she announced with a giggle. “I’ll ask Phyl over and we’ll make it a late, late TV
party!”
Phyllis Newton, the attractive, dark-haired daughter of Ned Newton, was Tom’s favorite date. The two often double-dated with Sandy and Bud.
8 MEGASCOPE SPACE PROBER
On Sunday evening Bud brought Phyl over to the Swifts’ home in his convertible. Both had been invited to spend the night. Mrs. Swift, a slim and pretty woman, welcomed the guests warmly. After one of her delicious chicken dinners, the young people played records, danced, and chatted until the time for the demonstration approached.
“Will we be receiving the picture direct from France?” asked Phyl as Tom switched on the TV set.
Tom nodded. “Via our outpost in space.” This was the space station the young scientist had built to provide an assembly line beyond the earth’s atmosphere for charging his solar batteries with the sun’s unshielded rays. It had been a major step forward in the Swifts’ space research and was also used for relaying television signals from point to point around the world.
“We’ll be getting a short-wave radio broadcast in English, too, from the American networks,” Tom added.
An early-morning program of setting-up exercises came into focus on the screen. This was followed by a special news program featuring the telecast demonstration of Gaspard’s helium machine.
Bud tuned in the American radio broadcast. “We bring you now an on-the-spot account of an important scientific event, direct from Paris, France,” the commentator began. “Monsieur
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