ling. This
A-G ship also must supply energy, foot-pound for foot-pound, for every
foot it raises the vehicle. But due to the amount of energy supplied by
this new nuclear generator, such power is at last available in one
compact form and in such concentration that this ship could propel
itself for hundreds of years."

He went on to explain that what then happened was that the vessel,
exerting a tremendous counter-gravitational force, literally pushed
itself up against Earth's drive. At the same time, this force could be
used to intensify the gravitational pull of some other celestial body.
The vessel would begin to fall toward that other body, and be repelled
from the first body--Earth in this case.

As every star, planet, and satellite in the universe was exerting a pull
on every other one, the anti-gravity spaceship literally reached out,
grasped hold of the desired gravitational "rope" hanging down from the
sky, and pulled itself up it. It would seem to fall upward into the sky.
It could increase or decrease the effect of its fall. It could fall free
toward some other world, or it could force an acceleration in its fall
by adding repulsion from the world it was leaving.

In flight, therefore, the wide nose was the front. It would fall through
space, pulled by the power beam generated from this front. The rear of
the spaceship was the tapering, small end.

As Burl was shown over the living quarters it became plain to him that
the actual living spaces in the _Magellan_ were inside a metal sphere
hanging on gymbals below the equatorial bulge that housed the power
drive. The bulk of this sphere was always well within the outer walls of
the teardrop, and thus protected from radiation. Being suspended on
gymbals, the sphere would rotate so that the floor of the living
quarters was always downward to wherever the greatest pull of gravity
might happen to be.

Burl and the others explored the three floors that divided the inner
sphere, all oriented toward Earth. The central floor, housing the
sleeping quarters and living quarters, was compact but roomier than
might have been expected. There were five bunkrooms, each shared by two
men. There was a main living and dining room. On the lowermost floor was
the cookroom, a small dispensary, and immediate supplies. On the upper
floor was the control room, with its charts and television viewplates
which allowed vision in all directions from sending plates fixed on the
surface i