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132 COSMIC ASTRONAUTS
Fortunately the mysterious rocket, made of glistening bluish-green metal, had not yet floated out of easy reach. The five astronauts jetted toward it and nudged the missile slowly but surely toward the space wheel.
“Think it’s small enough to go through the entry port, son?” Mr. Swift asked over his suit radio.
“Yes, I’m pretty sure it is, Dad,” Tom replied.
His guess proved correct. After the rocket had been maneuvered inside, the astronauts removed their space suits, and Mr. Swift gave orders for everyone to put on protective clothing-hooded white coveralls with gas-mask breathing filters attached.
Tom scrutinized the strange craft, noting its brilliant blue-green luster.
“Seems to be made of the same metal as the space ark we received from them some time ago, Dad,” he commented.
“Yes, it does, son. Incidentally, you told me the ark had a panel which opened in response to radio waves of a certain frequency. I wonder if this craft opens the same way?”
A close inspection, however, showed that the present missile had a long, ingeniously fitted hatch. Try as they might, the men could not remove it.
Finally Tom said that the hatch probably had been fused in solidly by heat from the trip. “I’ll try cooling the hatch to get it out.”
He went to the laboratory and brought back a
THE ROCKET’S SECRET 133
tank of carbon dioxide. The gas, when released from the pressure of the tank, had a temperature so low that it was able to contract the metal in a matter of seconds.
“The hatch is coming out!” Bud cried a moment later.
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