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When do I take off? By the way, I would prefer to call it the pod. Every-time I hear the word cradle I can't help thinking of the nursery rhyme rock-a-bye-baby. You know, when the bough breaks the cradle will fall etc. etc."

"I see your point" Dave said "pod it is! You begin in ten minutes. You will ascend in the pod from the base camp outside and begin a controlled climb all the way to the top platform, were you will be met by myself, Paul and the support staff who are flying up to the platform in a rocket based insertion module. At this time I wish you the very best of luck Dan."

"Thanks Dave but I won't need luck, nothing is going to go wrong!" Dan smiled at Dave.

Once again Dan and Paul left together but this time neither man spoke. They walked down another long corridor that led to the other side of the building. The exit to the control building led to a walkway that had an eight feet wire fence leading all the way to the base of the elevator. At the base of the ribbon assembly stood the pod. The pod itself was about the size of large hospital elevator, but made out of totally different materials. The main body of the pod was re-enforced plastic material, with only the back plate which contained the drive wheel system and the toilet area were metallic.
Dan and Paul stopped at the entrance to the pod and looked up the length of the elevator ribbon; the cables and their support strutts rose up into the atmosphere and disappeared.

"Okay Dan" began Paul "there's food and water in the refrigerator in the corner. There's a drop down bed and chair in the back plate. The mission brief and other reading material are also in there. The minor readout panel is here on the wall with speed and altitude readouts, and there is the obligatory parachute above that just in case. The only thing left to say is good luck and enjoy the view on the way!"

The two men shook hands and smiled at each other.
"See you up there old friend!" Dan replied "when you gotta go, you gotta go!"

Inside the control room the technicians and their support staff began the countdown to begin the journey. All electrical and mechanical systems and the back-up systems they were employing were one by one checked and double-checked. All systems were checked okay to begin the journey.

"Start the ascent" said Dave Bukowski "let's do everything we can to make this journey as smooth as possible!"

The pod began its journey and rose steadily from the base. Dan leant on the front bar that ran halfway up the entrance doorway and looked down. It seemed that all the staff had come out of the control room to wave him off, he smiled and waved happily as the pod grew steadily higher and higher from the ground. In a short time the pod was high enough so that only the outline of the coast was visible and the city below had become a merge of green and brown. Dan had grown tired of looking out of the observation window and decided to have something to eat and take a rest. He used the drop down chair and had a break. The pod had operated perfectly, the ribbons and drive wheels were functioning well and the journey had been smooth and free of incident.