I don't want to
wash out in space!"
"That goes for me, too," said Roger.
"O.K.," said Tom. "Here we go. Just keep your fingers crossed that we
hit the desert instead of the mountains, or we'll be smeared across
those rocks like applesauce. Spaceman's luck, fellas!"
"Spaceman's luck, both of you," said Astro.
"Just plain ordinary luck," commented Roger, "and plenty of it!"
The three boys quickly strapped themselves into acceleration seats, with
Tom hooking up an emergency relay switch that he could hold in his hand.
He hoped he would remain conscious long enough to throw the switch and
start the water sprinkler in case the ship caught fire.
The _Lady Venus_ flashed into the thin atmosphere from the void of space
and the three cadets imagined that they could hear the shriek of the
ship as it cut through the thin air. Tom figured his speed rapidly, and
counting on the thinness of the atmosphere, he estimated that it would
take eleven seconds for the ship to crash. He began to count.
" ... One--two--three--four--five--" he thought briefly of his family
and how nice they had been to him " ... six--seven--eight--nine--ten--"
The ship crashed.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER 17
"Astro! Roger!" yelled Tom. He opened his eyes and then felt the weight
on his chest. A section of the control board had fallen across him
pinning his left arm to his side.
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