Rendezvous with Rama

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death by suicide and gender discrimination.

Mercer leads the first probe team into Rama. Accompanying him are Calvert (who is married to the same woman as Mercer) and the unambitious Technical Sergeant Willard Myron, whose mechanical skills will allow him to identify Raman technology. The three ascend from the Hub and encounter three ladders that trisect the edge of the bowl into three equal sections. Ascending one of the ladders initially proves no challenge, given Rama’s low gravity. After ascending 500 rungs, the team observes that they’re experiencing the effects of the Coriolis force, which causes them to lean to the right as they move. Mercer twists himself on the ladder so that his feet point in the direction that his head was previously facing. Then, he uses Rama’s gravity to slide “down” the ladder, slowly falling “up” in the same direction he was climbing. A few minutes later, the team reaches one of the curving stairways that leads to the Central Plain.

The gravity makes it difficult to descend the stairs normally. Calvert theorizes that the stairs may only be intended for ascension. He suggests sliding down the handrail of the stairs, which his teammates agree to with minimal hesitation.