"An exciting near future space adventure"
In 2006 Space Station Alpha is run as a business enticing
wealthy tourists and even a film crew to visit.
Billionaire biochemist Tad Mikleszewski buys research time
on Alpha where he plans to develop an X-Pox antitoxin to
stop the deadly bio plague. However, his to efforts to
launch his own ship fails so he turns to the Russians for
a ticket on one of their crafts. However, while the X-Pox bio plague is causing increased
deadly havoc, the launch that Tad has booked runs into the
usual snafu from the smaller privatized government
advocates (smaller for everyone else and privatized for
major campaign donors that is). Bad weather and illness
also delays the flight. Finally in space, Tad arrives at
Alpha where he begins work to develop an X-Pox antitoxin.
However, the deadly virus is accidentally released into
the space station air. Mark Koskinen leaves the comfort
of Russia's Star City to begin rescue maneuvers. TANGO MIDNIGHT is an exciting near future space adventure
that places a powerful accent on the science, technology,
and the action. The novel brilliantly simplifies
extremely complex knowledge so that the audience
comprehends the information, but also uses that to enhance
the action. Though the cast is a bit underdeveloped,
outer space thriller fans will enjoy the ride. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted November 23, 2003
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It's 2005, and the world has changed. International
terrorists have released a genetically modified disease,
called X-Pox, on the world. There is no greater challenge
to medicine than finding a cure. Biochem billionaire Tad
Mikleszewski (called TM by nearly everyone) is a "space
junkie" who has been the primary investor backing the
Spacelifter project, a private attempt to build a single-
stage to orbit vehicle. But Spacelifter's crucial test
firing has failed, and TM is going to pull the plug. He has
a better idea for getting himself into space....he'll buy
research time on the International Space Station, to work
on a cure for X-Pox. The Russians will sell him a seat on
the Soyuz taxi vehicle for a mere $30 million. But the equipment in the Harmony Laboratory module was
salvaged from old Russian military labs, and perhaps TM's
skills are a little bit out of date. A tiny leak - a small
hole in the seal of the isolation box where TM is
manipulating the X-Pox pathogen, and Harmony is
contaminated by the disease that kills within three weeks. Now it's a race against time, to rescue the crew and
decontaminate the Space Station. NASA has a shuttle a month
from launch, and if Astronaut Kelly Gessner can be
retrained in decontamination procedures they can push that
up two weeks. The Russians have a third Soyuz due off the
assembly line, but Astronaut Mark Koskinen, NASA's chief of
staff at Star City doesn't think they'll make it in time.
But whether Russian or American, someone is going to have
to get up there, and fast.
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