At Fearing a jeep sped them to the robot monitoring station on the eastern shore of the island.
A rack of electronic gear had been set up outdoors on the flat, sandy beach.
Hank Sterling, wearing a radio headset, was in charge. Around him were a group of government scientists who had flown up from Washington.
Tom and Mr. Swift greeted Bernt Ahlgren, who introduced the others. Some, like Dr. Leo Palfrey, were old friends.
“Have the robots disembarked yet from the rocketship?” Tom asked Hank Sterling.
“Yes. The space outpost was watching over the megascope,” Hank added.
“They report the
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maneuver went off without a hitch. The robots have now entered the Orb’s atmosphere.”
Tom donned a headset and stepped to the control console. He switched on the gas-analysis monitor to check the readings being telemetered back by the Video Vikings.
“Over ninety per cent chlorine!” Mr. Swift murmured. “That must be what gives the Orb’s cloud cover its yellowish-green character.”
Gradually the chlorine reading diminished and the gas sampling showed that the Orb’s inner atmosphere resembled earth’s. It was composed mostly of oxygen and nitrogen with some ammonia vapor and only faint traces of chlorine.
“Amazing!” Dr. Grimsey commented. “Chlorine is a heavier gas than oxygen or nitrogen, yet it seems to be layered at a higher atmospheric level.”
“Must be due to some form of selective repulsion,” Ahlgren speculated. “The Orb life may use the chlorine layer as a protective cover.”
Tom agreed. “Since the robots have pierced the cloud cover,” he announced, “we should be able to get a clear view of the Green Orb.”
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