A space station gets a replacement crew member who turns out to be female, much to the consternation of the station's captain. Running a tight ship is always a problem and the last thing he needs is an attractive electronics engineer ("I'd rather have a dope peddler than have a woman sniffing around my boys!"). She soon becomes accepted by the rest of the crew though and when he tries to offload her, he discovers that if she goes most of the crew go as well.
Heinlein is a genuine sci-fi heavyweight but this story (which is part of his
Future History series, dealing with man's colonisation of space) reads more like an introduction to a bigger story rather than a tale in itself. As such, despite being well-written, its too slight to get too excited about in isolation to be honest.
Overall:- 5.5/10
Spaceship:- Space Station One
Included in:-
The Green Hills of Earth by Robert A. Heinlein (12 pages)
