"How close to earth is our Jupiter probe missile?" Bud Barclay asked Tom excitedly.
The lanky1 blond youth beside him, in T shirt and slacks, shot a glance at the dials of the tracking equipment. "Eight thousand miles from this spot, Bud. It should land here in fifteen minutes!"
Tom Jr., his father, Bud, and a host of scientists, Navy officers, and newsmen were crowded aboard a U.S. Navy missile launching ship.
"Just think!" Bud exulted2. "You'll have data from the planet Jupiter that no one on earth has yet been able to get!"
"If we recover the missile safely," Mr. Swift spoke3 up hopefully. The elder scientist's voice was quiet but taut4 with the strain of waiting. The two Swifts resembled each other closely—each had deep-set blue eyes and clean-cut features—although Tom was somewhat taller and rangier.
"You're right, Dad," Tom agreed. "If we don't snare5 the missile, our whole project will be a total loss to America's space program!"
At Tom's words, the watchers and crewmen who were crowded into the Recoverer's control room stirred restlessly. Its bulkheads were banked with radar6 and telemetering devices. Tension had been mounting throughout the morning aboard the ships and observation planes of the task force as everyone awaited the return of the planet-circling missile—scientists' deepest penetration7 into space so far.
"What do you mean, a total loss?" Bud argued. "Even if the recovery operation's a flop8, the shot will still pay off in valuable information, won't it?"
Tom shook his head grimly. "The purpose of this unmanned, exploratory flight around Jupiter was to take and record all kinds of data. But none of the info is being radioed back to us."
"How come?"
"If we had put in radio gear strong enough to relay signals back, it would have cut down the amount of information-gathering equipment aboard," Tom explained. "We had to make every ounce count."
Outwardly calm, Tom was seething9 with inner excitement. Although only eighteen—the same age as his husky, dark-haired pal10 and copilot, Bud Barclay—Tom had been given the job of directing the recovery phase of the United States government's Project Jupiter survey. The Swifts and their rocket research staff had built the missile and engineered the space probe for the government.
"Whew!" Bud gave a nervous whistle. "I see what you mean, pal. With all our eggs in one basket, we sure can't afford to get butter-fingered with the Jupiter prober."
Admiral Walter, a tall, distinguished11 man, graying at the temples, smiled. "It's what we call in warfare12 a calculated risk, Bud," he said. "But with Tom in charge, I believe we have nothing to worry about."
Mr. Swift's eyes shone with fatherly pride at the admiral's remark. Tom Jr.'s pioneering rocket flights and inventions had won the youth a top rank in American space research.
"Guess you're right, sir," Bud agreed. "I'll back genius boy here any day!"
Tom winced13 as Bud whacked14 him heartily15 on the shoulder. "Better save your orchids16 and keep your fingers crossed, fly boy," the young inventor advised. "That rocket's not home yet."
Radio telescopes, both on land and aboard the ships of the task force, were following the missile's progress as it drew closer to earth. All were feeding a steady stream of information to the ships' computers.
"How soon will you fire the retro-rockets, Tom?" Admiral Walter inquired presently.
"In about ten seconds, sir," Tom replied, eying the sweep second hand of the clock.
Moments later, a red light flashed on the master control panel. Tom's finger stabbed a button. Far out in space, the retarding17 rockets in the missile's nose were triggered for a brief burst, slowing its high speed. Without this, the missile would hurtle to flaming destruction in the atmosphere.
"We've picked it up!" shouted a radarman.
Bud gave a whoop18 of excitement and everyone crowded around the radarscope. Tom's steel-blue eyes checked the blip. Then he threw a switch which started an automatic plotting machine that had been prepared with the landing plan, and noted20 that the missile was slightly off the correct path. A new flow of information now began pulsing in as other ships' tracking radars19 recorded its course. The data was being fed automatically to the "capture" computer. This would analyze21 the correct flight path for the recovery missile, which would magnetically seize the returning traveler from Jupiter and bring it safely home.
Tom quickly read off the results from the computer's dials, then busied himself again with the retarding-rocket controls.
"Everything going okay, skipper?" Bud asked.
Tom nodded. "I've readjusted the retarding rockets. They'll fire at the proper intervals22 to slow down the missile still further and bring it back on beam."
The excited buzz of voices in the compartment23 gradually quieted as the clock ticked steadily24 toward the next step in the recovery operation.
"Stand by for missile firing!" Tom snapped.
A seaman25 relayed the order over the ship's intercom. Tense silence fell as Tom's eyes followed the sweep of the second hand.
"All clear for blast-off!" came the talker's report.
Tom pressed the firing button. A split second later the listeners' eardrums throbbed26 to a muffled27 roar from topside as the slender recovery missile shot skyward. The ship rocked convulsively from the shock of blast-off. Then it steadied again as the gyros damped out the vibrations28.
"Wow!" Bud heaved a sigh of relieved tension. Then he dashed from the compartment and up the nearest ladder for a quick look at the rocket as it disappeared into the blue.
Tom watched the recovery missile intently on the radarscope.
"Nice going, son," said Mr. Swift quietly.
In response to his father's reassuring29 grip on his arm, Tom flashed him a hasty smile. For the first time, the young inventor realized he was beaded with perspiration30 and that his pulse was hammering.
"It's a case of wait and hope," Tom murmured.
On every ship and plane in the task force, eyes were glued to the radar screens. Two small blips were visible—one the Jupiter probe missile, the other the recovery missile—moving on courses that would soon intersect.
"Another blip—coming in from nine o'clock!" Admiral Walter exclaimed. "What's that?"
Tom stared at the new blip. It was moving steadily toward the meeting point of the first two missiles!
"It's a thief missile!" Tom cried out. "Some enemy's trying to steal our probe data!"
"I don't know," Tom muttered tensely. "But if those three missiles meet, our whole project will be wrecked33!"
"Better tape all readings!" Mr. Swift advised.
"Right, Dad!"
Admiral Walter had paled slightly under his deep tan. In stunned34 silence, the Navy officers and scientists watched as Tom's lean hands manipulated two controls.
"What are those for?" Bud asked.
"One's to speed up our recovery missile," Tom explained. "Looks like a slim hope, though, from the way that third blip is homing on target. This other control has just caused every instrument on this ship, and all the others in the task force, to make permanent records on magnetic tape of all their readings.
"If a collision occurs and the probe missile falls into the sea," Tom went on, "there's only one hope of recovery—to plot the exact geographical35 position and then get to the spot before the enemy does!"
"Roger!" Bud agreed.
It was obvious that Tom's fears about the missiles colliding were well founded. The mystery blip had veered36 as the recovery missile speeded up. Within seconds, the three blips met on the screen and fused into a single spot of light.
"The probe missile's no longer responding to control!" one of the telemetering scientists called out.
Admiral Walter, grim-faced, flashed a questioning look at Tom. "Then recovery has failed?"
"I'm afraid so, sir."
The fused blip was still visible on screen as the radar dishes tracked it, moving in a way that indicated a steep downward plunge37.
"Sir, I'd like helicopters readied for take-off immediately," Tom said. "As soon as the tracking instruments lose contact, have the recording40 tapes picked up from every ship in the task force and brought here to the Recoverer."
"I'll get to work right now," Tom replied, "and lay out a computer program to process the readings."
The data—consisting of millions of information "bits" from the shipboard instrument tapes—would be fed to an electronic brain. The brain would then calculate the probable location in latitude42 and longitude43 of the sunken missile.
As the admiral snapped out orders, Tom exchanged a brief worried glance with his father. Each was pondering the same thought.
Could Tom find the lost Jupiter probe missile? Or would their enemy locate it first?
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1
lanky
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| adj.瘦长的 | |
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exulted
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| 狂喜，欢跃( exult的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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taut
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| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
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snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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6
radar
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| n.雷达，无线电探测器 | |
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7
penetration
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| n.穿透，穿人，渗透 | |
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8
flop
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| n.失败(者)，扑通一声；vi.笨重地行动，沉重地落下 | |
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9
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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whacked
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| a.精疲力尽的 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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16
orchids
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| n.兰花( orchid的名词复数 ) | |
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retarding
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| 使减速( retard的现在分词 )； 妨碍； 阻止； 推迟 | |
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18
whoop
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| n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息 | |
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19
radars
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| n.雷达( radar的名词复数 )；雷达装置 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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analyze
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| vt.分析，解析 (=analyse) | |
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22
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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23
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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throbbed
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| 抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动 | |
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27
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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28
vibrations
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| n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动 | |
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29
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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31
gasps
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| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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32
gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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33
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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35
geographical
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| adj.地理的；地区(性)的 | |
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36
veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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37
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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38
numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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39
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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40
recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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41
tersely
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| adv. 简捷地, 简要地 | |
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42
latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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43
longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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