ED

_Illustrations by_
LOUIS GLANZMAN

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ILLUSTRATIONS

_Frontispiece_

The three weary cadets assembled on the control deck 13

The junior spaceman maneuvered the great rocket ship
toward the air lock 36

The jet cab raced along the highway to Venusport 54

Tom could see two space-suited figures floating effortlessly 76

Mason was frozen into a rigid statue, unable to move 133

"Remember," Astro cautioned, "set the fuse for two hours" 161

Landing, they would tumble out of the jet boat and begin
their frantic digging 180

"I know we're going to be sent to the prison asteroid and
we deserve it," said Loring 206

DANGER IN DEEP SPACE

CHAPTER 1

"Stand by to reduce thrust on main drive rockets!" The tall,
broad-shouldered officer in the uniform of the Solar Guard snapped out
the order as he watched the telescanner screen and saw the Western
Hemisphere of Earth looming larger and larger.

"Aye, aye, Captain Strong," replied a handsome curly-haired Space Cadet.
He turned to the ship's intercom and spoke quickly into the microphone.

"Control deck to power deck. Check in!"

"Power deck, aye," a bull-throated voice bellowed over the loud-speaker.

"Stand by rockets, Astro! We're coming in for a landing."

"Standing by!"

The Solar Guard officer turned away from the telescanner and glanced
quickly over the illuminated banks of indicators on the control panel.
"Is our orbit to Space Academy clear?" he asked the cadet. "Have we been
assigned a landing ramp?"

"I'll check topside, sir," answered the cadet, turning back to the
intercom. "Control deck to radar deck. Check in!"

"Radar bridge, aye," drawled a lazy voice over the speaker.

"Are we cleared for landing, Roger?"

"Everything clear as glass ahead, Tom," was the calm reply.

"We're steady on orbit and we touch down on ramp seven. Then"--the voice
began to quicken with excitement--"three weeks' liberty coming up!"

The rumbling voice of the power-deck cadet suddenly broke in over the
intercom. "Lay off that space gas, Manning. Just see that this space
wagon gets on the ground in one piece. Then you can dream about your
leave!"

"Plug your jets, you big Venusian ape man,"