Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 16 – And the Cosmic Astronauts

chamber in which the men were exposed to the effects of weightlessness.

“The real hope,” Tom said, “lies in finding a different type of space propulsion. As you know, Bud, most spaceships devised so far-I mean the self-contained kind which don’t need rocket fuel-rely either on atomic power or some form of solar power. Our ship, the Challenger, uses solar batteries to operate its repelatron drive. Other ships that space scientists have dreamed up would need very, very large power-gathering equipment to collect the sun’s energy.”

“You mean like those whopping big space sails you made to collect energy for your solartron matter maker?” Bud asked.

Tom nodded, chuckling at the wry look on Bud’s face as he himself recalled their troubles with these unwieldy objects. “Our ‘collectors’ were each four acres in size, and we needed a dozen of ‘em. But anyhow, whether a ship uses 16 COSMIC ASTRONAUTS

atomic power or solar power, it’s still a mighty expensive proposition.”

“I’ll bet you have a better idea already. Out with it!” Bud urged.

“Whoa! Don’t put me on the spot!” Tom cringed jokingly, then turned serious.

“Well, as a matter of fact, I do have a few ideas. Dad and I were just talking them over. But I’m not sure any of them will pan out. If only I could come up with a brand-new approach!”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way, son.” Tom Sr. gave the young inventor an encouraging pat on the back. “We both know that any major scientific breakthrough takes time. Just stick with it.”

By the end of the day, however, Tom was feeling anything but hopeful. Every attack on the space-travel problem seemed to lead up a blind alley. To clear his brain, he decided to walk home from the plant.