Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 12 – In the Race to the Moon

gether, and I don’t want to use a repelatron beam on the station. It will throw the station out of orbit.”

“What can you do?”

“I’ll have to get the ship into the same orbit as the station, but with a slightly higher velocity, and then catch up with it from the back. Guess we’ll have to use some compression rods to absorb the impact and hold us apart.”

Turning over the controls to Bud, Tom hastily supervised the construction of two powerful magnesium rods and a plastic ramp. Then he, Hank, and two crewmen donned space suits. They went out through the air lock, and quickly attached themselves to the ship by safety cables.

Working with electric rivet guns, powered by solar-charged batteries, they soon anchored the rods to the outer framework of the spaceship. Bud watched through the copilot’s window, his hands on the controls.

After climbing onto the landing platform with his companions, Tom signaled Bud to try the approach once more. Now in the same orbit, the ship and the space wheel came together more gradually. This time the compression rods absorbed the impact and prevented a collision.

“Good work, pal,” Bud said, as Tom returned to the flight compartment and loosened his space helmet.

“We still have to lay the ramp,” Tom replied. “In the meantime, all of you please get into your space suits, so we’ll be ready to cross over to the 138 THE RACE TO THE MOON

station. That goes for you too, Nicky,” he added with a grin.

In a few minutes all was in readiness and the crew prepared to troop across the ramp, one by one. Dr. Faber, Evan, and Jerry admitted they were a trifle nervous at their first venture into the space void.