one minute to six
A strange group to find aboard a spaceship , but then _ The Columbus _ was a very strange ship . Bolted to its outer hull , just under the viewports , were wooden boxes full of red geraniums , and ivy wound tenuous green fronds over the gleaming hull that had withstood the bombardment of pinpoint meteors and turned away the deadly power of naked cosmic rays . Frankston glanced at his wristchrono . It was one minute to six . `` In about a minute , '' he thought , `` Ross will say something about going out to water his geraniums . '' The wristchrono ticked fifty-nine times . `` I think I 'll go out and water my geraniums , '' said Ross .