OUTER.SPACE RESCUE 165
As Tom hung up and turned to the others, Mr. Swift patted him on the shoulder. “Good luck, son. I’ll man the space prober and the radio here night and day until you and the boys out there are back to earth.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Tom tried to keep his voice steady as they shook hands. “I know I can depend on you to give us the coaching we’ll need to get back safely.”
Uncle Ned Newton, his wife, and Phyl added their wishes for success. Last came a hug from his mother and a parting kiss from Sandy.
“I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed, Tom,” she murmured in a trembling voice.
“Don’t worry, Sis. It’s in the bag.” Tom squeezed her arm and grinned with a confidence he was far from feeling.
He leaped down the observatory stairs and sped by jeep to the airfield. As the duplicate megascope was being stowed aboard the cargo jet under Hank Sterling and Arv Hanson’s supervision, Chow came speeding up on a jet scooter.
“Brand my coyote cutlets, you ain’t takin’ off without your space cook, are you, boss?” the stout Texan panted anxiously.
“Not a chance, Chow! Climb aboard!”
Minutes later, the jet was streaking toward the rocket base. A truck roared out on the island’s airfield to meet it as the landing gear braked to a halt. The passengers piled in and sped to the
166 MEGASCOPE SPACE PROBER
launching area where the oddly shaped Challenger lay glistening in the sunlight.
Tom briefed Slim Davis quickly on the megascope space prober. “Hank and Arv and I will mount the antenna outside on the hangar platform,” he explained.
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