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Project Tunnel is the hardware phase of a program started a number of
years ago when somebody took a joke seriously.
In a discussion of how the tunnel diode works, one of the scientists
pointed out that if an electron could be brought to absolute rest,
its position according to Heisenberg Uncertainty would be completely
ambiguous. Hence it had as high a possibility of being found on Venus
as it had of being found on Earth or anywhere else. Now, the tunnel
diode makes use of this effect by a voltage bias across the diode
junction. Between narrow limits, the voltage bias is correct to upset
the ambiguity of Mr. Heisenberg, making the electron nominally found on
one side of the junction more likely to be found on the other.
Nobody could deny the operability of the tunnel diode. Project Tunnel
was a serious attempt to employ the tunnel effect in gross matter.
The terminal rocket mentioned by Paul Wallach carried the equipment
needed to establish the voltage bias between Venus and the Earth. Once
established, Project Tunnel was in a state that caused it to maroon the
most wonderful girl in the world.
Since the latter statement is my own personal opinion, my pace from the
office to the laboratory was almost a dead run.
The laboratory was a madhouse. People stood in little knots, arguing.
Those who weren't talking were shaking their heads in violent negation.
The only one who appeared un-upset was Teresa Dwight, our psi-girl. And
here I must confess an error. When I said that Paul Wallach and I were
the only ones without a string of professorial degrees, I missed Teresa
Dwight. I must be forgiven. Teresa had a completely bland personality,
zero drive, and a completely unstartling appearance. Teresa was
only fourteen. But she'd discovered that her psi-power could get her
anything she really wanted. Being human, therefore, she did not want
much. So forgive me for passing her by.
But now I had to notice her. As I came in, she looked up and said,
"Harla wants to know why can't he just try."
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