“Incredible!” Dr. Faber gasped, almost in a whisper.
Numerous features were clearly visible to the naked eye-jagged mountain ranges, yawning cracks and craters, great darkened plains. Jerry Walden and Evan Glennon erected the ship’s telescope to study the surface more closely.
“Skipper,” Jerry exclaimed, “something’s going on down there!”
Tom left the pilot’s seat to look. He could make out a dark spreading cloud.
The others took turns examining it and offered various theories as to the cause.
“Maybe there’s life on the moon after all,”
MOON HO! 147
Bud said. “Could be a flock of moon creatures rushing for cover now that they’ve seen us.”
Tom felt that more likely it was a storm of rock fragments or volcanic ash churned up by waves from their repulsion beam. Tom had started to slow down his ship by repelling his target-the moon.
As they drew closer and closer, a wave of excitement surged through the crew. When they were within a hundred miles of the moon’s surface, Tom eased off on the repelatrons and began a slow descent.
An awed hush fell over the space travelers. They stared ahead, as if spellbound, until Tom brought the ship to a hovering halt just above the Crater of Copernicus.
“Well, we’re here, boys.”
The young inventor’s simple announcement broke the silence, and instantly the Challenger reverberated with wild cheers from its crew.
“Yippee!” yelled Chow as he and Bud grabbed Tom and hugged him excitedly.
“Tom Swift, first earthman to reach the moon!” Bud exclaimed. “You’re a wonder, pal!”
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