Mark estimated at the end of the
second day that he had figured out about 80% of the control panel,
including all the major systems. Joe confirmed his reckoning and,
without even igniting the power, was learning to pilot the alien craft.
Both Starmen kept Zip informed of their progress.
It was still up to Zip to find a way to escape from the asteroid. Even
if they could pilot the ship, it was certain that the pirates would
locate them by radar within seconds of their departure and the chances
of their escape would be practically nil.
The atmosphere tanks supplied with the spacesuits were empty, so Zip
had to fill them from large storage tanks of pure gases he found to one
side of the hangar. Since Zip was unable to read any labels, he had to
analyze the gas in each supply tank to determine which gases the tanks
contained. Once he had succeeded in identifying nitrogen and oxygen, he
was able to fill the tanks for the spacesuits with a mixture similar to
that of air on Earth. This project was tedious and physically
demanding, but St. George's men assisted him with the heavy work. Since
the gravity was so low, two men were easily able to move even the
largest equipment needed for the work. By the end of the second day,
all the tanks had been filled.
That evening, Zip put on one of the spacesuits and practiced operating
it and moving around inside the hangar.
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