The Achilles Heel by Raymond Z. Gallun:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

"Southern wasn't going to take any chances on getting caught - not he! So he forced the meek little astronomer to walk ahead of him into [the] inferno."

Clever Gallun story still satisfies after all these years. A space bandit arrives unexpectedly on an observatory on Mercury and forces an elderly astronomer to trek across the blasted ash of the closest planet to the sun! How can the tables be turned?

("The Achilles Heel" by Raymond Z. Gallun)

Found it in this copy of Amazing Stories, 1940. Select an invention:

Asbestos Sunshade
A means of shielding oneself from the sun's rays.

Atomic Blast Weapon
Reduces the target to atoms.

Darkened Glass Face Plate
The use of darkened glass on the face plate of a space suit helmet to protect the wearer from solar radiation.

Double-Pane Vacuum Window
Double-pane glass separated by vacuum.

Paralyzing Gun
Renders senseless any human in its path.

Vacuum Wall Compartments
Shielding against heat by using walls with evacuated sections.

 

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