fearsome Buck Rogerish creatures who would terrify the average
American--including myself?

It was obvious they would be far superior to us in many ways. But
their civilization might be entirely different. Evolution might have
developed their minds, and possibly their bodies, along lines we
couldn't even grasp. Perhaps we couldn't even communicate with them.

What would be the net effect of making contact with beings from a
distant planet? Would earthlings be terrified,

{p. 56}

or, if it seemed a peaceful exploration, would we bc intrigued by the
thought of a great adventure? It would depend entirely on the space
visitors' motives, and how the world was prepared for such a
revelation.

The more I thought about it, the more fantastic thc thing seemed.

And yet it hadn't been too long since airplane flight was considered
an idiot's dream. This scene here at La Guardia would have seemed pure
fantasy in 1900--thc huge Constellations and DC-6's; the double-decked
Stratocruisers, sweeping in from all over the country; the big ships
at Pan-American, taking off for points all over the globe. We'd come a
long way in the forty-six years since the Wright brothers' first
flight.

But space travel!