02709cam a22003613u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000160011324500290012926400510015830000470020933600260025633700260028233800360030849000460034450000310039050801370042152015540055853400450211265300200215765300180217765300220219565300260221770000150224383000460225885600430230431009UtSlPG20260610133716.0mcr n260607r2010||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aBrudy, John10aIf at First You Don't... 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2010  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from Amazing Stories June, 1960.  aRelease date is 2010-01-18  aE-text prepared by Greg Weeks, Graeme Mackreth, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)  a"If at First You Don't..." by John Brudy is a satirical science fiction novella likely written in the early 21st century. The book focuses on the bureaucratic and absurd challenges surrounding the fate of the satellite '58 Beta, which becomes a symbol of pride and contention among various stakeholders in the U.S. government and public. It delves into themes of nostalgia, historical significance, and the often comical nature of administrative decision-making in the face of trivial yet heated debates.  The story follows Amos Jordan, the Secretary for Cislunar Navigation, as he is drawn into a chaotic political fracas regarding the fate of the aging satellite '58 Beta, which is on a collision course with the Earth's atmosphere. The narrative unfolds through Jordan's interactions with his assistant, Clements, and various political figures, including the obstinate Senator Darius, who insists on preserving Beta as a tribute to early space exploration. As public sentiment rises, leading to student riots and congressional debates, Jordan grapples with the absurdity of the situation, ultimately leveraging a little-known regulation to classify Beta as dangerous debris, allowing it to be decommissioned without further fuss. The finale humorously twists into a bureaucratic triumph with the successful re-launching of '58 Beta after taking into account numerous administrative mishaps, culminating in a reflection on the cyclical nature of power and historical preservation in a spacefaring age. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aScience fiction  aShort stories  aPolitical fiction  aSatellites -- Fiction1 aVarga, Mel 0aProduced from Amazing Stories June, 1960.40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31009