I really like this one.
Though the image depicted on the cover, illustrating John Loxmith’s “Thou Good and Faithful”, connotes neither action nor danger and is rather devoid of spacecraft and astronauts, while the color palette – muted and easy shades of gray, green, blue, and tan – is very pleasing to the eye.
And, the translucent sphere held by the alien lends a note of mystery to the scene. In that regard, the cover is reminiscent of Hubert Rogers’ illustration for The Wizard of Linn, in the April 1950 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. Albeit, it’s not the same sphere on each cover!
