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.Many vital elements were already excessively scarce, andno satisfactory substitutes had been found.On the outward trip some of this space would be filled with the many thingsthey would consume en route.In addition they were carrying a great many spareparts, spare tubes, spare power units, spare condensers a thousand and one oddparts.Arcot intended that they shoud be able to make an entire new powerswitchboard and motion director unit if anything should go wrong, and hecertainly had all the apparatus.At last came the day when the final connection had been soldered, and the lastjoint welded.The atomic hydrogen tanks were full, and under the ships ownpower the oxygen tanks were filled and the batteries charged.They were readyfor a test flight!The great ship rested on the floor of the shed now, awaiting the start."Oh fellows come here a minute!" Arcot called to the other members of theparty."I want to show you something."The three walked quickly to the bow where Arcot stood, and following the lineof his vision, looked in wonder to see that everything was right.They watchedcuriously as he drew from his coat a large glass bottle, tightly sealed."What's that for?" asked Wade curiously."We're about to start on the first cruise, and I've been wondering if it isn'ttime we gave the ship a name.""Great I'd been thinking of that too what are we going to name her?""Well," said Arcot, "I had been thinking of Alexander he longed for otherworlds to conquer!""Not bad," Morey commented."I have been thinking of naming it too I guess weall have but I was thinking ofSanta Maria the first ship to discover the New World.""I was thinking more of its home," said Wade."How about calling itTerrestrian?""Well it's your turn, Fuller you designed it.What do you suggest for yourmasterpiece?" asked Arcot."I was thinking also of its home the home it will never leave.I like to thinkthat we might find people on Venus, and I would like to have a name on it thatmight be translatable into more friendly and less foreign terms-why not callit Solarite?""Solarite a member of the solar system it will be that, always.It will be aworld unto itself when it makes its trips it will take up an orbit about thesun a true member of the solar system.I like it!" Arcot turned to the others."How about it?" It was agreed upon unanimously.Page 36 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"But I'm still curious about that glass bottle, so carefully sealed." Moreycommented with a puzzled smile."What's in it? Some kind of gas?""Wrong no gas practically nothing at all, in fact.What more appropriate forchristening a space ship than a bottle of hard vacuum?"We can't have a pretty girl christen this ship, that's sure.A flyingbachelor's apartment christened by a mere woman?Never! We will have the foreman of the works here do that.Since we can't havethe ship slide down the ways or anything, we will get inside and move it whenhe smashes the bottle.But in the meantime, let's have a symbol set incontrasting metal on the bow.We can have a blazing sun, with nine planetscircling it, the earth indicated conspicuously; and below it the wordSOLA-RITE."IllIT WAS SHORTLY AFTER NOONwhen the newly christenedSolarite left on its first trip into space.The sun was a great ball of firelow in the west when they returned, dropping plummet-like from the depths ofspace, the rush of the air about the hull, a long scream that mounted from ahalf-heard sound in the outer limits of the earth's atmosphere, to a roar oftortured air as the ship dropped swiftly to the field and shot into thehanger.Instantly the crew darted to the side of the great cylinder as thedoor of the ship opened.Fuller appeared in the opening, and at the first glimpse of his face, thehanger crew knew something was wrong."Hey, Jackson," Fuller called, "get the field doctor Arcot had a littleaccident out there in space!" In moments theman designated returned with the doctor, leading him swiftly down the longmetal corridor of theSolarite to Arcot's room aboard.There was a mean-looking cut in Arcot's scalp, but a quick, sure examinationby the doctor revealed that there appeared to be no serious injury.He hadbeen knocked unconscious by the blow that made the cut, and he had not yetrecovered his senses."How did this happen?" asked the doctor as he bathed the cut and deftlybandaged it.Morey explained: "There's a device aboard whose job it is to get us out of theway of stray meteors, and it works automatically.Arcot and I were justchanging places at the controls.While neither of us was strapped into ourseats, a meteor came within range and the rocket tubes shot the car out of theway.We both went tumbling head over heels and Arcot landed on his ear.I Wasluckier, and was able to break my fall with my hands, but it was a meanfall at our speed we had about double weight, so, though it was only aboutseven feet, we might as well have fallen fourteen.We took turns piloting theship, and Arcot was about to bring us back when that shock just about shook usall over the ship.We will have to make some changes.It does its job but weneed warning enough to grab hold."The doctor was through now, and he began to revive his patient.In a moment hestirred and raised his hand to feel the sore spot.In ten minutes he wasconversing with his friends, apparently none the worse except for a verysevere headache.The doctor gave him a mild opiate, and sent him to bed tosleep off the effects of the blow.With the ship fully equipped, tested and checked in every possible way, thetime for leaving was set for the followingSaturday, three days off.Great supplies of stores had to be carried aboard inthe meantime.Care had to be exercised in this work, lest the cargo slip freeunder varying acceleration of theSolarite, and batter itself to bits, or even wreck some vital part of theship.At noon on the day chosen, the first ship ever to leave the bounds ofPage 37 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthe earth's gravity was ready to start!Gently the heavily ladenSolarite rose from the hangar floor, and slowly floated out into the brightsunshine of the early February day.Beside it rode the little ship that Arcothad first built, piloted by the father of the inventor.With him rode theelder Morey and a dozen newsmen.The little ship was badly crowded now as theyrose slowly, high into the upper reaches of the Earth's atmosphere.The skyabout them was growing dark they were going into space!At last they reached the absolute ceiling of the smaller ship, and it hungthere while theSolarite went a few miles higher; then slowly, but ever faster and faster theywere plunging ahead, gathering speed.They watched the radio speedometer creep up 1-2-3-4-5-6 steadily it rose asthe acceleration pressed them hard against the back of the seats 8-9 still itrose as the hum of the generator became a low snarl 10-11-12 they wererocketing at twelve miles a second, the tenuous air about the ship shriekingin a thin scream of protest as it parted on the streamlined bow.Slowly the speed rose reached fifteen miles a second.The sun's pull becamesteadily more powerful; they were falling toward the fiery sphere, away fromthe earth.A microphone recessed in the outer wall brought them the fadingwhisper of air from outside
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