List of Illustrations
[“The Earth!” She spoke in awe.] 12 [“Hi, folks,” he greeted.] 21 [“That’s the headquarters building.”] 43 [He was going to Mars.] 65 [Figures in weird metallic suits.] 78 [The birds soared away.] 118 [The whole landscape was blotted out.] 142 [The picture flashed on.] 156 [“Pops!” Randy cried.] 164 [Yank went over the side with a splash.] 189 [“Please don’t bring Yank back.”] 200 [Down, down he went.] 213 [They felt themselves tumbling downward.] 232 [They grabbed Yank’s paws and began dancing.] 256
CHAPTER ONE
Beyond the Earth
The rocket ship Shooting Star powered through the black deeps of space like a silver bullet. Inside a room of their parents’ suite aboard the vessel, Ted Kenton and his sister Jill sat before a large window looking out at the wonders of space in the year A.D. 2003.
“It doesn’t seem as if we’re moving at all, does it, Sis?” Ted asked.
Jill shook her auburn head. “No, but it scares me to know how fast we’re going!” she replied.
Ted straightened his sturdy young shoulders and shook strands of brown hair out of his eyes. It was natural that girls should be scared of things connected with space travel, he thought. “Thousands of miles an hour isn’t much,” he said lightly.
“But what if we should hit something!” Jill complained. “It would be an awful crash!”