The Planet MappersEvans, E. Everett (Edward Everett)
Science
The Planet Mappers
Evans, E. Everett (Edward Everett)
Families -- Juvenile fiction; Science fiction; Space flight -- Juvenile fiction; Space pirates -- Juvenile fiction
They were over an hour passing above this ocean, and had begun to
wonder if it was greater in extent than Terra's Pacific. But finally
they made out in the distance the dim blueness of the farther shore.
"That's some ocean all right. Shows there's lots of water here on Two."
"With those heavy rains there'd almost have to be. This'll be of
special interest to colonists--means not only plenty of water, but if
that stream was any example, there'll be lots of fish down there to
start a big food industry later."
About two hundred miles past the eastern shore of the ocean, they saw
the blue of mountains in the decreasing distance. Soon Jon had to rise
higher and higher to clear them safely. Some of the individual peaks
seemed to be nearly five miles high, and one or two of them, almost at
the range of visibility, the boys estimated to be even taller.
"Probably lots of metals here," Jon commented. "I'll swing back and
over them again, and let 'Annie' get to work."
"Yes, this list says to report on metallic ores. Say, doesn't it seem
funny to you that there are no people on a world as capable as this of
supporting life? Wonder why?"
"No telling. Pop says lots of Earthlike planets don't have any
inhabitants capable of any sort of civilization. But that means more
ready-made worlds for Terrans to colonize."
Jon made their ship circle above the mountains while the boys took
readings with the spectro-analyzer. Then they started on again. After
almost another hour, when they were over one of the few desert places
they had seen, Jon suddenly leaned forward with a little intake of
breath that his brother noticed.
"What's up?"
"Not sure. But listen to 'Annie' click. From the reading, I think
there must be some of that metal Pop was so positive about, down there
somewhere."
"The stuff for a new fuel?"
"Yes. We don't know it'd be any good as fuel, but its atomic weight
seems to be so high Pop was all excited when the spectrogram of this
sun showed it. He said he felt sure we'd find it on at least one of
these planets."
"It'll take a lot of time to locate it exactly, won't it?"
"Not too much, with the new gadgets they have for locating metal ores."
Jon tried not to sound impatient with his brother's ignorance. "We've
got one that lets us cruise around in the air and spot it fairly close,
then land and find the exact place quite easily."
"What sort of gadget?"
Jon shrugged. "Don't know exactly how they work, but I can use one.
Something like a spectroscope that works without first having to heat
the metals into gas. Plus something like those old Geiger counters they
used to trace radioactives. Plus some other ideas the technies put
into them. It tells about them in one of our reelbooks there. You go
get ours--I think it's in Bin 14, in the storeroom. Looks like a small
black suitcase with carrying straps. Meanwhile, I'll get ready to set
us down."
"I'll hurry so's to be back to read the routine for you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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