(Posted on 12-12-2000)
Half an hour later, with auxiliary control adequately staffed,
Cottrell set out to assess the Montgomery's condition firsthand.
She paused at her cabin just long enough to shed her flight suit
in favor of regular shipboard blues. As she made her way through
the passageways of the ship, she noted with silent approval that
crew members had moved past their initial panic. Everyone seemed
alert and task-oriented...though not too absorbed in work to render
a quick, self-conscious salute as she passed. Still keyed up ,
she thought. Still scared. Not that she could blame them.