ONE WAY TO THE MOON - by William Welch
When the Time Travellers land in a spaceship bound for Mars, their
added weight endangers the trip.
Spinning out of the time vortex, Doug and Tony alight in the Mars Excursion
Module - a project they knew is ten years hence. Meanwhile, Commander Kane has
just learned from flight engineer Beard that they're carrying 300 pounds extra
weight, and therefore, are not at escape velocity. Unable to consult Mission
Control, Kane orders the overweight service module jettisoned and announces
the mission scrubbed. At the Time Tunnel, they have located the Time
Travellers, only to find they are in danger of being set adrift. But instead
Beard fires the Boosters, losing fuel that will have to be replenished by a
stop on the moon. When the Time Travellers are discovered they are thought to
be saboteurs by everyone except Harlow. As Beard is insisting that they be
ejected into space, Kane calls for a calculation to see if their added weight
will prevent a safe landing on the moon. Back at the Time Tunnel computers
work on the same problem, their final results indicating a crash while Kane
receives instructions to land. The ship does crash, harmlessly though, with
Tony and Doug held under guard, while Beard and Harlow go for fuel. Beard
kills Harlow at the fuel pumps, then takes explosives to blow up the
spaceship, his purpose being to keep the U.S. from getting to Mars first.
Meanwhile, the picture control console at the Time Tunnel has been blown up by
Washington observer Brandon; another observer is Beard only ten years younger
than the one in space. When word come to the Time Tunnel that there is an
agent among them, Brandon pulls a gun and orders all in the Tunnel
where he is going to annihilate them. But young Beard pulls the power wires,
guards enter and Brandon bolts. On the moons, Doug and Tony managed to get
spacesuits, closed in on the older Beard and blow him and the fuel depot to
bits. They then find that Kane has blasted off leaving them in spacesuits that
won't last longer than two hours. But control of the Time Tunnel is regained
as the younger Beard shoots Brandon, a spy who outranks him, so Doug and
Tony are once again caught up in the vortex of time.
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