P

Pallas
One of the major asteroids in orbit between Mars and Jupiter. It is the location of a sonar relay tower that keeps Jupiter (and possibly other planets) in contact with Space Headquarters on Earth when they are on the other side of the Sun. It is damaged by a meteorite and has to be repaired by an engineering team. At the time Galasphere 347 visited it, the asteroid was only eight days away from Earth (SS).

Park
Implied by Raeburn to be close enough to Space Headquarters for a lunchtime stroll (WJ).

Patra (right)
Venusian marine biologist who finds the Tula Fish are evolving rapidly and accompanies the crew of the Galasphere in their mission to the Magda Ocean to investigate (HF).

Phobos
Larger of the two moons of the planet Mars, and a popular hideout for crooks and renegades. It is occupied by Tirig and his men (SD) and then by Marog (WB), and possibly Zota (TW)

Planet 'Ten'
Unnamed planet of the solar system, orbiting beyond Pluto at a distance of 7,000 million miles from the sun. Despite this, the planet is habitable owing to hot underwater springs that prevent the surface from freezing, with large fertile green areas. The inhabitants are humanoid giants who learnt English from the crew of a Galasphere that went missing twenty years ago. They are non-hostile but regard the crews as toys or playthings and refuse to let them leave. The fact the language barrier has already been overcome suggests to Colonel Raeburn that the planet could join the UGO at some point in the future (NP).

Planet ‘Zero’
Planet within the orbit of Mercury, presumably only some twenty million miles from the Sun. It is discovered by the Martian Observatory and on investigation, found to be inhabited by the Neptunians (TR)

Plastic Steel
22nd century alloy that the Spirgum spider's web is reputedly tougher than (SF)

Plastifoam/Plastafoam (right)
Multi-purpose substance, primarily used in a non-lethal weapon that binds the victim in a thin webbing (SJ, MTS, TF, SD, TVC02, TVC03) and can be dissolved with an anti-plastifoam gun (MTS). But the material can also be used for building habitations on Pluto and the Moon, suggesting a thicker version is airtight and can be created quickly (VV). Mixed with explosive it can also be used to sabotage accelerating freighters (ES).

Plastifoam/Plastafoam Gun (left)
Bulbous, twin cylindered weapon that emits a substance that will bind and hold a lifeform without harming it (SJ, MTS, TF). Another more slender rifle-like affair is also seen in use (SD), as well as a more practical pistol affair (TVC02, TVC03).

Pluto
Ninth and outermost planet of the solar system, orbiting the sun every 240 years according to Raeburn (FM). It is home to a colony of some 6000 Martian miners (FM), presumably for the Plutonite used in Galasphere production. This would suggest the mine had been operating for some time, though its status as colony may be recent (SN). Pluto is approaching its furthest point from the sun and has been for thirty years, causing problems for the miners, and an attempt was made to transmit heat in the form of radio waves from Mercury (FM). This proved successful, and the miners were able to cut ice from the surface for shipping to Mars in an attempt to solve the energy crisis there. During the operation, Galasphere 347 was buried in the icefield and Captain Dart discovered carbon in the form of coal indicating there may once have been plant life on the distant world million of years ago (BS).

Plutonite
Strong but lightweight (FM, EVT) metal mined on Pluto, and which the Galaspheres are constructed from (EV). The material is supposedly rare and resources are dwindling until an asteroid made from it is discovered (UA).

Polydon
Material developed seven years ago on Venus for building. Its waste by-product was illegally dumped in the Magda Ocean, forming a barrier and causing a build up of cosmic radiation (HF).

Powder
Anesthetic substance used by Gallia, powerful enough to cause paralysis and unconsciousness for about two days. It is administered by an unknown means in tests but distributed en masse by planting the containers in a volcano close to the Venusian capitol of Cresta (VV).

President of Mars (right)
Young, typical looking Martian wearing a long robe of office. His voice is prone to changing (WA,TF, HI, GT) so he is later succeeded with an older, grey-haired and moustached Martian with more consistent tones (SF, SD, WB).

President of Venus
Silver haired and bearded, he operates from the capitol city Cresta (HF, ES, VV, UA, EV, SF).

President of the World Science Bureau (left)
Person in charge of global organisation of scientists in the year 2100. He berates Colonel Raeburn when several scientists are abducted en route from Mars to Earth. It is interesting to note the President wears a similar emblem to General Smith of the United Galactic Army, suggesting the Bureau is possibly connected to the military, or that both come under another organisation (though not the UGO, as Raeburn sports different emblems. (TVC03).

Primary Drive
As it implies, the first drive used by a Galasphere for lift from a planet and also, conversely, the last on landing. It is replaced by Orbital Drive on leaving the atmosphere, if not departing for space immediately.

Protein Pills
Concentrated food that space rations are mainly comprised of (EVT).

Pulse Beam
Method of (presumably) faster than light communication used by the Deltans of Alpha Centauri to communicate with other star systems. As standard radio can take years, presumably this uses a code (like Morse) to send messages (MS, DS).


Q

Quadrapeds
One of the vicious forms used by the shape-changing creatures encountered by the crew of Galasphere 347 on a small planet beyond Saturn (TVC06). A species of wild caninoid quadrapeds was also encountered on an artificial planet whose crew had disappeared (AN02).

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