II16-1960-TOM SWIFT and the Cosmic Astronauts by Victor Appleton II

Author:Victor Appleton II [pseud.] [Appleton, Victor II]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Published: 1960-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

11. ADRIFT!

THE boys climbed the gantry supporting the rocket and entered the space kite through the hatch at the top of the reactor housing. Tom sealed the lid tight. Then he and Bud settled into the pilot's and copilot's seats, slipped on headsets, and buckled their safety belts.

"This setup in here is really compact," Bud commented admiringly. "Seems funny not to be strapped to couches, though."

He realized this was because the kite, unlike other spaceships, did not have to attain a high velocity in a short time. Instead, it would be necessary to use rocket power only long enough to reach an area where cosmic radiation began.

Tom nodded. "There's so little room in here we wouldn't have space to lie down, anyhow. But we have everything we need—provided nothing goes wrong."

The control panel stood in front of them, while underneath the tiny deck platform the kite's air-conditioning equipment was stowed. There were also a tool kit, their space suits, and emergency stores.

The transparent dome enclosing the boys had been formed of a special plastic-and-glass composition, light in weight but almost as strong as quartz glass. It was also tinted to protect them from the sun's rays.

One by one, the last-minute electrical, mechanical, and fuel checks were completed.

"All clear!" came the radar report.

"Stand by for countdown!" The voice of Hank Sterling, the Swifts' quiet but hard-fisted chief engineer who was in charge of launching the space kite, came over their headsets.

"...X minus three...X minus two...X minus one..."

Blast-off! The rocket hovered on its pad, then as smoke and flame billowed underneath, it gathered momentum. Suddenly the boys found themselves shooting skyward, gripped motionless by the crushing G pressure of the rocket's thrust.

Up and up the rocket sped, the sky deepening from blue to purplish black before Tom's and Bud's eyes. They were past the stratosphere now, entering the thinning upper reaches of the earth's air blanket. After they entered the ionosphere, an electronic impulse triggered from the launching blockhouse cut loose their rocket stage.

Tom's fingers flew to the control board. He switched on both gravitex and cosmic reactor.

Instantly the boys felt a renewal of the G pressure as the cosmic radiation provided a fresh thrust to the space kite. Almost at the same moment came the countertug of the gravitex, anchoring them safely to earth with a powerfully magnified gravitational attraction.

"She works, Tom! She works!" Bud crowed.

Tom grinned, his eyes never leaving the control dials. For the next few moments his hands were busy flipping switch levers and tuning adjustment knobs to bring the cosmic reactor and the gravitex action into proper balance.

The kite was ascending smoothly now, with a gentle enough acceleration to allow Tom and Bud free use of their limbs. A myriad of stars studded the blackness of the void around them.

"How goes it, skipper?" radioed George Dilling.

"Perfect so far," Tom reported happily.

A series of technical checks with the launching crew followed. Dial readings were being automatically telemetered in the blockhouse, but Tom added to these his own coded remarks about the kite's performance.

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