Professional Documents
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Hudock
Drumright
Seikel
With many exciting enhancements and robust online resources, the seventh edition of Anatomy & Physiology for Speech,
Language, and Hearing provides a solid foundation in anatomical and physiological principles relevant to the fields of speech-
language pathology and audiology. The text is supported by an innovative study software program called ANAQUEST that
includes interactive lessons, animations, and videos to further help students master the complex material.
This bestselling text is organized around the five “classic” systems of speech, language and hearing: the respiratory,
Physiology
phonatory, articulatory/resonatory, nervous, and auditory systems. Integrating clinical information with everyday experiences
to reveal how anatomy and physiology relate to the speech, language, and hearing systems, the text introduces all the
essential anatomy and physiology information in a carefully structured way, helping students to steadily build their knowledge
and successfully apply it to clinical practice. Hundreds of dynamic, full-color illustrations and online lessons make the seventh
complex material approachable even for students with little or no background in anatomy and physiology.
edition
Key Features:
• 560+ figures and tables provide visual examples of the anatomy, processes, body systems, and data discussed.
seventh edition
- “To summarize” sections provide a succinct listing of the major topics covered in a chapter or chapter section
• Muscle tables describe the origin, course, insertion, innervation, and function of key muscles and muscle groups
• Glossary with 2,000+ terms and definitions
• Comprehensive bibliography in each chapter with 600+ references throughout the text
• Multiple online appendices include an alphabetical listing of anatomical terms, useful combining forms, and listings of
sensors and cranial nerves J. Anthony Seikel
New to the Seventh Edition: David G. Drumright
• Addition of clinical cases related to neurophysiology and hearing
• Revised and updated physiology of swallowing includes discussion of postnatal development and aging effects of the
swallowing mechanism and function
Daniel J. Hudock
• Brief discussion of the basics of genetics and trait transmission
• Overview of prenatal development as it relates to the mechanisms of speech and hearing
• Presentation of prenatal and postnatal development for each of the systems of speech and hearing, as well as the effects
of aging on each system
• Learning objectives have been added to the beginning of each chapter
• Chapter study questions have been moved online so students can take interactive quizzes with scores
• The helpful appendices moved online to reduce the length and weight of the print book
• For instructors, the test questions and slides have been updated and expanded
• The ANAQUEST study software has been updated with new illustrations from the text, and lessons to match the content
newly added to the book
www.pluralpublishing.com
Anatomy &
Physiology
for Speech, Language,
and Hearing
SEVENTH EDITION
Anatomy &
Physiology
for Speech, Language,
and Hearing
SEVENTH EDITION
email: information@pluralpublishing.com
website: https://www.pluralpublishing.com
All rights, including that of translation, reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise,
including photocopying, recording, taping, web distribution, or information storage and retrieval systems
without the prior written consent of the publisher.
Every attempt has been made to contact the copyright holders for material originally printed in another source. If any
have been inadvertently overlooked, the publisher will gladly make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.
Names: Seikel, John A., author. | Drumright, David G., author. | Hudock,
Daniel J., author.
Title: Anatomy & physiology for speech, language, and hearing / J. Anthony
Seikel, David G. Drumright, Daniel J. Hudock.
Other titles: Anatomy and physiology for speech, language, and hearing
Description: Seventh edition. | San Diego, CA : Plural Publishing, Inc.,
[2025] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2023037109 (print) | LCCN 2023037110 (ebook) | ISBN
9781635506280 (hardcover) | ISBN 163550628X (hardcover) | ISBN
9781635504309 (ebook)
Subjects: MESH: Speech--physiology | Language | Hearing--physiology |
Nervous System--anatomy & histology | Respiratory System--anatomy &
histology | Respiratory Physiological Phenomena
Classification: LCC QP306 (print) | LCC QP306 (ebook) | NLM WV 501 | DDC
612.7/8--dc23/eng/20230824
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023037109
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023037110
Contents
Preface xiii
About the Authors xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction to the Learner xix
Using This Textbook and Online Resources xxi
Overview 571
Sense, Sensor, and Stimulation 574
Divisions of the Nervous System 577
Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System 577
Autonomic and Somatic Nervous Systems 578
Development Divisions 579
Anatomy of the Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System 580
Neurons 581
Anatomy of the Cerebrum 589
Medial Surface of Cerebral Cortex 617
Inferior Surface of Cerebral Cortex 617
Myelinated Fibers 617
Anatomy of the Subcortex 620
Cerebrovascular System 628
Cerebellum 631
Anatomy of the Brainstem 636
Cranial Nerves 648
Specific Cranial Nerves 651
Anatomy of the Spinal Cord 670
Pathways of the Spinal Cord 681
Chapter Summary 689
Bibliography 690
Glossary 763
Index 815
Preface
A
natomy & Physiology for Speech, Language, and Hearing, Seventh Edition,
provides a sequential tour of the anatomy and physiology associated with
speech, language, and hearing. Those of us studying Speech and Hearing
Sciences are in the enviable position of being at the center of one of the most
important facets of being human: Communication. In this text, our aspiration is
for the content to be both accessible and applicable to your careers in our profes-
sions. Even as you read this material, know that your future clients are counting
on the knowledge that you are gaining. What you study now becomes the heart of
your practice later. We want this material to be relevant to you, the clinician.
This text is designed to serve the upper division undergraduate or graduate
student in the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology, and it is our hope
that it will serve you as a reference for your professional life as well. We aspire for
it to be a learning tool and resource for both the developing and the accomplished
clinician. We, the authors of this text, are first and foremost teachers ourselves.
We are committed to the students within our professions and to the instructors
who have made it their life work to teach them. Every revision of the text has both
student and instructor in mind as we try to meet your needs in the rapidly changing
professions of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
Learning is not a spectator sport. Our goal is to make the text and its ancillary
materials as useful to 21st-century students as possible. This new edition not only
provides students with great interactive study tools in the revised ANAQUEST
study software but also makes available a wealth of student and instructor resources
to facilitate learning. We moved a great deal of the activities online, reflecting the
dominant method for using them by students. We want you to be the best clinician
and scientist you can be and sincerely hope that these materials move you along
the path of your chosen career.
Organization
The text is organized around the five “classic” systems of speech and hearing: the
respiratory, phonatory, articulatory/resonatory, nervous, and auditory systems. The
respiratory system (involving the lungs) provides the “energy source” for speech,
whereas the phonatory system (involving the larynx) provides voicing. The articula-
tory/resonatory system modifies the acoustic source provided by voicing (or other
gestures) to produce the sounds we acknowledge as speech. The articulatory system
is responsible for the mastication (chewing) and deglutition (swallowing) func-
tion, an increasingly important area within the field of speech-language pathology.
The nervous system lets us control musculature, receive information, and make
sense of the information. Finally, the auditory mechanism processes speech and
nonspeech acoustic signals received by the listener who is trying to make sense of
their world. We included information about prenatal and postnatal development
of these systems as well as changes that occur through aging.
There are few areas of study where the potential for overwhelming detail is
greater than in the disciplines of anatomy and physiology. Our desire with this
text and the accompanying software lessons is to provide a stable foundation upon
xiii
xiv ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY FOR SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING
See the beginning of the which detail may be learned. In the text, we provide you with an introductory
textbook for instructions on section that sets the stage for the detail to follow, and we bring you back to a more
how to access the PluralPlus global picture with summaries. We also provide derivations of words to help you
companion website. remember technical terms.
This new edition of Anatomy & Physiology for Speech, Language, and Hearing
includes many exciting enhancements:
J. Anthony Seikel
David G. Drumright
Daniel J. Hudock
About the Authors
J. Anthony (Tony) Seikel, PhD, is emeritus faculty at Idaho State University, where
he taught graduate and undergraduate coursework in neuroanatomy and neuropa-
thology over the course of his career in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
He is coauthor of numerous chapters, books, and research publications in the fields
of speech-language pathology and audiology. His current research is examining
the relationship between orofacial myofunctional disorders and oropharyngeal
dysphagia. Dr. Seikel is also coauthor of Neuroanatomy & Neurophysiology for
Speech and Hearing Sciences, also published by Plural Publishing.
xv
Acknowledgments
W
e are deeply indebted to our friends at Plural Publishing who have worked
so hard to make this seventh edition happen. Angie Singh, Valerie Johns,
and Elisa Andersen have tremendous energy and a wonderful calming
effect on authors, even as our deadlines loom. We are indebted to them and appre-
ciate their continued support in this revision process.
We would like to acknowledge the effort that reviewers put into their exami-
nation of our material and hope we have done justice to their work. Reviewers are
the unsung heroes of textbook preparation. They put in long and often tedious
hours, examining our work with an unflinching eye, providing us with the criti-
cally important view of the instructor. The deadlines that they faced in reviewing
the material for this seventh edition were daunting, and yet they persevered. We
are very deeply indebted to them for their careful review and willingness to call
our attention to areas that needed correction, refinement, and improvement. We
also are grateful for their keen insight and discernment and hope that we have in
some measure answered their suggestions. This textbook is written, quite literally,
on their shoulders.
We also wish to acknowledge all those who, over the course of the past few
years, have given us corrections and suggestions for improving this edition of the
text. Samantha Smith provided us with keen insight into the changing face of
animal research ethics, and Megan-Brette Hamilton and her colleagues at the
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Office for Multicultural Affairs
were a wonderful resource for updating the language of text relative to sex and
gender. We appreciate the keen eyes of Meghan Wendelken, Jenny Iwarsson, and
Katie Huang, all of whom found text errors, some of which dated to the first
edition. Dianna Evers gave me great insight into oromyofunctional disorders, and
our friend and colleague Kostas Konstantopoulos provided us with inspiration and
additional cases for the text. There were many other sharp-eyed professors and
students who led us to text corrections for this edition, and we are grateful for all
of that input. We are extremely grateful for the talented artwork of Tatiana Gandlin
whose art now graces this book.
To you, our students, please realize that your future clients support your
present intentions and also will serve as your inspiration as you move through
life. As speech-language pathologists and audiologists, we must acknowledge the
tremendous debt we owe to the great researchers and teachers who have formed
the profession, our colleagues with whom we consult and work, and, always, our
clients, who have taught us more than any book could.
As authors, we must also acknowledge the source of our inspiration. We have
been actively involved in teaching students in speech-language pathology and
audiology for some time, and not a semester goes by that we do not realize how
very dedicated our students are. There is something special about our field that
attracts not just the brightest but the most compassionate. You, students, keep us
as teachers alive and vital. Thank you.
xvii
Introduction to the Learner
W
e continue to be impressed with the complexity and beauty of the systems
of human communication. Humans use an extremely complex system
for communication, requiring extraordinary coordination and control of
an intensely interconnected sensorimotor system. It is our heartfelt desire that the
study of the physical system will lead you to an appreciation of the importance of
your future work as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist.
We also know that the intensity of your study will work to the benefit of your
future clients and that the knowledge you gain through your effort will be applied
throughout your career. We appreciate the fact that the study of anatomy is chal-
lenging, but we also recognize that the effort you put forth now will provide you
with the background for work with the medical community.
A deep understanding of the structure and function of the human body is
critical to the individual who is charged with the diagnosis and treatment of speech,
language, and hearing disorders. As beginning clinicians, you are already aware of
the awesome responsibility you bear in clinical management. It is our firm belief
that knowledge of the human body and how it works will provide you with the
background you need to make informed and wise decisions. We welcome you on
your journey into the world of anatomy.
xix
Using This Textbook and
Online Resources
Textbook
The text offers the following features to enhance your learning and compre-
hension:
Anatomy of
Phonation
4
LEAR NER OUT
COM ES
The learner will
be able to:
1. Expressively 7. Describe the
•
define and recep location of struct
S poken communica
chapter is conce tion uses both voiceless and
definition can be found in the Glossary at the end of the book. Use
Phonation, or
and this occurs voicing, is the the vocal folds,
within the larynx product of vibrat
respiration as the . Remember from ing vocal folds,
source of energy Chapter 3 that
speech. Respiration for speech. Phon we
ation is the sourc referred to
respiration there is the energy source that perm
would its phonation to e of voice for
these terms to study and prepare for tests and quizzes. Additionally,
The vocal folds be no voicing. occur; without
being muscle. The are made up of five layers
space between of tissue, with
the deepest layer
glottidis), and
the area below the the vocal folds is termed the ANAQUEST LESS
are located withi vocal folds is the glottis (or rima ON
n the subgl
, AND HEARING
GY FOR SPEECH, LANGUAGE 177
62 ANATOMY & PHYSIOLO
•
those in which the ture
homework assignments.
which rests atop the
by a superior articular facet,
The superior surface is marked articular facet. In the articu-
pedicle. The inferior
surface contains an inferior e foramina shown
pedicle: L., pedalis, foot facets mate. The pair of transvers be absent in C7.
lated vertebral column, these may even
in the cervical vertebrae and
in Figure 2–5 is found only through this foramen. You can
vertebral artery passes
Figure 2–7 shows that the
and tests, refer back to the figures for an important visual recap of the
vertebral
Figure 2–7. Course of Subclavian artery
artery through the transverse
foramina of cervical vertebrae. Aorta from heart
mright/
Source: From Seikel/Dru
topics discussed.
for
King. Anatomy & Physiology
Hearing,
Speech, Language, and
Inc. Repro-
302© Cengage,
5th ed.
ANATO
duced by permission. MY & PHYSIOLOGY FOR SPEECH,
LANGUAGE,
AND HEARI NG
CHAPTER 2
• ANATOMY OF RESPIR
• “To Summarize” Sections provide a succinct listing of the major
topics covered in a chapter or chapter section. These summaries
ATION
129
, AND HEAR ING
Muscle: Quadra SPEE CH, LANGUAGE
GY FORtus lumbo rum
& :PHYSIOLO
Origin
ANATOMY Iliac crest
194
provide a helpful recap of the general areas where you should focus
Course: Fan up and inward
Insertion: Transve mar ize:
sum
✔ Toprocesses of the lumbar vertebr
rse e.
layers of tissu made up of two cle
Innervation: Thoraci
c nerve T12 consist of fiveae and inferior na prop
L1 through L4 lumbar is the lamiborder
l folds of ria,
The vocaand rib 12 id mus
Function: Bilateral •contraction elial layernerves thyroaryteno
•
ous Structu
Chapter Summaries provide precise reviews of content. The summary
Car tilagin larynx in that tive pressures.
• Forced expiration reverse needed for the tive and posi
ise qualities it
and by forcing the s this proces
ilage has the
s by pulling the ed to withstand negacollapse as pressure within .
prec
Cartagm
diaphr structure needthorax down and
higherthe the thorax s wouinld bend the neck
also provides intotube
• Chapter 3 provides insigh hagu
such as. the esop allow a person to flex and
is offset from the running text to make it easily identifiable for quick
t into
le epith elial
the details ld not
respiration for speech A simp of inspira wou
. a bony structuretion, expiration, and
dropped, and
lage
tracheal carti
CHAPTER SUM MARY Cricoid Cartilage as an expanded
review.
cartilage
can be viewed the larynx, the cricoid
cricoid cartilage lage of
R espiration is the proces The unpaired As the most inferior carti
an organism and its s (Fig of gas 4–6).ge betwee
ureexchan
made up of the spinal environment. The rib cage, pressu
n pleurae linked
through surface
column and ribs, re. When lungs expand tension and negative
lungs, which are the houses the the lungs , the
primary machinery for
Facetof becomes negative with air pressure within
By means of the cartila respiration. atmos
noid respect to the outsid
ginous trachearyte
a and phere, and Boyle’s e
tree, air enters the law dictates that air
lungs for gas exchan bronchial from the region of higher flows
minute alveolar sacs. ge within the Access pressu
Oxygen enters the ory muscles also provid re to fill the lungs.
carbon dioxide is remov blood, and of the e for added expans
each chapter offers great sources to start your research for a paper or
diaphragm contra ANTERIOR
cts, drawn by evacuaabdomen and those that depress the rib s
te the lungs. cage to
Facet for
arytenoid
Bibliography
Araujo, J. A., Barajas
J., Gong, K. W., .
, B., Kleinman, M.,
. . Nel,
Lamina
Facet for
Wang, X., Bennet
d t, B. Baranowska-Wójcik,
Arch
class project.
pollutants in the ultrafin A. E. (2008). Ambient thyroi particulate E., Szwajgier, D.,
e range promote early Winiarska-Mieczan, Oleszczuk, P., &
rosis and systemic A. (2020). Effects
oxidative stress. Circula atheroscle- LATEnanopa RAL VIEW
rticles exposure on of titanium dioxide Facet for
102(5), 589–596. tion Research,
https://doi.org/10.116 ical Trace Element Research human health — A review. Biolog- arytenoid
.107.164970 1/CIRCRESAH , 193(1), 118–129.
Facet for A Bly, L. (1994). Motor
Aviv, J. E., Liu, H., skills acquisition in the first Lamina
Kaplan, S. T., Parides arytenoid Skill Builders.
(2000). Laryngophary . A. Crico id cartil, age
M., & Close,
year. Therapy
Facet for
Figure 4–6ngeal sensory L. G. Budinger,
Online Resources
ANAQUEST
The innovative software program, ANAQUEST, is available in two different
versions: one for instructors to import into their Learning Management
Systems (LMS) for exams, and another web-based version for student study.
ANAQUEST features interactive lessons, images, animations, and videos.
See the inside front cover of the book on how to gain instructor access
to the website.
USING THIS TEXTBOOK AND ONLINE RESOURCES xxiii
See the inside front cover of the book for the website URL and your access
code.
The authors dedicate this text to the researchers in speech and hearing science and in
allied fields who continue to examine how we, as humans, function. We continue to be
amazed at both the ingenuity and diligence with which researchers in our field approach
their task. Their work forms the basis for all we do as authors. We also dedicate this text
to the clients we have known and interacted with who give us so much inspiration. Their
courage, commitment, and humor has sustained us for many years. Finally, we dedicate
this text to the students who are taking our place in the clinical world and to the teachers
who are helping them do that. We have spoken with numerous people outside of our
fields who say that our students are, indeed, special. You have tremendous compassion
and strength of will, and it is wonderful to see you become the clinicians of the future.
Students-in-training will get to know clients we have known over our years of
practice who have inspired us with their courage and wisdom. We also dedicate this text
to the students and faculty in speech and hearing who do the work of helping people with
communication and swallowing difficulties. We have been blessed with our associations
with you for many decades, and we know that audiologists and speech-language pathologists
are compassionate and generous people who dedicate their lives to improving the well-
being of others in what we, the authors, consider the most important aspect of life:
communication. We thank you, the faculty and students of our fields, for your dedication.
— JAS, DGD, and DJH
I also dedicate this text to my sweetie for life, Paula, who has lived with my angst
over textbook creations and revisions since the first edition of this text. Revisions are
fraught with deadline pressures that strain every other aspect of a person’s life, but she
has never complained about my need to plow forward on a task that seems to have no
end. She is a wonderful sounding-board for problems, and an irreplaceable resource
for editing. We have a very “yin and yang” relationship: My writing is wordy and often
imprecise, and hers is precise, pithy, and lean. Blessedly, we come to some middle-way
when we work together, and I quite literally could not go forward without her.
— Tony Seikel
I wish to dedicate my contributions to the text to the first author, “Tony,” who
has been a beloved colleague, mentor, and dear friend over the past several years.
Tony’s passion for the field, colleagues, teaching, and students knows no bounds as he
has tirelessly and compassionately given of himself for the betterment of others.
I would also like to acknowledge the many speech-language pathologists,
teachers, professors, students, friends, and family who have supported me
along the way. There are no words that can fully express my gratitude and
appreciation for the kindness and support shown to me. Thank you.
— Dan Hudock
Basic Elements of Anatomy 1
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The learner will be able to: 9. Describe the basic function of the central and
peripheral nervous systems.
1. Define and demonstrate an understanding of 10. Relate the name, number, and general function
the terminology of anatomy and physiology as of each cranial nerve, the name and general
it relates to the body, its position in space, and function of lobes of the cerebellum, lobes of the
movement of its parts. cerebral cortex, and structures of the brainstem.
2. Demonstrate receptive knowledge of the 11. Relate the difference among autosomal dominant,
subspecializations of anatomy and physiology. autosomal recessive, and sex-linked inheritance,
3. Identify the four basic tissue types, and define and between genotype and phenotype.
their general function in the body. 12. Define the times that indicate the embryonic
4. Receptively differentiate the derivatives, and and fetal stages of development.
functions of those derivatives, of epithelial 13. Receptively differentiate general structures that
tissue, connective tissue, muscular tissue, and arise from endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm
nervous tissue. in development.
5. Receptively identify joint types of the skeleton. 14. Receptively differentiate the structures of
6. Discuss muscle function as it relates to exertion the face, head, and neck that arise from each
of force on the skeletal structures. pharyngeal arch.
7. Differentiate fascia, ligaments, and tendons. There is a great deal of detail in this introductory
8. Define the systems of the body and how they information, and you should follow the guidance of
relate to the systems of communication. your instructor when studying this content.
Y
ou are entering into a study of the human body that has a long and rich
tradition. We are fortunate to have myriad instruments and techniques at our
avail for this study, but it has not always been so. You will likely struggle with
arcane terminology that seems confusing and strange, and yet if you look closely,
you will see what the early anatomists first saw. The amygdala of the brain is a small
almond-shaped structure, and amygdala means “almond.” Lentiform literally means
“lens-shaped,” and the lentiform nucleus is just that. The fact that the terminology
remains in our lexicon indicates the accuracy with which our academic ancestors
studied their field, despite extraordinarily limited resources.
This chapter provides you with some basic elements to prepare you for your ANAQUEST LESSON
study of the anatomy and physiology of speech, language, and hearing. We provide
a broad picture of the field of anatomy and then introduce you to the basic tissues
that make up the human body. Tissues combine to form structures, and those
structures combine to form systems. This chapter sets the stage for your under-
standing of the new and foreign anatomical terminologies.
1
2 ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY FOR SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING
Language: English
By STEPHEN BARTHOLOMEW
Illustrated by SCHELLING
And he remembered the first time he had seen Duport. The veteran
and the kid. He had met him in the briefing room at the launching site
at Christmas Island. The veteran had been studying a thrust table,
and the kid had come into the room, half an hour early for the first
briefing. The American did not hear him come in. He looked up from
his desk, and there he was, Duport, standing at attention in his blue
Corps uniform with the silver sunburst in his lapel, indicating active
commission.
"Christ!" the American had burst out, forgetting himself and speaking
in English. "Are you Duport? They told me you were young...." He
already knew each of the other crewmen.
"Yes sir," Duport answered in English. "I'm afraid I am rather young.
Corpsman Duport reports for briefing, sir. I just arrived on the island
an hour ago."
The American recovered himself. He leaned back in his chair to
study the boy. He was blond and had light blue eyes that glittered,
and he looked like a high school kid.
"Eh bien, parlons francais," the American said at last. "Sorry, Duport,
I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that it was a shock.... Why are
you smiling like that?"
"Nothing, sir." Duport's mouth straightened itself out.
"What do you mean rien? No, tell me, Duport. You should know by
now that the Corpsman's first law is that we tell each other what's on
our minds. If we're going to be sealed up together in a tin can for two
weeks...."
"I'm sorry sir, it was your accent. I found it amusing."
"Oh, that. You're not the first one. Eh bien. Have you been assigned
quarters yet, Duport?"
"No, sir."
"I'll see to it myself after the briefing. You'll find conditions are rather
primitive on the island, but you won't be here long. The ferryboat
leaves in six days."
"Yes, sir."
The American was fascinated by Duport's eyes, their unnatural,
bright glaze. The boy never seemed to blink. He yet stood at
attention, looking down at the older man with unshifting eyes.
"Stand at ease, Duport. As long as you're early, we might as well
start the briefing now." On an impulse, he went to the projection
screen and touched a switch which flashed on a photomap of the
lunar landing area. He pointed to a particular object which was
visible only because of the long shadow it cast.
"As you are well aware, Duport, the research station is here, near
the center of the Crater of Copernicus. The three trips so far by the
Quixote have been sufficient to set up the dome and to land enough
equipment to keep the colony independent for several months if
necessary. So far, there aren't any men there. That's our job, the
Prospero's. We're going to have five passengers with us, research
scientists, I haven't met them yet. All I know about them is that one is
American and one Russian. Our job is to get them into the station,
alive, and then bring back the ship. What they do up there afterward
is none of our business."
"Yes, sir," Duport answered, still at attention. "I have already been
told this."
"Yes, I haven't told you anything that you don't already know. And of
course you also know that the bottom of Copernicus Crater, like all
other flat areas on the Moon, is a kilometer deep with nearly
molecular dust, micrometorite residue. You know that before the first
landing by the Quixote, it was necessary to explode a hydrogen
bomb in order to fuse the surface of the dust into a thick crust of
glass, in order to get a stable landing stage." The American paused,
turned away from the photomap, and looked at Duport again.
"Yes sir."
The research observer, the other American in the crew, had been
busy taking pictures for several hours. He straightened from his
camera sight, rubbed at his eyes, and stretched.
"When we hit that ocean," he said in English, "I'm going to break out
the raft, strip naked, and go for a swim, sharks or no...."
"Ta geule," someone said, "shut up."
The observer looked around, embarrassed at what he'd said. It was
as if they were all superstitious, as if talking about Ground, even
thinking about it, would bring bad luck. Each of them would have
denied this hotly. But for a moment the observer looked as if he
would have knocked on wood, had there been a piece of wood in the
ship. After a minute the observer pulled out some processed film
plates and began examining them through a lens.
Rene Duport had looked up from his radio console. There was
nothing for him to do at the moment. He thought that he would have
liked to be in the observer's place, or the navigator's, able to look
through one of the periscopes directly into deep space. He had loved
the Moon, he had loved to suit up and walk out onto the lunar dust
and look upward at the sky, at the stars that did not flicker, at the
Magellanic Clouds, close enough to touch. But even there, on the
surface of the Moon, he had always been standing on something. He
thought of the vacuum that was all around the ship, on every side,
just beyond the hull, just beyond the escape hatch behind his back.
He wondered what it would be like to look directly into space,
standing on nothing, to see not merely a dome of stars, but an entire
sphere of them, bright and unblinking. All his life he had wanted to
go into space, and all his life he had known that he would. Now he
did not want to go back, he wished that he could leave the Earth
forever.
The research observer leaned toward the African engineer and
began discussing one of the film plates with him. Rene Duport
listened to them, only half interested. He thought that the African and
the Russian were the only crewmen besides himself who could
speak French without sounding ridiculous.
He saw the pilot abruptly bend over the control panel and make an
adjustment. He said something to the Russian that Duport did not
catch, the Russian co-pilot nodded and began turning a knob slowly,
his eyes on a vernier dial. For several minutes the American and the
Russian worked steadily at the controls, frequently glancing at each
other. Once the Russian rose to open an access plate in the
overhead and inspect some wiring, then he strapped himself in again
and continued working his controls. The engineer left his seat and
pulled himself forward to begin talking to the pilot in low tone. After a
minute the engineer opened a technical manual and began reading
off a series of numbers.
The research observer was watching a dial on the cabin wall.
"She's heating up," he said.
Then Rene Duport noticed it. The cabin temperature had risen
during the last few minutes, already he was beginning to sweat
profusely.
"C'est trop," the Russian said. It's too much.
The pilot turned to look back at his crew. "Pile's overheating," he
said. "I'm going to blow the cabin pressure so we won't roast. Suit
up."
Everyone sealed their helmets and plugged into their air supplies. In
a few seconds they had each pressurized and tested their suits. The
pilot reached for a red lever, and then there was a quick hissing
sound that lasted only for a moment.
Rene Duport waited, wondering what was going to happen. Nothing
like this had ever happened to the Quixote. And the Prospero
followed the other ship's general design, so that it shouldn't be
happening to her either. Both ships used water as a reaction mass,
superheated by a nuclear pile, which was separated from the cabin
bubble and attached to it only by steel girders. Duport knew what
would happen if the overheating didn't stop. Either the pile would
blow like a bomb, or those girders would continue conducting heat
into the cabin until the cabin walls turned red hot and then melted.
Blowing the cabin pressure could only keep the crew from roasting
for a few minutes. Perhaps some damping rods had blown out;
whatever it was, Duport knew the pile was heating fast.
Over the intercom, Duport could hear the co-pilot muttering, "Trop
vite! Trop vite!" Too fast, too fast.
"She's going to blow," someone else said.
There was a silence that lasted several seconds. Everyone waited.
Then the pilot said, "No good. I'll have to eject."
But Duport did not hear that.
When the temperature was down to normal, the pilot reached for a
valve to begin pressurizing. But a safety device prevented the valve
from operating, and he looked around to see why. "Christ!" his voice
came over the intercom. "He jumped!"
The rest of the crew turned their heads to look toward the rear of the
cabin. The escape hatch behind Duport's seat was open, and Duport
was gone.
"But why did he do it?" The research observer lounged against the
aft bulkhead, he had been watching a chess game between the
Russian and the Finn. The Prospero was in orbit, there was little to
do now but wait for the ferry ship to lift off from Christmas Island and
make rendezvous. After the pilot had ejected the nuclear fuel, the
ship had of course simply coasted into orbit. With no power left for
course correction, it was not a good orbit, but it was close enough for
the ferry to reach. There was nothing to do now but wait, and play
chess. The research observer shook his head. "It was stupid, there
was no reason. Why did he go out the hatch like that?"
The pilot was tired. He rubbed his face with both hands. He did not
want to have to think about it. He looked at the other American's
face.
"Nerves. He lost his nerve, that's all."
The research observer watched the Finn capture one of the
Russian's rooks with a knight.
"He jumped out of the ship." It was as if he were trying to convince
himself that it had really happened. "Why did he do it? I can't figure it
out."
The pilot covered his eyes. "Call it cowardice if you like. Or panic.
The kid chickened out."
Then they were in the ferry ship, waiting for the engineers to finish
inspecting the Prospero before casting off and going into a re-entry
spiral, towards the Pacific landing area. Meanwhile, the medic had
finished his preliminary physical of each of the crew. Most of the men
rested quietly, reading newspapers and waiting. The American pilot
had strapped himself to one of the crash couches and taken a short
nap. Then he got up to look through a periscope at the three
engineers working near the Prospero's power tank.
The ferry ship's radioman, a young Englishman, tapped him on the
shoulder. The pilot turned away from the eyepiece, and his face was
drawn and white.
"They've picked up his track," the radioman said.
"What?"
The radioman handed the pilot a piece of paper. "Just got the news.
His suit transmitter, the beacon's working. The station at Leningrad
picked up the signal, they're going to compute his orbit."
It was a few seconds before the American understood what he was
talking about.
"Duport, you mean? They're tracking him?" He hesitated. "But why?
Why are they computing his orbit?"
The Englishman grinned. "They're going to try to pick him up.
Rescue him, you know."
The American stared.
"Be a few hours before they have an exact plot," the radioman went
on. "The rough estimate is that they'll be ready to launch within forty-
six hours. They're going to send up the Wabash Cannonball. If his
beacon keeps operating, there's a fifty-fifty chance they'll catch him.
Just thought you'd want to know, sir. You may not have lost a
Corpsman after all." The Englishman turned to go back to his post,
and the American stared at his back as he moved away.
"Why?" he whispered. "Why?" The pilot did some rough calculations
in his head. He remembered the ship's approximate position and
velocity at the time that Duport had jumped. Duport's body would of
course have about the same orbital velocity as that of the ship,
though the impetus of his leap would have been enough to carry him
into some completely different direction. Somewhere out there
Duport was swinging around the Earth in a wide, elliptical orbit. For
some reason it had not occurred to the pilot that he might still be
alive. Since the moment that he had turned and seen the open hatch
he had been thinking of Duport as a casualty, already dead. But in
fact, the American realized, Duport was probably still alive. His suit
was equipped for just this kind of emergency; it had an oxygen
regenerating system that could supply him with air to breathe as long
as the photocells kept his battery charged. The catch was that no
one had ever lived in a suit before for more than twelve hours at a
stretch. Six hours was considered the normal safety limit. In theory
the suit would keep Duport alive until he died of thirst or starvation.
In theory.
But why were they going to try to rescue him? It made no sense. The
Wabash Cannonball was the smallest ship in the Space Corps' fleet.
It carried a crew of two, and was used for ferrying small cargoes into
orbit. If she left behind her reserve oxygen tanks and emergency
equipment, it should be possible to reduce her weight load
sufficiently to get her into an orbit as high as Duport was. Then there
was perhaps one chance in ten of getting him down alive. No doubt
the Corps Center had decided to send the Cannonball up because it
would involve the least possible fuel expenditure. But the operation
would still cost close to half a million dollars, to say nothing of the
risk to the ship and crew. Nothing of the kind had ever been done, or
attempted, before. Why had the Corps decided to gamble two lives
on a long chance of saving one?
Suddenly the American felt an intense, irrational hatred of Duport. If
his suit beacon was operating, it could only be because he had
turned it on. Why hadn't he left it off, rather than risk the lives of
others to save his own hide? He had jumped ship. They ought to
leave him there, the pilot thought.
The ferry ship broke atmosphere, her heat shield and fins glowing
red. She fell to an altitude of ten thousand feet before her velocity fell
to a little less than two thousand miles per hour. Then the collapsible
wing unfolded like the wing of a moth, it was half wing, half
parachute. The ship glided toward the sea.
It struck the water with an explosion of spray, dived under, bobbed to
the surface again, rolling like a porpoise. Someone opened a hatch
and climbed out onto the hull. Ten minutes later, the helicopter
appeared.
Back at Christmas Island, the American pilot was still asking why. He
asked it of Dr. Valdez, a grey-haired man, chief of the spacemedic
team.
"You're right," Dr. Valdez said. He was sitting in a chair on the
veranda of the infirmary, hands folded behind his head, looking out
to sea. "The Center did ask my advice on this matter. I told them
what I thought the odds were against a successful rescue operation.
I also told them that, for scientific reasons alone, I thought it was
worth attempting."
"But why?" The American looked down at him.
Dr. Valdez looked at the sea. "It is now just about twenty-four hours
since Duport jumped into space. His beacon is still operating, and
the orbital plot has been completed. The rescue ship will launch in
about thirty hours from now. Estimating six hours between lift-off and
rendezvous, this means that Duport will have been alone in space
for a total of about sixty hours. Two and a half days."
The American said nothing, waiting for him to go on.
"Think of him up there." Dr. Valdez closed his eyes. "Completely
alone. Total silence except for the sound of his own breathing. He
sees nothing but stars, intensely bright, above him, beneath his feet,
on all sides, the silver smear of the Milky Way, the Clouds of
Magellan, the nebulae. The Earth is a great, swollen balloon that
swings past his field of vision now and then, the Moon a smaller
bubble. Without a reference point there is no sense of depth, no
perspective. He can reach out and touch the stars. He swings in
space, beyond time and distance, completely alone."
"So what?" the pilot said at last.
Dr. Valdez straightened in his chair and leaned his elbows on his
knees.
"So there are some things we—I—would like to know. I'd like to know
what is happening to him, out there. What he has seen, perhaps
heard. The effects on his body, if any. Above all, the effect on his
mind. No human being has ever experienced anything like it before.
There's something else I'd like to know. We worked with him for
nearly a year. He finished with the highest rating in his class. We
never would have sent him out if we hadn't been sure about him. But