The next afternoon after school, Dr. Kenton brought the children home. Sitting outside the house on the ground were two pieces of specially formed plastic.
“Here are the things we ordered,” Dr. Kenton said. “The manufacturers shaped them on molds they already have on hand.”
The color bear’s house was a rounded dome resembling an Eskimo igloo. The garden shelter was oval and about twenty-five feet long.
“How are we going to lift those things?” Ted asked. “They must be awfully heavy!”
“On the contrary, they’re quite light,” Dr. Kenton said. “Each of you grab a handle on the side of the garden top and I’ll show you.”
They discovered they could lift the large object with ease. They carried it around the house, and Dr. Kenton showed how it would fit close to the wall. The entrance would be by way of the back door.
“The dome is double-walled!” Ted said.
“Of course, it is,” Dr. Kenton answered. “So is our house—and all the buildings on Mars.”
“Why?” Ted asked.
“For insulation against the cold,” was the reply. “The outer wall gets almost as cold as the temperature outside, but the vacuum between it and the inner wall keeps the inside nice and warm.”