The Flight of the Eagle
Alfred Coppel's "The Flight of the Eagle" is narrated by an old spaceman, Captain Morley, recalling the mission that brought weather-plant from Venus to a starving Earth. By 2002, North America's population has grown so much that famine looms despite failed hydroponics efforts, and the Holcomb Foundation's ship "Explorer" has returned from Venus with a possible answer: weather-plant, a moss-like organism that draws nitrogen and water from the air. The Foundation's discovery of impervium, a metal impervious to everything but neutrino bombardment, has made atomic-powered deep-space flight possible, opening Luna's Foy City as a jumping-off point for Mars and Venus. Morley, freshly out of a job after wrecking a chemical-fueled ore ship, lands in the Foy City drunk-tank, where he meets Bat Kendo, Chief Tubeman of the R.S. "Eagle." Bat is a mutant with built-in radar-like sense, born of his father Nakano Kendo's radiation exposure at the second Nagasaki blast and his Russian mother. Bat talks Morley into signing onto the "Eagle" as pilot for a mission to Venusberg, the Venus settlement, to bring back the first full cargo of weather-plant. The "Eagle," commanded by Captain Reynard, lifts off from Mare Imbrium on 11/9/02 and makes the sunward run to Venus under steady acceleration. At Venusberg, still just a cluster of pressurized Quonset huts, the settlement botanist explains that weather-plant may be sentient and, freed from Venus's formaldehyde-laden atmosphere, might be able to create its own weather. Morley senses an unease he can't articulate. After loading a hundred tons of the plant, the "Eagle" departs Venus on 23/35/02. Nineteen hours from Earth, Bat senses something approaching fast just before the ship strikes a meteor swarm. The collision kills several crewmen including Captain Reynard (from decompression/bends), wrecks the UVR radar and communications, and destroys the thorium fuel storage and the tuberoom's radiation sheathing. Morley takes command. Bat, exposed to radiation while working in the damaged tuberoom, discovers the meteor debris was ice that the weather-plant had drawn to itself like a magnet, confirming its uncanny properties. With no fuel to reach Luna and no working radar, Morley must land the crippled ship on Earth by feel. As they descend into the Mojave Desert, the weather-plant begins pulling moisture from Earth's air, wrapping the ship in blinding fog. Fatally burned and irradiated, Bat volunteers to be lowered outside the ship on a cable in a pressure suit to guide the landing by sight, since his mutant sense can't penetrate the ship's metal hull. After a last drink from the captain's bottle, he goes out into the radioactive mist and talks Morley down toward the desert. His voice fades and cuts off just as the fuel runs out; the "Eagle" drops the last thirty feet and crashes, its tail crumpling into the sand. The weather-plant shipment survives and later transforms Earth's barren lands, including the Sierra Nevada slopes and Mojave Basin, into fertile farmland, ending the threat of famine. Bat Kendo dies from his injuries, sacrificing himself to save the ship and its cargo. Morley closes by lamenting that people flying comfortably over the fertile land his shipmate died to create have long since forgotten Bat Kendo, the "Eagle," and what the weather-plant actually cost.
By Alfred Coppel · First published 1932 · Genre: Science Fiction, Alternative History, Technological · 6,946 words
First lines
"It was a new and mysterious plant. It
could make its own weather; it was
What this Textopian page supports
The Flight of the Eagle is listed on Textopian as a novel by Alfred Coppel, dated 1932 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Alfred Coppel
- Date: 1932 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Science Fiction, Alternative History, Technological, Political
- Length: 6,946 words
- Structure: 1 section, 123 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Flight of the Eagle by Alfred Coppel
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Flight of the Eagle?
- How does this novel by Alfred Coppel fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Science Fiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The Companions Of Jehu by Alexandre Dumas
- The Secret In The Hill by Bernard Capes
- Over The Border by Ambrose Bierce
- The Jesters Sword by Annie Fellows Johnston
- Tydores Gift by Alfred Coppel
- Jinx Ship To The Rescue by Alfred Coppel
Genres
- Science Fiction — The book involves alternative historical scenarios and advanced technology, which are key elements of classic science fiction.
- Alternative History — The plot reimagines historical events by adding speculative elements, therefore placing it within the genre of alternative history.
- Technological — As the narrative incorporates technological advancements and innovation, it fits the criteria of the technological genre.
- Political — Political elements and dynamics occupy a significant part of the narrative, hence it can be categorized under the political genre.
Tags
adventure · fantasy · magic · mystery · quest · romance · science fiction · supernatural · thriller · action · aerial · birds