As Jan gained the roof, he found everything hustle and bustle, with
space flyers and terrestrial aircraft coming and going. He went to the
hangar of the Meteorological Bureau and entered. A long line of small
space flyers stood side by side. Like the larger space ships, they used
the same means of power, that supplied by atomic energy. A terrific
speed could be obtained in outer space, and the fantastic speed of the
Earth and the other cosmic wanderers of space might well be likened
to the space flyers as the speed of a turtle is compared to that of a
jackrabbit.
The young astronaut approached his tiny space flyer. It was shaped like
an egg, except that it was more elongated, and the two ends tapered
down to blunt points instead of being rounded. It was mounted upon four
revolving metal spheres set into its keel instead of wheels as landing
gear. It was especially adapted for the use of exploring meteors,
for all sides were studded with grapples and jointed drills as well
as claw-like iron rods. These latter, which were also jointed, were
capable of acting in the capacity of fingers in grasping material and
placing it into the receptacles which lined the sides of the little
space car. All of the exterior apparatus was manipulated by mechanical
control from within.
Jan inspected his oxygen tanks and fuel supply, and tested out the
mechanism of the craft which he found to be working perfectly. He
called an attendant, and together they wheeled the craft out upon the
roof level which was bathed in the warm sunshine of a June morning. The
young astronaut entered the space flyer, closed the door, and was alone
in the air-tight compartment just large enough to accommodate him. On
the instrument board before him were dials, levers, gauges, buttons and
queer apparatus which controlled and operated the various features of
the craft. He turned on his oxygen supply and his air rejuvenator so
that the air could be used more than once, after which he shoved his
starting lever forward. The craft raced suddenly off the roof and into
the cloudless sky above the vast city of the twenty-sixth century.
Up and up he arose, until those upon the roof lost sight of his flyer
as it disappeared, a minute speck against the deep blue of the sky.
Below him, the city could be seen as an indistinct, white blur upon a
background of green. Farther and farther he rose until he was in the
rarefied atmosphere of the upper air currents. It grew intensely cold,
and the young astronaut found it necessary to turn on the heating
system. He now increased his speed from an even 300 miles an hour
gradually to 1,000 miles an hour until he should find himself beyond
the friction of the Earth's atmosphere. At this speed, it was but a
short time before the tiny space flyer found itself in the vacuum of
outer space. The little craft had six windows of a thick glass-like
substance which was colored a deep transparent brown to nullify the
blinding glare of the sun. The windows pointed in six different
directions, and it was from these that Jan noticed the daylight ebbing,
to be replaced by the utter blackness of night, except where the
blazing ball of the sun shone through the brown glass windows. Through
one window, he could see the curved contour of the Earth which he was
so rapidly leaving, while from each of the other five windows the
dazzling brilliance of the clustered stars shone with an iridescent
gleam never seen upon Earth.
Jan did not notice the beauties and wonders of outer space, for he had
seen them many times before, and so he watched his instrument board,
increasing his speed until he hurtled through space in the direction
of Mars at the rate of two thousand miles per second, eating up the
distance at more than seven million miles per hour. While he was in
the vicinity of the Earth, a steady stream of small meteorites beat a
tattoo upon the space ship, but as he left the Earth farther behind,
the meteorites with which he came in contact were few. Many of them
were large, and traveling at the rate of ten to twenty miles per second
could have damaged his flyer. But an instrument recorded the approach
of the large ones, and when one came within a distance of ten thousand
miles, a small bell inside the craft started ringing, while a small
arrow in a glass case pointed out its direction.
The young astronaut sped on through the ether void for the equivalent
of an Earth day. Through space it was eternal night, with a sun shining
from out of the blackness. Immeasurable distances off in all directions
were millions of suns and worlds. On ahead of him Mars was growing from
a dull red point of fire to a rose-colored sphere, appearing as large
as the moon does from the Earth. The rotating sphere grew larger, in
proportion to the speed of his approach, its two twinkling satellites
becoming visible, one just below, and the other to one side, of the
planet. Behind him, he saw the Earth as a large, green star of the
first magnitude, and on looking sharper, he saw an accompanying point
of light beside it.
Jan would have liked very much to have landed on Mars so that he could
have stretched his limbs, but he dared not, for the chronometer at his
side told him that if he were to intercept the meteor train the other
side of Mars, he would need all of his time. He rapidly neared the red
planet which now appeared as a huge ball, filling all three of the
nearest windows. Jan made a circuit around the planet, passing by the
darkened half which lay sleeping under the repose of a Martian night,
and continued on towards Jupiter. He sighted the South Pole on Mars,
and kept his ship some two hundred thousand miles above it on a direct
line towards the great planet Jupiter. He watched a dial which recorded
the approach of giant meteors within a distance of a hundred thousand
miles, for soon he expected the group of cosmic wanderers to come
sweeping along on their aimless journey. If he missed them, it would
be necessary to land on Mars and get new bearings at the observatory
before he continued the chase, but he disliked doing this for it would
take more time and be a reflection upon his efficiency. And Jan was
working for a promotion to the passenger limited between Venus and Mars.