

interrupted, "do you have any idea how important a discovery tantalum seventy-three would be? Most current technology is dependent on this material. "If you ask me, I say leave the whole place alone." "You don't want to go back to the south pole, trust me."

The room was suddenly buzzing, the tension starting to crescendo. "We could tell them there's a good chance of finding large amounts of tantalum seventy-three at the moon's south pole." "Why do you think they'd be on board with us going back?" "People had already completely lost interest in the moon missions before the last launch in 1972," another one said. "Well," one of the seven began, chewing on his pencil, "it's an incredibly risky proposition. All rules forbidding smoking in government offices had fallen by the wayside as nerves came to a head. The cigarette smoke in the room was thick and impenetrable, making the atmosphere even gloomier. They were some of the most powerful people in the country, together in the largest meeting room at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. said, eyeing the seven men in suits seated around the large conference table.
