In any case, President Carter was not re-elected in 1980, and Norman heard nothing further about his ULF proposal. He had heard nothing for six years.

Until now.

Barnes said, “You remember the ULF team you proposed?”

“Of course,” Norman said.

Norman had recommended a ULF team of four-an astrophysicist, a zoologist, a mathematician, a linguist-and a fifth member, a psychologist, whose job would be to monitor the behavior and attitude of the working team members.

“Give me your opinion of this,” Barnes said. He handed Norman a sheet of paper:

  ANOMALY INVESTIGATION TEAM

USN STAFF/SUPPORT MEMBERS

1. Harold C. Barnes, USN Project Commander Captain

2. Jane Edmunds, USN Data Processing Tech P.O. 1C

3. Tina Chan, USN Electronics Tech P.O. 1C

4. Alice Fletcher, USN Deepsat Habitat Support Chief P.O.

5. Rose C. Levy, USN Deepsat Habitat Support 2C

 CIVILIAN STAFF MEMBERS 

1. Theodore Fielding, astrophysicist/planetary geologist

2. Elizabeth Halpern, zoologist/biochemist

3. Harold J. Adams, mathematician/logician

4. Arthur Levine, marine biologist/biochemist

5. Norman Johnson, psychologist

Norman looked at the list. “Except for Levine, this is the civilian ULF Team I originally proposed. I even interviewed them, and tested them, back then.”

“Correct.”

“But you said yourself: there are probably no survivors. There’s probably no life inside that spacecraft.”