Authentic Science Fiction, December 1951 — page 54: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

52 THE MOON [tS HEAVEN Clavier. He feels, you reckon, that his is the most important work to be done. . Apart from that, the scene is peaceful, Almost like a research station on Earth.. People standing around in list- lessly interested attitudes watching a process at work. The sun’s rays melting the snow in the tank, so that a constant | stream of water runs through to the anode in the dome. The uncannily silent piston stroke of the compressor, ramming down the hydrogen from the cathode, turning it into a liquid. And above it all, the unmoving, unmoved terrain that has stood there changeless for centuries, eons. For a moment it strikes you as wrong that man should come and set up his, domes and compressors and things. Disturb the peace, dig into the rocks, electrolyse the snow. But that’s sheer senti- mentality, and there’s no room in the modern world for that. You stop thinking of that. ‘‘ Well,” Schnabel grunts. ‘‘ Are we going to do some mining now that we have seen the miraculous electrolyser at work? T would like to start on the air-lock immediately.”’ Atah frowns and Clavier represses a comment with a firm effort. ‘Reina unashamedly turns up her nose (as far as she can within a space helmet) and walks away towards the com- pressor, Leeson’s jaws are champing drily inside his helmet. : No one seems to like Schnabel. But then, he probably doesn’t like himself. | : ‘‘T think it’s time for a rest,’’ Atah says. ‘‘ We’ve accomplished quite a bit already, and we don’t want to tire ourselves. I think we'll go into the dome and get some sleep. That is, if you think the air supply is safe, Clavier?’’ The chemist shrugs elaborately and lifts his eyebrows. ‘‘ I cannot be certain, of course. But at least J am prepared to come in with you! Such is my faith in the apparatus.’’ ‘* Good enough,’’ Atah. smiles, ‘‘ How about you others?’’- Everyone but Schnabel agrees that a rest would be a good thing right now. The technologist may be afraid. of the elec- trolysis apparatus, or he may just want to make himself comicbooks.com