The Black Star Passes

laboratory and set up his table for work. There Arcot and More

t streamlined, of course; roughly speaking, a cylinder modified to fit the special uses to which i

we'll have to work it out. You'll have plenty of fun figuring out strains in this mac

doubt penetrate the outer shell, but on reaching the vacuum, it will tend to stay there, between the inner and outer walls. Here it will collect, since it will be fighting air pressure in going either in or out. The pressure inside will force it back, and the pressure outside will force it in. If we did not pump it out, it would soon build up pressure enough to pe

wall of the outer shell, and set in them one of these molecular motion directors, and direc

t energy, it will be rather chilly inside if we don't remedy that. Of course, our power units could be placed outside, where the

ere. The relays for controlling will be back here, so we can control electrically the operation of the power equipment from our warm, gas-tight room. If it gets too warm in there, we can cool it by using a little of the heat to help accelerate the ship. If it is too cold, we can turn on an elec

s over a greater range. Won't need more than one hundred kilowatts altogether, but should install about a thous

own some actual

ents with the machines on hand. The calculating machines were busy continuously, for there were few rules that experience could give them. They were developing somethi

ctrical equipment had been placed at once. By the time they had completed the drawings for the mail casting, the materials were already being assembled in a little private camp that Morey owned, up in the

he entire program could be carried out without attracting the least attention, for such orders

portable metal shed that was to house the completed machine. The shining tungsto-steel alloy frame mem

d be installed on the frame in the morning, and the generator would be hoisted into place with the small portable crane. The storage batteries were connected, and in place in the hull. The great fused quartz windows rested in their cases along one wall, awaitin

had been forced to remain in New York to superintend the shipment of the necessary supplies to the camp site, and since no trouble was anticipate

hine of striking beauty. The ship was to retain its natural metallic sheen, the only protection being a coat of "passivity paint"-a liquid chemical that could be brushed or sprayed on iron, chromium, nickel or cobalt al

ithstanding a fall of several hundred feet with little damage. The location of the power units was plainly visible and easily recognized, for at each point there c

X-ray fluoroscope to see the interior of the metal. Each joint seemed perfect.

reat framework was continued, and that day saw the power units bolted in place, removable if change was thought advisable. Each po

tically complete within a week. Only the instruments remained to be installed. Then at last even these had been put in

it, "no one man can keep an eye on all those instruments. I certainly hope you have a good-sized crew to operate your controls! We've spent two days getting all those circuits to

st factor of safety to use in building other machines. The machine is very nearly completed now. All we need is the seats-they are to be special air-inflated gyroscopically controlled seats, to make it impossible for a sudd

to start after the P

of it. They demand the return of the money, and I have no doubt he has it. I am firmly convinced that he is a kleptomaniac. I doubt greatly if he will stop taking money before he is caught. Therefore it will be safe to wait until we can be sure of our ability to operate the machine smoothly. Any other course would be suicidal. Also, I am having some of those tool-makers make up a special type of molecular motion machine for use as a machine gun. The bullets ar

They will instantly come into the field of a powerful molecular motion director, and will be shot out with t

, and controlled electrically, and the charts will be installed to

y accidentally spread the news of the new machine. It was with excited interest that they helped the machine to completion. The guns had not been

's ready! I certainly want to get her going-it's only three-thirty, and we can go around to th

can start. I'll have to put an 'X' license indication on her now. He'll go with us to test it-I hope. Ther

er trucks should do it. Get her at least ten feet beyond the end of the hangar. We'll start straight up, and climb to at least a five mile

d been rolled entirely out of the

long sweeping lines of the sides told a story of perfect streamlining, and implied high speed, even at rest. The bright, slightly iridescent steel hull shone in silvery contrast to the gleaming co

, Dick!" exclaimed Morey, a broa

ce. It's even better looking than we thought, now the copper has added color to it. Doesn't she look fa

. I wish you all luck. The honor of having designed the first ship like that, the first heavier-than-air ship that ever flew

"let's get under way. It should fly-b

rapped themselves in the gyroscopic

all the safety devices I could think of. The ship itself won't fall, of that I am sure, but the power is so great it might well prove fatal to us if we are not in a position to resist the forc

l permits my chair to remain perpendicular to the forces. The gyroscopes in the base here cause the entire chair to remain stable if the ship rolls, but the chair can conti

e Air Inspector. "If you and your

gineer?" a

lot!" repl

nstruments back there don't take care of everything, and you see one flash over the

dy s

thudding into action, again the rising hum. "Seat-gyroscopes." The low click was succeeded by a quick shrilling sound that rose in moments above the range of hearing as the separate seat-gyroscope

erfectly so far. Are we

lift of his power units; it registered the apparent weight of the ship. It had read two hundred tons. Now all eyes were fixed on it, as the pointer dropped quickly to 150-100-75-50-40-20-10-there was a click and th

. In two or three minutes it was disappearing. The glistening ship shrank to a tiny point

ground fell away with a speed that made them look in amazement. The house, the construction shed, the lake, all seemed contracting beneath

d, unwinking glory, while the great fires of the sun seemed reaching out into space like mighty arms seeking to draw back to the parent body the masses of the wheeling planets.

r of this thing! What a ship! When these are made commercially, we'll have to use about one hor

values that Arcot and Morey had assigned from purely theoretical calculations were correct to within one-tenth of one percent. The pow

sure we agree the machine can climb and can hold itself in the air. The air

e holding it level. In a moment the ship was headed out over the Atlantic at a speed no rifle bullet had ever known. The radio speedometer needle pushed farther and farther over as the speed increased to unheard of values. B

realization of the historical importance of this flight, no one paid any attenti

cot? Look-there's the coast of Eu

iles a second at the peak." Arcot answere

his machine is. It must have a ceiling, since it depends on the operation of the generator to operate the

rator began to slow down. The readings of the instruments were dropping rapidly. The temperature of

sted, "so that you'll have the aid of th

old, the ship began to move forward. The increase in power was apparent at once. The machine s

not replace it with a fresh supply from the near-vacuum outside. Oxygen tanks had not been carried on this trip. As the power of the generator was being used to warm the cabin once more, they began to fall. Th

as decidedly impressed. "The required altitude was passed so long ago-

paratus works only in the direction in which the ship is pointed.

climb, the acceleration record-all that Arcot could think of had been passed. Now the ship was coming to dock for the night. In the morning it would be out again. But now Arcot was sufficiently expert with th

t altitude of operation, and as many other tests as they had time for. Each of the three younger men took turns operating, but so gr

ate became fewer and fewer as less

andled far more readily than any other craft he had ever controlled, there was al

artment, leaving enough power on to reduce the weight to but ten tons, lest it fall through th

y there's a real haul on board. I am going to accompany the plane at a height of about a quarter of a mile above. I will try to locate him from there by means of rada