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This story debuted with either the Second or Third Doctor, then was reprinted with the Fourth Doctor. It may have had different companions in the reprint, as well. From an in-universe point of view, it's unclear which Doctor lived through these events.
Lords of the Ether was a Third Doctor comic strip in TV Comic, later reprinted with the Fourth Doctor under the name Moon Exploration.
Summary
Making a successful moon landing, the crew of the Achilles discover a deep cylindrical shaft that has been tunnelled into the lunar surface. On Earth, the Doctor's warning against any exploration of the shaft are ignored. When Major Franklin disappears after descending down the tunnel, the mission is aborted. However, as the returning space capsule enters the Earth's atmosphere but it and the astronauts are turned to stone. The Doctor attributes the cause to fragment of the mineral Crunthel collected by the astronauts from the tunnel floor. Joined by CIA agent Harry Godino, the Doctor travels in the TARDIS to the moon. There they discover that the tunnel leads to the burial chamber of a member of an ancient alien race. Trapped in the tomb, the traveller's only hope of escape is for the Doctor to make contact with the aliens - the Lords of the Ether themselves.
Characters
References
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Notes
- The spacesuits worn by the Doctor and Harry look exactly like those seen in the ITC series UFO.
Continuity
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