He finished his coffee, then
looked up with a twinkle in his eyes. "How about figuring out a solution
for me, Tom?"
"A new kind of air lung?" Tom was intrigued!
CHAPTER IV
AERIAL ATTACK
"Yes, son," Mr. Swift went on. "What's needed is a new type of breathing
device--one that will eliminate bulky air tanks and permit a skin diver
to stay down for long periods."
"Quite an order, Dad."
Grabbing a pencil, the young inventor began sketching. In both his Fat
Man suits and his osmotic air conditioner, Tom had already perfected
ways of drawing oxygen from sea water.
"But a small gadget for skin divers," he said, "will take a fantastic
job of electronic miniaturization." After a pause he added, "It could
really speed up recovery of the Jupiter prober, though."
Lunch over, Tom hopped a jet scooter and sped off to his private
laboratory. The modernistic glass-walled structure--designed by Tom
himself--had every tool of modern scientific research, from electronic
microscope to helium cryostat.
As always, whenever he was absorbed in a new idea, Tom was eager to get
to work. "Let's see what I'm shooting for. A small container, slung
around the diver's neck?... No, too dangerous. Better hook it to his
weight belt, with a tube to his face mask."
Using a plastic foam "breadboard," Tom began experimenting with various
circuit designs.
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