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Space Platform
Space Platform
Space Platform tells of man’s first step into outer space ... of the difficulties and dangers of reaching for the stars. It is also an exciting adventure. When young Joe Kenmore came to Bootstrap to install pilot gyros in the Platform he hadn’t bargained for sabotage or murder or love. But Joe learned that ruthless agents were determined to wreck the project. He found that the beautiful girl he loved, and men like The Chief, a rugged Indian steelworker, and Mike, a midget who made up for his size by brains, would have to fight with their bare hands to make man’s age old dream of space travel come true!
Book Excerpt
rette. The ship flew with more steadiness than a railroad car rolls on rails. There was the oddly cushioned sound of the motors. It was all very matter-of-fact.
But Joe said angrily: "Look! Is any of what you said--well--kidding?"
"I wish it were, fella," said the co-pilot. "I can talk to you about it, but most of it's hushed up. I tell you----"
"Why can you talk to me?" demanded Joe suspiciously. "What makes it all right for you to talk to me?"
"You've got passage on this ship. That means something!"
"Does it?" asked Joe.
The pilot turned in his seat to glance at Joe.
"Do you think we carry passengers regularly?" he asked mildly.
"Why not?"
Pilot and co-pilot looked at each other.
"Tell him," said the pilot.
"About five months ago," said the co-pilot, "there was an Army colonel wangled a ride to Bootstrap on a cargo plane. The plane took off. It flew all right until twenty miles from Bootstrap. Then it stopped checking. It dove stra
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This 1953 novel holds up pretty well, if you can ignore such dated bits as space-going ashtrays, Native Americans who "speak Indian" to each other, the presumption of American supremacy and, above all, that peculiarly 1950s optimism about the future. The idea that an inexperienced but bright young man can do anything, beating the odds and the experts, is characteristic of ’50s science fiction, although it's somewhat tempered here, and at least he doesn't do it all alone. Young Joe Kenmore of Kenmore Precision Tool Co. is accompanying equipment made by his family's firm to where they'll be installed in the Space Platform. Once launched, the platform will protect America — and the rest of the world — from nuclear attack through unilateral deterrence and serve as a launching station for star travel. Naively, Joe's surprised to learn that the construction site has been heavily targeted by saboteurs. He's skeptical, but then somebody tries to shoot down his transport plane. And things get worse as the massive project nears completion.
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it quite a good one.
10/24/2010