om laughed. "I'll tell you one thing, Roger," he said, pointing to the
ship, "I feel like that baby is as much my home as Mom's and Dad's house
back in New Chicago."

"All right, all right," said Roger. "Since we're all getting sloppy, I
have to admit that I'm glad to see that old thrust bucket too!"

Presently the three cadets were scrambling into the mighty spaceship,
and they went right to work, preparing for blast-off.

Quickly, with sure hands, each began a systematic check of his station.
On the power deck Astro, a former enlisted Solar Guardsman who had been
admitted to the Cadet Corps because of his engineering genius, stripped
to the waist and started working on the ship's massive atomic engines. A
heavy rocketman's belt of tools slung around his waist, he crawled
through the heart of the ship, adjusting a valve here, turning a screw
there, seeing that the reactant feeders were clean and clear to the
rocket firing chambers. And last of all he made sure the great rocket
firing chambers were secure and the heavy sheets of lead baffling in
place to protect him from deadly radioactivity.

On the radar bridge in the nose of the ship, Roger removed the delicate
astrogation prism from its housing and cleaned it with a soft cloth.
Replacing it carefully, he turned to the radar scanner, checking the
intricate wiring system and making sure that the range finders were in
good working order. He then turned his attention to the intercom.

"Radar bridge to control deck," he called. "Checking the intercom, Tom."

Immediately below, on the control deck, Tom turned away from the control
panel. "All clear here, Roger. Check with Astro."

"All clear on the power deck!" The big Venusian's voice boomed over the
loud-speaker. The intercom could be heard all over the ship unless the
many speakers were turned off individually.

Tom turned his attention back to the great control panel, and one by one
tested the banks of dials, gauges, and indicators that controlled the
rocket cruiser. Tom Corbett had wanted to be a space Cadet as long as he
could remember. After taking the entrance exams, he had been accepted
for the rigid training that would prepare him to enter the ranks of the
great Solar Guard. He had met his two unit-mates, Roger and Astro, on
his very first day at the Academy, and after a difficult beginning,
adjusting to each other's personalities and the discipline of the
Academy routine, the three boys had become steadf