I almost went blind."
Roger grunted and continued to line the clear plastic fish-bowl helmets
with the darker protective shields.
Connel's voice rang through the cabin over the communicator: "I guess
we'd better go down and get it over with. I don't see anything that will
give us any protection down there. Be sure your humidity control is
turned up all the way. As soon as you step outside the jet boat, you're
going to be hit by a temperature of four hundred degrees!"
"Aye, aye, sir," came Shinny's reply over the intercom. Roger flipped
the communicator on and acknowledged the order.
Astro and Shinny followed Connel's jet boat in a long sweeping dive to
the surface of the satellite. Stepping out of the air-cooled jet boat
onto the torrid unprotected surface of the flat plain was like stepping
into a furnace. Even with space suits as protection, the five Earthmen
were forced to work in relays in the digging of the hole for the reactor
unit.
"Attention! Attention! Corbett to Connel. One hour exactly to blast-off
time! One hour--sixty minutes--to blast-off time."
Tom flicked the teleceiver microphone off, and on the teleceiver screen,
watched his spacemates work under the broiling sun.
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