s face turn a slow pink. Phil saw it too, and
hastily added:

"Oh--I didn't mean anything. I--ah--" he broke off, embarrassed.

"Forget it, Phil." Astro grinned again.

"Say," interjected Tom. "Look at that!"

They all turned to look at the floor they were passing. Near the edge of
the step-off platform on the fourth floor was an oaken panel, inscribed
with silver lettering in relief. As they drew even with the plaque, they
caught sight of someone behind them. They turned to see Manning, the
pile of suitcases in front of him, reading aloud.

" ... to the brave men who sacrificed their lives in the conquest of
space, this Galaxy Hall is dedicated...."

"Say, this must be the museum," said Tom. "Here's where they have all
the original gear used in the first space hops."

"Absolutely right," said Manning with a smile.

"I wonder if we could get off and take a look?" Astro asked.

"Sure you can," said Roger. "In fact, the Academy regs say every cadet
must inspect the exhibits in the space museum within the first week."

The members of Section 42-D looked at Roger questioningly.

"I don't know if we have time." Tom was dubious.

"Sure you have--plenty. I'd hop off and take a look myself but I've got
to get this junk ready to ship home." He indicated the pile of bags in
front of him.

"Aw, come on, Tom, let's take a look!" urged Astro. "They have the old
_Space Queen_ in here, the first ship to clear Earth's gravity. Boy, I'd
sure like to see her!" Without waiting for the others to agree, the huge
candidate stepped off the slidestairs.

"Hey, Astro!" yelled Tom. "Wait! I don't think--" His voice trailed off
as the moving stair carried him up to the next floor.

But then a curious thing happened. As other boys came abreast of the
museum floor and saw Astro they began to get off and follow him,
wandering around gazing at the relics of the past.

Soon nearly half of the cadet candidates were standing in silent awe in
front of the battered hull of the _Space Queen_, the first
atomic-powered rocket ship allowed on exhibition only fifty years before
because of the deadly radioactivity in her hull, created when a lead
baffle melted in midspace and flooded the ship with murderous gamma
rays.

They stood in front of the spaceship and listened while Astro, in a
hushed voice, read the inscription on the bronze tablet.

"--Earth to Luna and return. 7th March 2051. In honor of the brave men
of the first atomic-powere