 What and where is Ganymede?
By H. B. FYFE [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1961. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] The big moon-face of Jeffers, manager of the Ganymedan branch of Koslow Spaceways, glowered back at him. Its reddish tinge brightened the office noticeably, for such of Ganymede's surface as could be seen through the transparent dome outside the office window was cold, dim and rugged. The glowing semi-disk of Jupiter was more than half a million miles distant. "A little percentage here and there on the cargoes never shows by the time figures get back to Earth. Maybe they live soft back on Earth since the mines and the Jovian satellite colonies grew; but they were out here in the beginning, most of them. "You know I took this piloting job just to scrape up money for an advanced engineering degree back on Earth. It had been built for Ganymede, but not for Jeffers. Five hundred credits a week base pay, five hundred for hazardous duty. How else can you get pilots out to Jupiter?" "The hazardous part is just being on the same moon as you for the next six months." Let Jeffers and his gang steal the Great Red Spot off Jupiter if they like! Tolliver began to have his doubts the next day; which was "Tuesday" by the arbitrary calender constructed to match Ganymede's week-long journey around Jupiter. His contract guaranteed a pilot's rating, but someone had neglected to specify the type of craft to be piloted. On the bulletin board, Tolliver's name stood out beside the number of one of the airtight tractors used between the dome city and the spaceport, or for hauling cross-country to one of the mining domes. He soon found that there was nothing for him to do but hang around the garage in case a spaceship should land. "Aah, these young punks just come out for a few months so they can go back to Earth making noises like spacemen. Sometimes there's no reason but them for sending a ship back with a crew instead of in an economy orbit. Under a portable, double-chambered plastic dome blown up outside the ship's airlock, a crewman helped him load two trunks and a collection of bags into the tractor. She was about five feet four and moved as if she walked lightly even in stronger gravity than Ganymede's.
 It’s a moon close to Jupiter.
 It’s a planet close to Earth.  It’s a planet close to Jupiter.  It’s a moon close to Mercury.  It’s a moon close to Jupiter.