“Fortunately we’ve had some government support for our space research,”
Mr. Swift explained. “But even so the cost has been staggering. And the only financial returns to our company have been the profits on Tom’s solar batteries and from industrial uses for Lunite.”
The solar batteries were amazing power units, charged by the energy of sunlight in Tom’s space-wheel “factory,” high above the earth’s atmosphere.
Lunite was a metal alloy with unique properties which had been brought back from the phantom satellite, Nestria.
“Besides,” Tom went on, “all our space voyages so far have really been on an experimental basis. I’m looking ahead to a day when man can explore, and even colonize space on a large scale. To do that, we must first find a cheaper way to get there than by our present vehicles.”
“Okay.” Bud scratched his head thoughtfully. “Let’s get down to brass tacks.
Where do you start in tackling the problem?”
“Good question. That’s just what we’ve been asking ourselves,” Mr. Swift replied with a smile. “One factor is the cosmic rays encountered in THE INVISIBLE STRING 15
space. Being harmful to humans, they necessitate the use of expensive antiradiation gear and Tomasite plastic shielding. And, of course, another expensive item is the training of space pilots-astronauts. But offhand,” the scientist confessed ruefully, “I see no way at the moment of reducing the cost of either of those items.”
“I see what you mean, sir,” Bud agreed. He was thinking of the elaborate devices Tom had built for training his own space crews, such as the Zero-G