"But you're sure this is our position?"
"Yes, sir. I checked it three times."
"All right, then," said Strong grimly. "There's only one thing to do. We're too near the asteroid belt to use the Polaris without radar, so we'll search in jet boats. Astro! We're parking right here! Give me full braking rockets and secure the power deck. Then prepare the jet boats for flight."
"Aye, aye, sir," came the reply from the Venusian.
The ship bucked under the tremendous power of the braking rockets and came to a dead stop in space. Strong dashed up the ladder to the radar bridge where Roger was still hunched before the radar scanner.
"Any chance of switching the scanner to another frequency and offsetting the effects of the static, Roger?" asked the Solar Guard captain.
Roger shook his head. "I don't think so, sir. The interference would have to be eliminated at its source."
"Well," sighed Strong, "to go looking for Tom without the help of radar would be like looking for an air bubble in the ammonia clouds of Jupiter. And we don't even know if he's still aboard the Avenger or not!"
"You know, sir," said Roger speculatively, "I've been thinking. I might be able to get a fix on this interference."
"A fix? How?"