for a healthful diet.

A few moments later the three members of the _Polaris_ stood on the main
slidewalk, an endless belt of plastic, powered by giant subsurface
rollers, being carried from the spaceport to the main academy
administration building, the great gleaming Tower of Galileo.

Space Academy, the university of the planets, was set among the low
hills of the western part of the North American continent. Here, in the
nest of fledgling spacemen, boys from Earth and the colonies of Venus
and Mars learned the complex science that would enable them to reach
unlimited heights; to rocket through the endless void of space and visit
new worlds on distant planets millions of miles from Earth.

This was the year 2353--the age of space! A time when boys dreamed only
of becoming Space Cadets at Space Academy, to learn their trade and
later enter the mighty Solar Guard, or join the rapidly expanding
merchant space service that sent out great fleets of rocket ships daily
to every corner of the solar system.

As the slidewalk carried the three cadets between the buildings that
surrounded the grassy quadrangle of the Academy, Tom looked up at the
Tower of Galileo dominating the entire area.

"You know," he began haltingly, "every time I go near this place I get a
lump in my throat!"

"Yeah," breathed Astro, "me too."

Roger made no comment. His eyes were following the path of the giant
telescope reflector that moved in a slow arc, getting into position for
the coming night's observations. Tom followed his gaze to the massive
domed building, housing the giant one-thousand-inch reflector.

"You think we'll ever go as far into the deep with a rocket ship as we
can see with the big eye?" he asked.

"I dunno," replied Roger. "That thing can penetrate other star systems
in our galaxy. And that's a long way off!"

"Nearest thing to us is Alpha Centauri in our own galaxy, and that's
twenty-three and a half million million miles away," commented Astro.

"That's not so far," argued Tom. "Only a few months ago the Solar
Alliance sent out a scientific exploration to take a look at that baby."

"Musta been some hop," commented Roger.

"Hey!" cried Tom suddenly. "There's Alfie Higgins!" He pointed in the
direction of another slidewalk moving at right angles to their own. The
cadet that he singled out on the slidewalk was so thin and small he
looked emaciated. He wore glasses and at the moment was absorbed in a
paper he held in