Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 56 — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

is a major qualification.” Blendersen, the best scientist of the bunch, said: **He’s made his case to my satisfaction.” Connie Coolson, the last of the big- scale heiresses, who had put up a lot of the money, said: “I think he’s sweet.”’ So I am going on the first journey to a planet. Now I am setting other people to work for me. I have an air flow specialist devising a gadget which will be on the outside of the vessel. As soon as we enter any kind of atmos- phere, no matter how rarified, I shall have small cylin- ders filled with it at high pressure. I shall also have a discharge tube filled at very low pressure. A spec- trometer trained on the light from the tube will give me knowledge of the elements in the s. On this in- ormation I shall base the tests to determine in what proportions and in what chemical compounds the various elements _ may be present. Within a few minutes I shall be able to complete a full analysis. It’s going to be touch and go as to who gets first news of the existence of an atmosphere, I, with my collection gadget, or the physicist with an inertia pellet on a hairspring to make or break one of his electrical —_ ts. Personally I back my discharge tube. Second by second I shall be adding to my knowledge of the air we may or may not be able to breathe. I shall be passing on my news a word or two ata time, and listening for others’ reports all the way down. Interesting as the outer layers will be to me, I shall be well down into the siratosphere before I shall be justified in saying much. FIRST REPORTS Then, at intervals: “Air pressure beginning to build up—.05S Ibs. per square inch,” That will interest the pilot. The hull will overheat if he’s sniralling into that much air too quickly. “One pound per square inch—Oxy- gen present.” That will have everybody hoping it may be possible to dispense with spacesuits. “Four pounds per square inch. Two per cent. oxygen as carbon dioxide. Five per cent. as breathable oxygen.” Already we begin to feel that a rupture of the ship’s casing on landing will not be catastrophic. “‘Final air report. Twelve per cent free oxygen, two and a half per cent. carbon dioxide, four per cent. sulphur dioxide. Can breathe if must through alkali filter pad. Don’t get too energetic.” Not perfect, but it might have been much worse. Comichbogxs Gom