What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

Back again, with yet another one...

Age group: children (primary / elementary school).
Genre: SF
Date: 1950s to 80s (read it late 80s / no later than 1990).
Origin: unknown
Plot details (so far as I can remember):
A young spaceship pilot on some urgent mission flies his craft into a meteor storm / asteroid belt / bunch of space rocks of some kind. The first few bang off the ship harmlessly enough, but one then punctures it, causing air loss. He hurriedly applies a flexible patch, but it is too small and is sucked / blown out into space. He applies a bigger one, with much the same result. He eventually gets one big enough to hold.

I have no idea about anything else that may have happened in this book.

The space setting and simple idea (flying across space on some kind of rescue mission) makes me think this could be quite old (the hopeful era of space of the 1950s / 60s).

It is also quite possible that this book comes from a series.

Progress so far (contains spoiler of another book):
I thought of this some time ago, but held off on posting it while trying to think of more details. I also thought it might come from an extended series (like Tom Swift), which would make searching a somewhat massive tsk.

I came across something similar in First on the Moon, by Hugh Walters, but it is not quite right. I am fairly confident that the pilot in the book I am looking for was solo, while the protagonist in FotM is accompanied by a Russian rival-turned-friend. More certainly, the solution is not the same (the two companions in FotM use their hands to plug the holes). However, it alludes to a flexible patch that pilots could use, perhaps meaning that this episode appeared in another book in the series. Unfortunately, the series runs to 20 books, so I haven't got very far.

As always, all help is appreciated.

Tom Swift series https://www.librarything.com/nseries/...
Slobodkin's space ship series https://www.librarything.com/nseries/...

Had a look at the Slobodkin stories, but think they are very unlikely: too humorous (a 3ft tall alien with anti-gravity shoes), skewing too young. I think the book I am looking for is somewhat darker / more serious.

On further reflection, will change description to:
Age group: children (upper primary / elementary school - perh. 9-12yo).

Ruled out Scholastic books?
According to openlibrary.org search inside, these do not match.
Revolt on Alpha C.
The runaway robot.

I have not ruled out:
Trapped in space by Jack Williamson.
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL80457...
Free to read and borrow. Search after borrowing for the keyword hole, and check the word in context. Is that your book?
Trapped in Space

Thanks bookel.

Had a look through Trapped in Space by Jack Williamson using hole as a keyword, and did not get any hits. Also tried meteor, meteorite, asteroid, patch and patches and did not get any relevant results, so don't think this is the one.

Will investigate the others (Revolt on Alpha C, the Runaway RObot) when I get time, just in case.

From "Trapped in space" searching hole, 9 hits.

Page 70
At first he thought the motors had fired wrong again. But the old motors could not have made the hot red flash that surprised him, or the sharp blast that left a ringing in his ears. Air was roaring, when he could hear again. He blinked and found a hole torn in the hull just over Ty's head.

Page 71
But he knew what to do. He grabbed the orange- painted seahng gun off the wall beside his seat, aimed at the black hole, and fired. A fat black balloon of sealing foam popped out and flew into the hole.

Page 71
But the foam ball caught on the torn metal edges. Air pressure squeezed it wider. In a second the roaring stopped. The hole was sealed.

Page 98
The hole was too big for his sealing gun. He had to go back to the lock for a repair pod. Working fast, he sprayed the skin of the ship around the long wound, and rolled out a thick sealing strip over it like a bandage.

That's weird - I tried hole and got zero hits. Will have to go back and recheck.

Do you have a free openlibrary account? Hole does bring up results.

Yep, had another go and got results. Don't know what I did wrong there.

Read the whole book, but don't think it is the right one. There is a hole blasted in a spaceship, but it is done by a laser, not a rock. The hero patches it, but gets it right first time (no failed attempt), and uses some kind of gun that sprays foam, not a flexible patch. Later on he patches the ship with some kind of wrap-around fabric, but from the outside.

I also posted this on SF Stack Exchange, and received the suggestion of a short story by Harry Harrison called Rock Pilot. This appears in two anthologies, Blast Off: Science Fiction for Boys, ed by Harrison, and Skylark Science Fiction Stories, ed Jill Bennett. Both are hard to find, so may take some time to check out. I think it is unlikely though, as I rarely read short stories as a kid.

Okay, good to eliminate, making progress.

Openlibrary search inside
Meteor "flexible patch" spaceship
The reaches by David Drake
https://openlibrary.org/search/inside...
The patch that failed (mentioned).
Page 538
A four-man damage-control team covered the crazed portion of our hull with a flexible patch. The men moved smoothly, despite weightlessness and their hard suits. Glue kept the patch in place, though positive internal air pressure would be a more important factor when we really needed it. The refractory fabric didn’t pro¬ vide structural strength, but it would block the influx of friction- heated atmosphere during a fast reentry.

Reaches Trilogy includes: "Igniting the Reaches" "Through the Breach" "Fireships"
1994 seems the earliest of the first part of the trilogy. Rats. Getting any closer? This is really not my area ...

Spaceship patch hull
Brings up more results.

Including.

Spaceship medic by Harry Harrison
https://openlibrary.org/books/OL16493...
Penguin/Puffin is usually marketed at children's/YA?

Page n2
‘SPACE EMERGENCY!! THE HULL OF THIS SHIP HAS BEEN HOLED. FOLLOW SPACE SURVIVAL DRILL.’

Page 13
‘Can you get a patch on that hole?’ Don asked, his voice carried by the vibration of helmet to helmet.

Not sure if that is the book but it is published early enough.

Had a look at Spaceship Medic, by Harry Harrison. Don't think it is right: the MC doesn't actually see the meteor strike; he doesn't personally patch it (it is done remotely, by robots); and the MC is a ship's doctor on his first trip, not the pilot. It is also quite a large ship, with a large crew, and passengers - not the solo scout that I remember (though I may be wrong about that).

Update. Became aware of the Simon Black series by Australian author Ivan Southall. I certainly read some of Southall's stuff when I was a kid, but don't remember this series - I think it was lightweight stuff he churned out early in his career before moving on to higher quality stuff for teens.

The series runs to 10 books but, fortunately, only three appear to have space settings - Simon Black on Venus, Simon Black in Space and Simon Black and the Spacemen. Unfortunately, there are no descriptions for these books, and they are not on Open Library. If anyone has read them, I'd be interested to hear...

IVAN SOUTHALL
(1921 - 2008)
SIMON BLACK
and other works
http://www.collectingbooksandmagazine...

Search on Google, G Books or abebooks etc for plot.

Good find - looks like a handy resource.

It at least narrows it down a bit - 'Venus' appears to be 'Spacemen' slightly edited. Still need to track down plot description.

Unfortunately, what I recall is unlikely to appear in a plot summary. The summary might mention the destination of the hero's flight, and the reason he is doing it - but probably not incidents on the way. Still, I will see what I can come up with...

Google Books.
Strange Constellations: A History of Australian Science Fiction - Page 76
Russell Blackford, ‎Van Ikin, ‎Sean McMullen · 1999
FOUND INSIDE – PAGE 76
"Ivan Southall's Simon Black series followed a similar path . The original four SF Simon Black novels were published between 1951 and 1959 and amounted to something like Biggles ' adventures in space . Simon Black — with his partne , Alan Grant , and their dog , Rex the Alsatian [ie. German shepherd] - made his debut in Meet Simon Black (1950) and continued adventuring until Simon Black at Sea (1961). In addition to being an ace airman (like his ex-RAAF creator), Simon Black was an aeronautical genius who invented a series of technological wonder aircraft including the space-going Firefly 3."

Search Firefly 3.
https://www.voyagerhobart.com/?wpsc-p...
Black in the special aircraft “Firefly 3”, the only aircraft in the World capable of pursuing the flying saucers into space. Accompanied by Rex the Alsatian.

One of the google results
http://docs.springdale.org.au/Msngr_2...
Found by searching Firefly 3.
Use Find on page to locate it. There is an excerpt from the book.
and here http://docs.springdale.org.au/Msngr_2...

Thanks again, bookel. Can't tell either way from the excerpt.

Haven't been able to find any of the Southall books elsewhere.

I also had a look through the works of Richard Mace Elam Jr., being able to go through Young Readers Science Fiction Stories and Science Fiction Stories. One of them has a story with a spaceship with a meteorite hole in it, but the problem is found when it is on the ground (not in flight) and it is repaired by the space port workers (not the pilot).

Meteorite holes in spaceships seem to be a far more common trope than I was expecting.

I have decided to abandon this. There is no realistic chance of success.

Thanks to all who contributed.

Thanks for the update, Alan. If you change your mind, just post a new comment and we'll move your request back to the "Unsolved" folder.