Tom and Bud maneuvered around the entire surface of the saucer. It was made of a shiny bluish-green metal which Tom could not identify.
SECRET SYMBOLS 165
But there was no sign of any opening or means of access in the mirrorlike smooth surface.
The boys exchanged baffled glances through their transparent helmets.
“What do we do now?” Bud queried over his suit radio.
Tom frowned thoughtfully. “Let’s go back to the Challenger and get some portable test equipment,” he decided. “It may show up something we can’t see with the naked eye.”
“Smart idea!”
Tom signaled the ship to have the equipment ready. Then they returned to the landing platform and brought the gear out through the ship’s air lock.
“Need any help?” Jerry Walden asked.
“Not yet, Jerry, but stand by,” Tom told him.
He and Bud went back to the ark and began checking every square inch of its surface with ultraviolet rays, knowing that they make certain materials fluoresce.
Suddenly Bud cried out over the radio, “Tom, look! Something’s showing up!”
Tom nodded, watching intently. Under the continued bombardment of the ultraviolet, a series of symbols gradually became visible along the hull of the ship. They glowed weirdly with an orange radiance.
Bud watched, pop-eyed with interest. “Can you read what they mean?”
“I think so,” Tom replied. He translated slowly 166
THE RACE TO THE MOON
to himself, then aloud to Bud. “It says that if we beam a certain frequence and modulation of radio waves at this point, we’ll be able to enter.”
“Tom, you’re a genius. Or have I said that before?”
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