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DESTINATION OUTPOST 43
ammonia, Tom quickly recovered consciousness.
“Hey! You had us scared, pal!” Bud said. “What were you doing? And what’s that rig on your workbench?”
Tom stared blankly for a moment, then grinned as memory returned. “Oh, you mean my new gravitex machine.” Briefly, he explained its function. “I guess my invention knocked me out.”
“How?”
“The gravity concentrator apparently acted as a convex magnifying lens does when you focus a beam of sunlight with it.”
“I don’t understand,” Doc Simpson put in.
“Well, have you ever noticed how the lens creates a ring of shadow around the focused spot of light?” When Doc nodded, Tom went on, “The gravity concentrator did the same thing-that is, it created a gravity shadow around the test stand. I was working within that shadow, which meant that my gravity, or earth weight, was lessened, as it would be if I had been floating in outer space. It made me so giddy that I blacked out.”
Bud scratched his head, then chuckled. “It’s still a puzzle to me, but I guess it’s a good thing I turned off that switch. Otherwise, I’d have gone slightly feather-headed myself!”
“You sure would have,” Tom agreed. “Thanks to both of you for rescuing me!” With a happy grin the young inventor bounded to his feet. “One 44 COSMIC ASTRONAUTS
good thing-at least my gravitex works! All I have to do now is fix the test setup, so I won’t conk out again next time I try it.”
“Either that or I’d better leave you some iron pills to weigh you down,” the young medic quipped. He left then to return to his duties at the Enterprises infirmary.
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