From his own, professional standpoint it was terrible.
Jamison spouted interminably, so Cochrane considered. Al, the pilot, was
actually interviewed by an offscreen voice! But the pictures from space
were excellent. While the ship floated in orbit, waiting to descend to
pick up Babs and Cochrane, Bell had hooked his camera to an amplifying
telescope and he did have magnificent shots of dramatic terrain on the
planet now twenty light-years behind.
Cochrane watched the show in a mingling of jealousy and relief. It was
not as good as he would have done. But fortunately, Bell and Jamison had
stuck fairly close to straight travelogue-stuff, and close-up shots of
vegetation and animals had been interspersed with the remoter pictures
with moderate competence, if without undue imagination. An audience
which had not seen many shows of the kind would be thrilled. It even
amounted to a valid change of pace. Anybody who watched this would at
least want to see more and different pictures from the stars.
Halfway through, he heard the now-muffled noise of rockets. He knew the
ship was descending through atmosphere by the steady sound, though he
had not the faintest idea what was outside.
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