. . .

The rocket lurched and bucked, slowed. Its speed rapidly diminished, a sickening deceleration that crushed them deep in the control-chairs. The world ahead, a dark-green sphere, was shifting downward as the rocket turned in the grasp of its gravitation. They were still nearing it at terrific speed, though, with nosetubes still firing to check them...

Air sang shrilly outside and Kirk’s mind automatically recorded the fact that this world had an atmosphere. The shrilling of air increased, green-clad hills and valleys rose stunningly toward them, and then at the very moment of touching Kirk’s hands flashed and the nose-tubes all blasted together with full power.

There was a shock that drove them down and then upward, an instant click and clang as the rocket’s landing-arms automatically unfolded to hold it in an erect position on the ground. Then silence.

. . .

KIRK and Madden found their rocket unharmed and as they had left it when they came to it again with their friends... as they had left it in the little clearing beneath the coma-sky.

It was but the work of a moment to reverse it in its landing-arms so that its nose pointed upward. Then the moment of parting... Kirk and Madden... spun shut its door, and in a minute more were seated in its pilot-house as it roared upward.