Was this ill-fated expedition the end of a proud, old race--or the beginning of a new one? There are strange gaps in our records of the past. We find traces of man-like things--but, suddenly, man appears, far too much developed to be the "next step" in a well-linked chain of evolutionary evidence. Perhaps something like the events of this story furnishes the answer to the riddle.
To upset the stable, mighty stream of time would probably take an enormous concentration of energy. And it's not to be expected that a man would get a second chance at life. But an atomic might accomplish both--
The real trouble with communications satellites is the enormous difficulty of repairing even the simplest little trouble. You need such a loooong screwdriver.
Earth has transformed overnight: The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece and Rome have returned to Earth with all their awesome powers intact. War on any scale was outlawed, along with boom-and-bust economic cycles, and prudery but no change was more startling than the face of New York, where the Empire State Building has become the Tower of Zeus...
Stark terror ruled the Inner-Flight ship on that last Mars-Terra run. For the black-clad Leiters were on the prowl. and the grim red planet was not far behind. First published in 1954.
The Romantics used to say that the eyes were the windows of the Soul. A good Alien Xenologist might not put it quite so poetically. but he can, if he's sharp, read a lot in the look of an eye!