"Only one way to find out," said Tom.
"Yeah," agreed Roger. "Let's get that hatch shoved aside and take a look."
Astro jammed the heavy steel bar farther into the space between the hatch and the bulkhead, and then turned back to his unit-mates.
"Get that piece of pipe over there," he said. "We'll slip it over the end of the bar and that'll give us more leverage."
Tom and Roger scrambled after the length of pipe, slipped it over the end of the bar, and then, holding it at either end, began to apply even pressure against the hatch.
Gradually, a half inch at a time, the heavy steel hatch began to move sideways, sliding out and behind the bulkhead. And as the opening grew larger the fine powderlike sand began to fall into the power deck.
"Let's move it back about a foot and a half," said Tom. "That'll give us plenty of room to get through and see what's on the other side."
Astro and Roger nodded in agreement.
Once more the three boys exerted their strength against the pipe and applied pressure to the hatch. Slowly, grudgingly it moved back, until there was an eighteen-inch opening, exposing a solid wall of the desert sand. Suddenly, as if released by a hidden switch, the sand began to pour into the power deck.
"Watch out!" shouted Tom. The three boys jumped back and looked on in dismay as the sand came rushing through the opening. Gradually it slowed to a stop and the pile in front of the opening rose as high as the hatch itself.