“Let’s put up the bubble tent,” Glen said. “It’ll help save our heat.”
As he had learned in cadet training, he removed a cylinder from the outfit and pulled a lever. It popped open and a plastic bubble began growing out of it. The bubble, which was slightly oblong and transparent, enlarged to about seven feet, then detached itself from the cartridge airtight. After it had hardened for several minutes, Glen took an electric saw from the kit and cut a small door in the side. They made hinges from self-sealing plastic strips.
They used the foam rubber from around the case for flooring, then put the supplies inside the bubble. They turned on the heater and then turned off the heat units in their suits.
“How long do you figure our supplies can last, Glen?” Skip asked.
“They’re supposed to last two people ten days,” Glen replied. “Don’t you remember that question on our exam?”
“Don’t remind me!” Skip said. “I’m tired of hearing about the cadet corps.”
“I know,” Glen said bitterly.
“How could they flunk us on one question?” Skip asked. “It wasn’t fair.”
“I agree with you,” Glen answered, “but the fact remains that we’ve got to take it.”
Skip chuckled grimly. “You talk as if we have a lifetime ahead of us. We don’t know whether we’ve got tomorrow.”