The plastic was an electric conductor. It was a
field-plate of the Dabney field. It took over the field from Earth and
maintained it. It provided a second field for the ship to maintain. The
ship, then, could move at any angle from the balloon. The Dabney field
stretched 178.3 light-years through emptiness to the balloon, and then
at any desired direction to the ship.
The ship's rockets thrust again--and the booster-circuit came into play.
There were maneuverings. A second balloon was put out in space.
At 8:30 Central U. S. Time, on a period relinquished by other
advertisers--bought out--a new program went on the air. It was a
half-hour show, sponsored by the Intercity Credit Corporation--"Buy on
Credit Guaranteed"--with ten straight minutes of commercials interjected
in four sections. It was the highest-priced show ever put on the air. It
showed the interior of the ship's control-rooms, with occasional brief
switches to authoritative persons on Earth for comment on what was
relayed from the far-off skies.
The first broadcast ensured the success of the program beyond possible
dispute. It started with curt conversation between Jones and the pilot,
Al--Jones loathed this part of it, but Al turned out to be something of
a ham--on the problems of approaching a new solar system.
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