 What goes wrong just as Winship makes contact with earth?
[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. Major Winship attempted unsuccessfully to communicate with Base Gagarin. "Help?" " Nyet ," said Major Winship, exhausting his Russian. "I'll try again," Major Winship said and switched to the emergency channel. "I'll see them all in hell, first," Major Winship said. He crossed with the floating moon-motion to the airlock and entered, closing the door behind him. At the proper moment of pressure, the inner lock slid open and Major Winship stepped into the illuminated central area. "I guess it's over," said Major Winship, getting to his feet. 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. Major Winship said, "they should have made these things more flexible." "You did this deliberately," Major Winship said testily. Major Winship, please believe me. 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. "I'll be damned surprised," Major Winship said, "if they got any seismic data out of that shot.... "Larry," Major Winship said, "why don't you get Earth?" "The only way you can check is to extrude it," Lt. Chandler said, "and if it does extrude, you've ruined it." The Soviet base was situated some ten miles toward sunset at the bottom of a natural fold in the surface. At that point, the best pathway angled left and made an S-shaped descent to the basin. Major Winship, with his deficient reefer, remained behind.
 He is starting to lose air and needs to have it replaced.
 His communications were cut off, and he has no way to talk to Wilkin.  He is starting to lose air and needs to have it replaced.  He runs out of air and can't breathe.  The communications equipment stops working, and the people down at Earth start to worry.