator, an amiable, earthy man from Missouri,
commented that, “If the good Lord had meant us to get to the Moon,
why’d he make it so dagnab fur away?”
“But science,” Old Sam declared, “science would find a way.” There were
a lot more atoms in the world than there were people, and, as far as
Sam was concerned, what the atoms did was more important.
Now, perhaps, you begin to know a little about Old Sam. True, he was
not exactly a likeable man. Dedicated men like that seldom are. But I
guess Old Sam really went a mite too far. After spending a lot of his
lifetime in a laboratory, he was certainly a one-sided man. If a thing
wasn’t done scientifically, it wasn’t done at all, for Sam.
Fortunately, he had no children. If he had had kids, he was the kind
of man who would have spared the love and spoiled the child. All his
emotional interest was bound up in space flight. Which, considering
what happened, must have made subsequent events really rough on him.
At any rate, he got his money and built the satellite station _and_ the
space-ship. They were four years in the building, and then, one July,
he took off for the Moon.
I don’t suppose there was a man on Earth who didn’t know about Old
Sam’s trip, and there were very few people who weren’t excited about
Man’s first step into space. It was a great moment, a dramatic moment.
There were television cameras mounted on Old Sam’s ship beaming it
all back to Earth. At least fifty million people were following Old
Explorer Sam and his crew on their spectacular journey.
So, one morning, as Sam finally began to maneuver for the Lunar
landing, he was already a monumental hero. Newspaper reporters all
over the world had been busy for months, writing about the hazards of
the trip, about the deathly cold of outer space, about collisions with
mountainous meteors and cosmic death rays.
But Old Sam had merely sniffed smugly for the cameras. “Everything
has been considered,” he reassured the press, “we have foreseen every
detail.”
So the papers painted him as a vast man, calm, unworried, going off
into the illimitable dark, on the greatest of all explorations. No
doubt, Old Sam _was_ a great man--in his way.
All eyes were on him, as he went in for Man’s first landing on the
Moon. The TV cameras were focussed upon him, as he gave the orders for
the landing, standing proud and triumphant in a spotless white cap and
gilded uniform. There was a great bump, the picture leaped and blurred
for a moment, while fifty million breaths were held, and then you could
almost hear the cheers rising up from all over Earth. The Moonship was
finally down--down and safe. What a moment!
Old Sam took off his hat and made a little speech. “Men and women
of Earth,” he said simply, “we have reached the Moon.” It was very
impressive--it was about as impressive a moment as I have ever seen.
Then Old Sam stepped toward the door.
Naturally, the next moves had all been carefully rehearsed. He was to
don his uniform, a thick rubberized affair with a fishbowl helmet, then
he was to step out of the airlock of the great steel ship, bearing a
flag in his hand.
Then he was to plant the flag in the soil of the Moon, and the
television cameras were to be brought outside the ship, and we were all
to get our first look at the Moon, while he made the speech claiming
it. So we all watched breathlessly, while he got into his helmet.
At last, Old Sam went to the airlock, turned once to wave at the
cameras, and pushed a button. The door didn’t open.
There was a seemingly endless pause, and then, still calm, he pushed
the button again.
The door still didn’t open.
He pushed several times, then motioned to one of the crew. You could
hear people begin giggling nervously. The crewman examined the lock
with bewilderment, then mumbled something to Sam.
“What do you mean, frozen?” Old Sam cried, and the question must have
been audible all over the world. Then he pushed feverishly at the
button. But the great steel door wouldn’t open.
It was all very embarrassing. Having reached the Moon safely, they
couldn’t get out of the ship. The ship of course was built of solid
steel, fully pressurized, and there was simply no exit. They had
spanned two hundred and forty thousand miles of space, had spent four
billion dollars and they couldn’t get out of the ship! No flag, no
speeches, no scientific information--no diamonds! They couldn’t get out
of the ship!
The door was frozen shut. Moments later--some of the most wildly
hysterical moments in history--Old Sam announced unbelievingly to fifty
million people that he had discovered the reason. Some mechanic, back
on Earth, had greased the outside of the door. In outer space, the
grease had frozen rock-solid. There was no possible way of opening the
door.
I must say, to Old Sam’s credit, that he didn’t break down. He waited,
at least, until the cameras were off him. Then all we saw was a
frigidly smiling announcer, trying to point out that Man had after all
reached the Moon. But you could feel the shock rising all over the
world--and then the laughter.
* * * * *
Mankind guffawed from pole to pole. Practically everybody enjoyed it
but Congress. Some hothead introduced a resolution banning spaceflight
forever. There was nothing for Old Sam to do, but to bring the ship
back to Earth. It would be understandable if he had committed suicide
on the way. He came back to what must have been the worst ribbing in
history. I guess, deep down, we were all a little embarrassed, and we
had to take it out on somebody.
Well that’s about all there is. What Old Sam did thereafter is obscure.
When the laughter finally died down, and space travel was revived,
he had no part in it. For he died, about that time, of a stroke of
apoplexy, brought on one day at a picnic with his wife.
It seems she had forgotten the can opener.
[Illustration]
Transcriber’s Note:
This etext was produced from Satellite Science Fiction December 1956
(vol. 1, no. 2). Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
Obvious errors have been silently corrected in this version, but
minor inconsistencies have been retained as printed.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOUR-BILLION DOLLAR DOOR ***
Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.
Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may
do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
license, especially commercial redistribution.
START: FULL LICENSE
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG™ LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg License when
you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg work (any work
on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the
phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg™ License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws
of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg work in a format
other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain
Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg electronic works
provided that:
• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
to the owner of the Project Gutenberg trademark, but he has
agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation.”
• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™
License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™
works.
• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
receipt of the work.
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right
of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg’s
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.
The Foundation’s business office is located at 41 Watchung Plaza #516,
Montclair NJ 07042, USA, +1 (862) 621-9288. Email contact links and up
to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website
and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread
public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state
visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg electronic works
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.
Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.
This website includes information about Project Gutenberg,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
