 What was the problem with the tubes of calking compound that the crew was trying to use?
General Finogenov notified Major Winship that the underground blast was scheduled for the following morning. "I'll try again," Major Winship said and switched to the emergency channel. 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. "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.
 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