 What was the problem with the tubes of calking compound that the crew was trying to use?
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1962. General Finogenov notified Major Winship that the underground blast was scheduled for the following morning. Major Winship, after receiving the message, discussed precautions with the three other Americans. Next morning, before the sunlight exploded, the four of them donned their space suits and went and sat outside the dome, waiting. "Help?" " Nyet ," said Major Winship, exhausting his Russian. "When?" "Boom—boom!" said Pinov. One by one they clicked on their cooling systems. "Ah, it's all Russian. Perspiration was trickling down his face. "I'll try again," Major Winship said and switched to the emergency channel. "Hell, Charlie, I feel stupid sitting out here," Capt. Lawler said. He crossed with the floating moon-motion to the airlock and entered, closing the door behind him. The darkness slowly filled with air, and the temperature inside the suit declined steadily. His foot was lifted for the second step when the floor beneath him rose and fell gently, pitching him forward, off balance. For a minute or two, static blanked out the communications completely. It then abated to something in excess of normal. "Well," Lt. Chandler commented, "even though we didn't build this thing to withstand a moonquake, it seems to have stood up all right." Air currents whisked it away and plastered it against a riveted seam of the dome. It pulsed as though it were breathing and then it ruptured. Major Winship moved quickly to cut out the emergency air supply which had cut in automatically with the pressure drop. It's on your right side, midway up. "We've lost about three feet of calk out here," Capt. Lawler said. Major Winship said, "they should have made these things more flexible." The sheet began slowly to slide downward, then it fell away completely and lay limply on the floor. Electrical cables trailed loosely along the walls and were festooned from the ceiling, radiating from the connections to the outside solar cells. The living space was more restricted than in a submarine, with the bunks jutting out from the walls about six feet from the floor. After repeatedly assuring you there was no danger of a quake—and then to have something like this happen. "Just leave us alone, thank you," Major Winship said and cut off the communication.
 They were hardening too fast when connected with air
 They were hardening too fast when connected with air  They took too long to harden and dry  They were expired and unusable  They were too small to fill what they needed