Then Tom and Bud drove by jeep to Arv Hanson’s workshop which was located in another building of the experimental station. The room hummed with the noise of lathes and other machine tools. Blue-white arcs flashed from electric welders as mechanics assembled the parts of the space kite which were already complete.
“How’s she coming, Arv?” Tom inquired.
“Swell. We should have it ready within forty-eight hours, barring any hitches.”
Bud whistled when he saw the small gleaming model of the space kite. “Boy, she’s a beauty, skipper! In a neat little sports rig like this, we can really go joy riding in space I”
46 COSMIC ASTRONAUTS
There was a hopeful glint in Bud’s eye as he added, “That’s if you’re not thinking of leaving me behind when you try ‘er out.”
Tom chuckled and threw an arm around his pal’s shoulders. “Not if you’re game to come along, Bud. I’d sure feel lost without my daredevil copilot!”
The boys hopped into their jeep and sped back to Tom’s private laboratory.
There Tom explained about the cosmic reactor which would provide the space kite with motive power.
“I plan to build one up at the space station, where I’ll be able to test it out with actual radiation. Want to come along?”
Bud clicked his heels and snapped a comic salute. “How soon do we take off, sir?”
“First thing in the morning,” Tom replied with a grin. “So hit the sack early.”
At dawn the next day the two boys flew to Fearing Island. The Swifts’ rocket base, once a bleak stretch of sand dunes and scrubgrass, was now a scene of neatly laid out barracks, workshops, and gantries. Space vehicles and future satellites bristled from the launching pads.