Virginia: Students reaching for the stars in Russell County

From TriCities.com: Students reaching for the stars in Russell County

Reaching for the stars has a whole new meaning for students in Russell County.

The county has been selected as one of 11 communities in the country – and the first in Virginia – to participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program Mission 2, and send an experiment into space.

Students will compete to design the experiment, which will be conducted on the International Space Station later this year.

“It’ll be a challenge to students,” said Jane Carter, a Lebanon High School chemistry and physics teacher who is co-directing the program with Scotty Fletcher, secondary supervisor for Russell County Public Schools. “It’s a microgravity environment -- no up, no down. What would intrigue you [students] about that type of environment?”

Students between fifth and 12th grades can submit experiment ideas, either individually or in a team of six, she said. Three projects will be chosen from the applicants locally, and then a national panel will choose one project that will be sent into space, Carter said.

“It’s like real-world science in that there’s a proposal process,” she said.

The experiment will be designed by the winning team of students, who will be called principal investigators, like real scientists are, Carter said. The school system received five mini-labs, and one of those labs, with the student experiment, will be sent into space to conduct the experiment while the other four will carry out the same experiment here on earth. That will give the student experimenters an opportunity to see if their experiment was affected by the microgravity environment on the space station.

“It’s a whole different ballgame for them to look at science like this,” Carter said. “You just never know – if [you] can eliminate gravity, can that answer some problem here on earth that we need an answer to?”

The project is a costly one, as the county had to get sponsors to pay for the experiment material, as well as to figure out how to get the experiments to the space station, now that the NASA shuttle program has ended, Carter said. She said likely, a private company’s space vehicle will ferry the project into orbit to dock at the International Space Station.

In addition to designing experiments, students who are in prekindergarten through 12th grade can design paper patches to be sent into space along with their projects, Carter said.

“It will try to convey the community,” she said of the patches’ designs. “Hopefully, we’ll make it into something students can keep.”

Fletcher said he thinks the opportunity to participate in the nationwide project is a practical chance for students to dig into science.

“It should inject some interest into science and the classroom in general,” he said. “There’s been an end of an era with space exploration, but space is always that frontier to a child – the great beyond. It doesn’t matter what my generation has done.”

Carter said the experiments will encourage the students to think about what’s in space.

“From the standpoint of those areas we have left to go and explore, that’s the big one – space,” Carter said. “I think it’s exciting to [students] because we don’t know all the answers – there are things for them to wonder about. [There is a] frontier that’s still there to be explored.”

Your 10 Questions with Prof Datuk Mazlan Othman

From TheStarOnline: Your 10 Questions with Prof Datuk Mazlan Othman
What is your role as the director of UN office for outer space affairs in Vienna? Frankie Chia, Selangor

The office's responsibilities as mandated by the UN General Assembly include servicing the intergovernmental process; discharging the responsibilities of the UN secretary-general under the UN treaties and principles of outer space; implementing the UN Programme on Space Applications (PSA), UN Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-Spider), and coordinating space-related activities within the UN system.

In this context, I provide substantive support to the UN secretary-general and the director-general of UN office at Vienna (UNOV) in the discharge of the responsibilities of the secretary-general under the treaties and principles on outer space and act as adviser on outer space matters.

I direct the preparations and servicing of the sessions of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and its Legal Subcommittee. I also supervise the preparations and substantive servicing of the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee) of the General Assembly when it takes up the item on outer space. I direct and supervise the coordination of activities under the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities mechanism, with emphasis on seeking greater cooperation among UN entities and implementing the UN reform process. Additionally, I direct and monitor the effective implementation of the PSA, UN-Spider and the executive secretariat work of the International Committee on GNSS (ICG). Very importantly, I formulate the office's overall strategies and policies, advocate the work of the office and COPUOS, oversee all administrative aspects, and manage the resources of the office.

What prompted you to study the stars, galaxies and celestial objects suspended in space? Tan Li Li, Petaling Jaya

When I was young, I wanted to study English literature and art. I was also very interested in philosophy. However, my teachers placed me in the pure science field as about 50 years ago the country was very much in need of scientists. Of all the scientific fields, I enjoyed physics the best because in physics you could apply basic principles to all the sub-fields and the same basic principles also apply from the smallest (namely the sub-atomic level) to the largest (namely the universe). When I did physics in the university, I discovered astrophysics and astronomy, which encompass philosophy and the arts in terms of the beauty of the planets and the universe. I was convinced that astrophysics was the field best suited to my hopes and dreams.

What are your hopes and aspiration for Malaysia in the field of astrophysics? Bernard Gideon Lim, Penang

My hope for Malaysia is that the young people will be excited by the mysteries of the universe and endeavour to answer them. Indeed, Malaysia does not need many astrophysicists, but since it is a very dynamic ever-changing field, the chances of nurturing a Malaysian who will contribute meaningfully to the field are great.

In what way does space exploration help to better the human conditions on planet earth? David Tih, Malacca

By definition, space exploration includes exploring by harnessing technology and by human expedition. Space technology has brought untold benefit to life on Earth. Since the first satellite was successfully launched into space in 1957, space technology has transformed human lives in unprecedented ways. A day without satellites will have a profound impact on many services that are taken for granted on a daily basis weather forecasting, credit card transactions, navigation and positioning, mobile telephony, access to data and information, live television telecasts, and many more. A disruption in these services could cause merely an inconvenience to a lifestyle (as in watching live football), but in some instances it could mean the difference between life and death (when emergency warnings cannot be transmitted and received), and in some could lead to economic chaos when it affects international monetary transactions.

Aside from being a necessary part of the daily lives of an increasingly large portion of the world's population, satellites have become an indispensable facet of our scientific undertakings.

And while the loss of space-based data may not be critical to all users on a daily basis, some urgent or real-time applications in agriculture, disaster management, and emergency and humanitarian responses would be severely curtailed. In addition, the use of satellites for intelligence, surveillance, safety and security has in many ways contributed to transparency and confidence-building measures.

The economic benefit of satellite services is also well-known. As an example, in a typical hurricane season in the US, forecasts, warnings and associated emergency responses derived from space assets result in US$3bil savings of lives and property. The economic value of the space industry is also clear: according to industry analysts, satellite services revenue surpassed the US$100bil mark for the first time in 2010.

As for space exploration by humans, there are many benefits to all humans, directly and indirectly. The first relates to perspective. Our telescopes, invented, designed and developed through ingenuity, technological prowess and creativity, probe the depths of space and time, and our spacecraft missions reveal the scale and diversity of worlds even within our own solar system. We are humbled by the sense of how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of the universe. The next benefit is the role of exploration in the protection and understanding of our own planet as highlighted previously. Space technology helps us understand the complex world we live on, but in addition, studying other worlds, like Venus and Mars, teaches us how special our planet is and provides examples of how the climates of planets can change.

While the criticism against space exploration is the huge amount of funding required, economics is actually a great incentive for human space exploration. The spin-offs from space exploration, from healthier baby food to technology to better diagnose cancer, to driving golf balls further, generate billions of dollars in revenue. But, in the final analysis, space exploration is about being human. And, to be human is to be an explorer. We have the innate desire to explore the unknown and space is the final frontier of the unknown which appeals to the explorer in all of us.


Which aspect of Vienna do you find most enchanting? Mahendran, Kuala Lumpur

Vienna is a city with lots of culture and history. But practically from the point of living, I love the River Danube and the many lakes scattered around the city. Within a few minutes from where I live, I can access several lakes where one can ice-skate in the winter or swim in the summer. I can decide to take one-hour or 3-hour walks or more around them. I see swans, ducks and people walking gorgeous dogs. And I can usually stop at a cafe to have freshly brewed coffee and a freshly-baked croissant. I feel very lucky as people aspire to visit Vienna but I actually get to live and work in this beautiful city.

Has this chosen field of study impart any spiritual perspective for you? Ganesha Mohindran, Puchong

Part of the attraction of astrophysics is the cultural, aesthetic, philosophical and religious perspectives that it carries. Indeed, when one looks at the infinite variety of the beauty in the universe, one can't help wondering where this great creativity comes from. And, it is a proven fact that many of the conditions that exist in the universe right now, such as the characteristics of carbon, the strength of the gravitational field and the structure of elementary particles, reaffirm the uniqueness of our universe.

Is there room for astrophysics as a field of study in Malaysia? We are still grappling whether to teach science and maths in English. Mohd Fairuz Ali, Penang

A comprehensive basis of science in Malaysia must include basic space science, which covers astronomy and astrophysics. If we do not embrace space science, we will be missing a very large part of knowledge. In fact, space science can be used very effectively to inspire students to learn science and maths as it contains many exciting examples of physics, chemistry, biology and geology that, individually or collectively when applied to space science, advance human knowledge. Astrophysics is a specialised field that the students can undertake at the university level.

What are the top three greatest setbacks for this country's education system and what steps should we, as parents, take to improve the current situation? Chong Min Sin, Kuala Lumpur

The first weakness of our education system is the lack of focus on writing skills in the early part of education. The second is the over-emphasis on examinations. The third is the lack of real life experiences in the learning process. To overcome the first, the education system must not only improve the writing skills, but must also inculcate the necessity for creative thinking that goes into the writing. Secondly, the focus on examinations means that students only learn to score marks at the end of the year and do not participate fully and effectively in the education process, which should include all-year-round guidance and activities which are assessed and graded. This will also help in improving the skills set of children who are not good at learning by rote and will particularly help boys who, at the young age, lack the discipline to study and score in exams. The lack of real life experiences can be overcome by making students learn and discover through activities such as excursions, visit to museums, sports and other co-curricular activities.

There was a bit of flak for the RM142mil RazakSAT remote sensing satellite. The images it captured were 37km off target. How can such a costly mistake happen? Marcus Ho, Penang

I have no definitive answer on why the images were off-target. I cannot speculate on this and I believe the Auditor-General's report can be used to get the answer to this.

What do you consider to be your greatest learning experience? Nga Kok Keong, Kuantan

My greatest learning experience is that in order to make a difference, you have to be different. In this regard, I refer to being different in the way of thinking and doing and it helps to have dreams different from others and unique skills to achieve those dreams.

Goodyear develops new 'Spring Tire' for space exploration

From Autoblog: Goodyear develops new 'Spring Tire' for space exploration
Goodyear is getting closer to the next generation "tire" that could be used on wheeled rovers for space exploration. We highlight the word tire because those on the original lunar rover were made of piano wire with treads made of titanium cleats – no rubber, no air. A few years ago NASA began work on a new tire, the project another co-development with Goodyear, which made the originals.

The modern version is called the Spring Tire, so-called for the 800 load-bearing springs that make up its bulk, mounted to a six-spoke metal hub. The springs can conform to the varying terrain of other planets and satellites without transferring undue shock to the vehicle, and a malfunction is likely to damage only a few of them, leaving the tire operable.

See below for more info from Goodyear on the tire, and check it out in the gallery of high-res photos. When it's time for another group of astronauts to go "ridin' dirty," this is likely how they'll do it.

How NASA Technology Affects The Consumer

From RedOrbit: How NASA Technology Affects The Consumer
On July 29, 1958, the U.S. government formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the midst of a growing concern over the Soviet Union’s advancement in space exploration.

Now, 53 years later, the Cold War is over and about $525 billion has been poured into the program designed to take man beyond Earth’s atmosphere, and explore the depths of the night sky.

To any space enthusiast, $525 billion may sound like a small price to pay for the output of projects like the Hubble Space Telescope. However, to those who are unimpressed with images taken of our celestial neighbors, it sounds like a phenomenal amount of money to spend on reaching goals and establishing space boundaries.

So let’s look beyond press releases and images, and take a more in depth look at how the 53-year-old space agency has changed the lives of consumers today.

For Those Who Travel

NASA has spent a large portion of its budget in developing vehicles that can take humanity to new heights in space vehicles, but developments in this specialized industry have leaked into other forms of transportation.

Heinz Erzberger helped lead a NASA team to develop software that was adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), saving time and improving fuel economy.

The “Direct Routes” software has been implemented at traffic control centers across the U.S., and Boeing claims it saves tens of thousands of minutes per year for a medium-sized U.S. Operator, as well as about 20 million gallons of fuel per year, or $50 million per year, for commercial airlines.

For The Electronics Consumer

One of NASA’s biggest impacts in the electronic industry is its development into how batteries are charged.

The space agency partnered with Advanced Power Electronics Corporation to develop an advanced solar power converter for space systems.

Through this project, they were able to develop algorithms to create a solar charger that charges batteries 30 percent faster than other devices.

For The Environmentally Conscience

Perhaps one of NASA’s biggest contributions beyond space exploration may be to the environmentalist.

NASA’s Space Shuttle Main Engine, which flew during the shuttle program, helped influence Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne’s clean energy gasification technology.

The capital cost to build a commercial plant using this technology is estimated to be 10 to 20 percent less, and is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 10 percent more.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has also helped improve weather forecasts, monitor climate change, and enhance space weather research through receivers built for Earth science.

For The Electronic Consumer

NASA’s work with Colorado-based TerreMetrics Inc. Helped develop a satellite imagery and terrain data software featured in Google Earth, as well as a 3D terrain-rendering engine that enables synthetic vision solutions for aircraft.

Space Micro Inc. Was funded by NASA to develop a series of high-performance, radiation-hardened computers for space.

Today, the company has grown from 4 employees to 43 and become an $8 million company, providing computer chips for satellites and electronic devices in space.

It is computer chips like this that help power satellites to allow smartphones, cars and other devices to use location services like Google Maps and FourSquare.

Cloud computing has also felt the effects of the U.S. space program. Hitachi Data Systems now offers NASA-derived technology to provide cloud computing for multiple businesses and healthcare providers.

NASA has also worked with Mainstream Engineering Corporation to develop an advanced thermal control technology, which resulted in products being created that improve air conditioner performance and filtration.

For Those Who Hope To Stay Healthy

Dan Carter and colleagues mapped the atomic structure of albumin, an important blood protein, for the first time while working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

Mapping albumin’s atomic structure enabled Carter to create a company that has helped open up new possibilities for fine-tuning cancer treatments, reducing the amount of drugs required for an effective dose of chemotherapy.

A bioreactor built by NASA allows for healthier, more natural-forming cell cultures. This advancement enables drug development and medical research into treatment for conditions like diabetes and cancer.

Impact Instrumentation Inc. was influenced by NASA to make advances in medical ventilator technology that is now incorporated into emergency medical solutions for soldiers and civilians.

Through many avenues of research and development, NASA has made huge strides of advancements in many fields of technology. Though the impacts may not be directly labeled with that blue circle logo, the U.S. space agency has had effects that have been and will continue to be incorporated into everyone’s life.

Source: redOrbit (http://s.tt/16B9N)

Neil deGrasse Tyson: How Space Exploration Can Make America Great Again

From The Atlantic: Neil deGrasse Tyson: How Space Exploration Can Make America Great Again
Neil deGrasse Tyson is not pleased with the plight of NASA. After the agency's decades-old space shuttle program was shuttered last year -- ending the kind of low-Earth orbit exploration that the astrophysicist and Hayden Planetarium director jokes "boldly went where man had gone hundreds of times before" -- Tyson believes America is at a critical moment for future space exploration.

Maybe that's why he originally wanted to call his new book Failure to Launch: The Dreams and Delusions of Space Enthusiasts. (After publishers balked at the depressing title, it was renamed Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.) Over the last few decades, Tyson writes, Americans deluded themselves into believing misconceptions about space travel, and, as a result, the purpose and necessities of a space program are now misunderstood.

Give NASA the money it needs, he argues, and the agency will stimulate the economy and inspire students to pursue innovative, ambitious projects. (Say, for example, a way to thwart a wayward asteroid that could threaten to wipe out humanity.) Continue to fund NASA at its current rate -- a shade more than $18.7 billion in 2011, or as Tyson often reminds, six-tenths of a percent of the federal budget -- and the country will lose an ongoing space race to the Chinese and European space agencies of the world.

In a conversation last week, I asked Tyson about American curiosity toward space, what needs to be done to save NASA, and how he's been able to make science accessible to the general public.

Space Chronicles focuses on the future of space exploration and America's interest in it. What do you think inspires children and students to want to learn about science and technology?

What I have found is that people who really need the science education are the adults. Adults outnumber children. They're in charge. They wield resources. They vote. All of the things that shape the society in which we live are conducted by adults.

Kids are born curious about the world. What adults primarily do in the presence of kids is unwittingly thwart the curiosity of children. Let's say, for example, a kid wants to jump into a muddy puddle. What does the parent say? "No, don't do that. You'll get your clothing dirty." Well, that's how craters are formed on the Moon! This experiment has now been halted on the premise that it would get something dirty, when it otherwise it would've been a science experiment with interesting, illuminating consequences.

The challenge has never been children. The challenge has been adults. I don't think you have to do anything special to get kids interested in science, other than to get out of their way when they're expressing that curiosity.

All the adults are saying, "We need to improve science in the world. Let's train the kids." I've never heard an adult say, "We need more science in the world. Train me." I've never heard an adult say that. It's the adults that need the science literacy, the kind of literacy that can transform the nation practically overnight.

In your book, though, you mention the difficulties of keeping students interested in science -- that it doesn't work to stand in front of a high school class and ask, "Who wants to design a vehicle that's 20 percent more fuel-efficient than they one your parents built?" If that's the case, what needs to be done to attract their curiosity?

While all kids are scientists, they reach a point, a benchmark, when puberty sets in and social life starts getting complicated. Then it's time to consider how their interests will manifest through the transition. At that point, I would step in and offer an ambitious goal for them to reach for, so that while they're continuing (or initiating) their studies of science, they know they have a place to land when they get out of the pipeline.

You're right. If I say, "Design me a plane that's more fuel-efficient, because the country needs that now," you're not going to get any truly transformative, innovative solutions. Instead, if I say, "Who wants to build an air foil that'll navigate the rarified atmosphere of Mars?" or "We're about to go to Mars. Who wants to study life forms that are yet to be understood that we may discover?" I'm going to get the best engineers, I'm going to get the best biologists. I'm going to get the best of those categories because it's a goal befitting the depth of ambitions of students.

You've made yourself incredibly open to the general public - on Reddit, Twitter, through email, and your podcast, Star Talk. What have those interactions revealed to you about adults' curiosity towards space?

Thanks for asking that question. Not everyone puts it together that way - there are many different dimensions of reaching the public, particularly with the many media today, social media in particular, which parcel what audience you might reach from one medium to another.

For me, the most fascinating interface is Twitter. I have odd cosmic thoughts every day and I realized I could hold them to myself or share them with people who might be interested. These are thoughts that are unique to the perspective of someone who is an educator and is scientifically literate. For people who are not one or both of those, these observations become intriguing.

I remember once, just reflecting when I was driving down the street after I saw a streetlight, "When that turns red, I stop. But suppose our blood was based on copper instead of iron? It would be green instead of red, so green would be a color of warning. What would stop lights look like if we had green blood?" I put that out there and it was heavily forwarded, heavily re-tweeted. People enjoy thinking along with me with these thoughts.

Is that why you included "space tweets" in your book?

Yes! I couldn't let these tweets go uncaptured for this book. I tried to treat them like little biscuits -- you earned your way to that point in the book, so have a little tasty biscuit. All tweets are tasty. Any tweet anybody writes is tasty. So, I try to have each tweet not simply be informative, but have some outlook, some perspective that you might not otherwise had.

I always try to get people a different outlook. When you do that, people take ownership of the information. They don't ever have to reference me because, I'd like to believe as an educator, I'm empowering them to have those thoughts themselves. When a person has those thoughts themselves, the embrace the information, they take ownership of it, and it becomes relevant to their lives. That's why in every tweet, I try to put in something people want to capture and keep. Otherwise, people will say, "That's true because Tyson said it." If that's how you're getting through your argument, I'm failing as an educator.

You write that space exploration is a "necessity." Why do you think others don't agree?

I don't think they've thought it through. Most people who don't agree say, "We have problems here on Earth. Let's focus on them." Well, we are focusing on them. The budget of social programs in the federal tax base is 50 times greater for social programs than it is for NASA. We're already focused in ways that many people who are NASA naysayers would rather it become. NASA is getting half a penny on a dollar -- I'm saying let's double it. A penny on a dollar would be enough to have a real Mars mission in the near future.

Can the United States catch up in the 21st-century space race?

When everyone agrees to a single solution and a single plan, there's nothing more efficient in the world than an efficient democracy. But unfortunately the opposite is also true, there's nothing less efficient in the world than an inefficient democracy. That's when dictatorships and other sort of autocratic societies can pass you by while you're bickering over one thing or another.

But, I can tell you that when everything aligns, this is a nation where people are inventing the future every day. And that future is brought to you by scientists, engineers, and technologists. That's how I've always viewed it. Once people understand that, I don't see why they wouldn't say, "Sure, let's double NASA's budget to an entire penny on a dollar! And by the way, here's my other 25 pennies for social programs." I think it's possible and I think it can happen, but people need to stop thinking that NASA is some kind of luxury project that can be done on disposable income that we happen to have left over. That's like letting your seed corn rot in the storage basin.

So, is NASA's current funding situation not enough?

President Obama says we're going back to Mars, that we'll get there sometimes in the 2030s. Is he going to oversee that? No, it's a president to be named later. On what budget? On a budget acquired by a president to be named later. This is not an audacious statement to make. It's a pretty safe comment for a politician to make, and I was disappointed in that.

The problem is that many people operate on the assumption that NASA should go to Congress every year with hat in hand and justify it every year. Well, I see it as the greatest economic driver that there ever was. Economic drivers don't need justification.

Of the drivers you mention in Space Chronicles that increase NASA funding -- war and economic interests -- which do you think is more likely to be adopted by politicians in the coming decades?

No one wants to die, and no one wants to die poor. These are the two fundamental truths that transcend culture, they transcend politics, they transcend economic cycles. So, once you recognize that a healthy moving frontier in space stimulates the kind of mindset that fosters innovations in science and technology, then you'll realize that of course we need to go in space because that's just the kind of society you'll want to live in.

While war is always the easiest solution to anybody's funding problem, you don't want war to be the modern day driver of space -- even though that's what got us to the moon, in spite of our memory cleansing that into "We're Americans, we're explorers, we're discoverers, that's why we went to the moon." So going forward, the economic argument is a strong one, but it's not a simple "A goes to B". It's not "We need more innovation, so let's fund innovation companies."

My favorite quote, I think it was Antoine Saint-Exupery who said, "If you want to teach someone to sail, you don't train them how to build a boat. You compel them to long for the open seas." That longing drives our urge to innovate, and space exploration has the power to do that, especially when it's a moving frontier because all traditional sciences are there. And so you'll get the best students, they'll have a place to land, and you'll change the attitude that our culture has to the role of science, engineering, technology, and math on our future.

To make any future that we dreamt up real requires creative scientists, engineers, and technologists to make it happen. If people are not within your midst who dream about tomorrow -- with the capacity to bring tomorrow into the present -- then the country might as well just recede back into the cave because that's where we're headed.

Wednesday!

I know I keep promising that I'm going to get back to a daily schedule of posts, and I know that weeks have gone by and there's been nothing regular about my schedule!

And I apologize! Stuff happens, abetted, I admit, by procrastination. There was a helluva lot of scanning of material I needed to do which I never did, and now I've got to get all that material back where it came from, so I've got 2 days of probably 12 hours a day spending my time scanning, and double checking to make sure I havne't missed any pages, etc.

So I'm going to spend the next 2 days doing that, will be all caught up on Wednesday, and will resume daily posts here.

And will finally have learned my lesson about procrastination - don't do it!

Tom Corbett, Space Cadet: Chapter 2

Tom Corbett's first day at Space Academy began at 0530 hours with the blaring of the Cadet Corps Song over the central communicators:

"From the rocket fields of the Academy
To the far-flung stars of outer space,
We're Space Cadets training to be
Ready for dangers we may face.
Up in the sky, rocketing past
Higher than high, faster than fast,
Out into space, into the sun
Look at her go when we give her the gun.
From the rocket fields of the...."

Within sixty seconds, the buildings of the Academy rocked with the impact of three thousand voices singing the last stanza. Lights flashed on in every window. Cadets raced through the halls and across the quadrangle. The central communicator began the incessant mustering of cadets, and the never-ending orders of the day.

" ... Unit 38-Z report to Captain Edwards for astrogation. Unit 68-E report to Commander Walters for special assignments."

On and on, down the list of senior cadets, watch officers, and the newly arrived Earthworms. Units and individuals to report for training or study in everything from ground assembly of an atomic rocket motor, to the history of the founding of the Solar Alliance, the governing body of the tri-planet civilization.

Tom Corbett stepped out of the shower in Section 42-D and bellowed at the top of his voice.

"Hit the deck, Astro! Make use of the gravity!" He tugged at an outsized foot dangling over the side of an upper bunk.

"Uhhhh-ahhhh-hummmmm," groaned the cadet from Venus and tried to go back to sleep.

Philip Morgan stepped into the shower, turned on the cold water, screeched at the top of his voice, gradually trailing off into countless repetitions of the last verse of the Academy song.

"Damp your tubes, you blasted space monkey," roared Astro, sitting up bleary-eyed.

"What time do we eat?" asked Tom, pulling on the green one-piece coverall of the Earthworm cadet candidates.

"I don't know," replied Astro, opening his mouth in a cavernous yawn. "But it'd better be soon. I like space, but not between my backbone and my stomach!"

Warrant Officer McKenny burst into the room and began to compete with the rest of the noise outside the buildings.

"Five minutes to the dining hall and you'd better not be late! Take the slidestairs down to the twenty-eighth floor. Tell the mess cadet in charge of the hall your unit number and he'll show you to the right table. Remember where it is, because you'll have to find it yourself after that, or not eat. Finish your breakfast and report to the ninety-ninth floor to Dr. Dale at seven hundred hours!"

And as fast as he had arrived, he was gone, a flash of red color with rasping voice trailing behind.

Exactly one hour and ten minutes later, promptly at seven o'clock, the three members of Unit 42-D stood at attention in front of Dr. Joan Dale, along with the rest of the green-clad cadets.

When the catcalls and wolf whistles had died away, Dr. Dale, pretty, trim, and dressed in the gold and black uniform of the Solar Guard, held up her hand and motioned for the cadets to sit down.

"My answer to your—" she paused, smiled and continued, "your enthusiastic welcome is simply—thank you. But we'll have no further repetitions. This is Space Academy—not a primary school!"

Turning abruptly, she stood beside a round desk in the well of an amphitheater, and held up a thin tube about an inch in diameter and twelve inches long.

"We will now begin your classification tests," she said. "You will receive one of these tubes. Inside, you will find four sheets of paper. You are to answer all the questions on each paper and place them back in the tube. Take the tube and drop it in the green outline slot in this wall."

She indicated a four-inch-round hole to her left, outlined with green paint. Beside it, was another slot outlined with red paint. "Remain there until the tube is returned to you in the red slot. Take it back to your desk." She paused and glanced down at her desk.

"Now, there are four possible classifications for a cadet. Control-deck officer, which includes leadership and command. Astrogation officer, which includes radar and communications. And power-deck officer for engine-room operations. The fourth classification is for advanced scientific study here at the Academy. Your papers are studied by an electronic calculator that has proven infallible. You must make at least a passing grade on each of the four classifications."

Dr. Dale looked up at the rows of upturned, unsmiling faces and stepped from the dais, coming to a halt near the first desk.

"I know that all of you here have your hearts set on becoming spacemen, officers in the Solar Guard. Most of you want to be space pilots. But there must be astrogators, radar engineers, communication officers and power-deck operators on each ship, and," she paused, braced her shoulders and added, "some of you will not be accepted for any of these. Some of you will wash out."

Dr. Dale turned her back on the cadets, not wanting to look at the sudden pallor that washed over their faces. It was brutal, she thought, this test. Why bring them all the way to the Academy and then give the tests? Why not start the entrance exams at the beginning with the classification and aptitude? But she knew the answer even before the thoughtful question was completed. Under the fear of being washed out, the weaker ones would not pass. The Solar Guard could not afford to have cadets and later Solar Guard officers who could not function under pressure.

She began handing out the tubes and, one by one, the green-clad candidates stepped to the front of the room to receive them.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," said one cadet falteringly. "If—if—I wash out as a cadet—as a Solar Guard officer cadet"—he gulped several times—"does that mean there isn't any chance of becoming a spaceman?"

"No," she answered kindly. "You can become a member of the enlisted Solar Guard, if you can pass the acceleration tests."

"Thank you, Ma'am," replied the boy and turned away nervously.

Tom Corbett accepted the tube and hurried back to his seat. He knew that this was the last hurdle. He did not know that the papers had been prepared individually, the tests given on the basis of the entrance exams he had taken back at New Chicago Primary Space School.

He opened the tube, pulling out the four sheets, printed on both sides of the paper, and read the heading on the first: ASTROGATION, COMMUNICATIONS, SIGNALS (Radar)

He studied the first question.

" ... What is the range of the Mark Nine radar-scope, and how far can a spaceship be successfully distinguished from other objects in space?..."

He read the question four times, then pulled out a pencil and began to write.

Only the rustle of the papers, or the occasional sigh of a cadet over a problem, disturbed the silence in the high-ceilinged room, as the hundred-odd cadets fought the questions.

There was a sudden stir in the room and Tom looked up to see Roger Manning walk to the slot and casually deposit his tube in the green-bordered slot. Then he leaned idly against the wall waiting for it to be returned. As he stood there, he spoke to Dr. Dale, who smiled and replied. There was something about his attitude that made Tom boil. So fast? He glanced at his own papers. He had hardly finished two sheets and thought he was doing fine. He clenched his teeth and bent over the paper again, redoubling his efforts to triangulate a fix on Regulus by using dead reckoning as a basis for his computations.

Suddenly a tall man, wearing the uniform of a Solar Guard officer, appeared in the back of the room. As Dr. Dale looked up and smiled a greeting, he placed his finger on his lips. Steve Strong, Captain in the Solar Guard, gazed around the room at the backs bent over busy pencils. He did not smile, remembering how, only fifteen years before, he had gone through the same torture, racking his brains trying to adjust the measurements of a magnascope prism. He was joined by a thin handsome young man, Lieutenant Judson Saminsky, and finally, Warrant Officer McKenny. They nodded silently in greeting. It would be over soon. Strong glanced at the clock over the desk. Another ten minutes to go.

The line of boys at the slots grew until more than twenty stood there, each waiting patiently, nervously, for his turn to drop the tube in the slot and receive in return the sealed cylinder that held his fate.

Still at his desk, his face wet with sweat, Astro looked at the question in front of him for the fifteenth time.

" ... Estimate the time it would take a 300-ton rocket ship with half-filled tanks, cruising at the most economical speed to make a trip from Titan to Venusport. (a) Estimate size and maximum capacity of fuel tanks. (b) Give estimate of speed ship would utilize...."

He thought. He slumped in his chair. He stared at the ceiling. He chewed his pencil....

Five seats away, Tom stacked his examination sheets neatly, twisted them into a cylinder and inserted them in the tube. As he passed the line of desks and headed for the slot, a hand caught his arm. Tom turned to see Roger Manning grinning at him.

"Worried, spaceboy?" asked Roger easily. Tom didn't answer. He simply withdrew his arm.

"You know," said Roger, "you're really a nice kid. It's a shame you won't make it. But the rules specifically say 'no cabbageheads.'"

"No talking!" Dr. Dale called sharply from her desk.

Tom walked away and stood in the line at the slots. He found himself wanting to pass more than anything in the world. "Please," he breathed, "please, just let me pass—"

A soft gong began to sound. Dr. Dale stood up.

"Time's up," she announced. "Please put your papers in the tubes and drop them in the slot."

Tom turned to see Astro stuffing his papers in the thin cylinder disgustedly. Phil Morgan came up and stood in back of Tom. His face was flushed.

"Everything O.K., Phil?" inquired Tom.

"Easy as free falling in space," replied the other cadet, his soft Georgian drawl full of confidence. "How about you?"

"I'm just hoping against hope."

The few remaining stragglers hurried up to the line.

"Think Astro'll make it?" asked Phil.

"I don't know," answered Tom, "I saw him sweating over there like a man facing death."

"I guess he is—in a way."

Astro took his place in line and shrugged his shoulders when Tom leaned forward to give him a questioning look.

"Go ahead, Tom," urged Phil. Tom turned and dropped his tube into the green-bordered slot and waited. He stared straight at the wall in front of him, hardly daring to breathe. Presently, the tube was returned in the red slot. He took it, turned it over in his hands and walked slowly back to his desk.

"You're washed out, cabbagehead!" Manning's whisper followed him. "Let's see if you can take it without bawling!"

Tom's face burned and he fought an impulse to answer Manning with a stiff belt in the jaw. But he kept walking, reached his desk and sat down.

Astro, the last to return to his desk, held the tube out in front of him as if it were alive. The room was silent as Dr. Dale rose from her desk.

"All right now, boys," she announced. "Inside the tubes you will find colored slips of paper. Those of you who have red slips will remain here. Those who find green slips will return to their quarters. Blue will go with Captain Strong, orange with Lieutenant Saminsky, and purple with Warrant Officer McKenny. Now—please open the tubes."

There was a tinkling of metal caps and then the slight rustle of paper as each boy withdrew the contents of the tube before him.

Tom took a deep breath and felt inside for the paper. He held his breath and pulled it out. It was green. He didn't know what it meant. He looked around. Phil was signaling to him, holding up a blue slip. Tom's heart skipped a beat. Whatever the colors meant, he and Phil were apart. He quickly turned around and caught Astro's eye. The big Venusian held up a green slip. Tom's heart then nearly stopped beating. Phil, who had breezed through with such confidence, held a blue slip, and Astro, who hadn't even finished the test, held up the same color that he had. It could only mean one thing. Failure. He felt the tears welling in his eyes, but had no strength left to fight them back.

He looked up, his eyes meeting the insolent stare of Roger Manning who was half turned in his seat. Remembering the caustic warning of the confident cadet, Tom fought back the flood in his eyes and glared back.

What would he tell his mother? And his father? And Billy, his brother, five years younger than himself, whom he had promised to bring a flask of water from the Grand Canal on Mars. And his sister! Tom remembered the shining pride in her eyes when she kissed him good-bye at the Stratoport as he left for Atom City.

From the front of the room, McKenny's rasping voice jarred him back to the present.

"Cadets—staaaaaaaand to!"

There was a shuffle of feet as the boys rose as one.

"All the purple slips follow me," he roared and turned toward the door. The cadets with purple slips marched after him.

Lieutenant Saminsky stepped briskly to the front of the room.

"Cadets with orange slips will please come with me," he said casually, and another group of cadets left the room.

From the rear of the room Captain Strong snapped out an order.

"Blue slips will come with me!"

He turned smartly and followed the last of Lieutenant Saminsky's cadets out of the room.

Tom looked around. The room was nearly empty now. He looked over at Astro and saw his big friend slumped moodily over against his desk. Then, suddenly, he noticed Roger Manning. The arrogant cadet was not smiling any longer. He was staring straight ahead. Before him on the desk, Tom could see a green slip. So he had failed too, thought Tom grimly. It was poor solace for the misery he felt.

Dr. Dale stepped forward again.

"Will the cadets holding green slips return to their quarters. Those with red slips will remain in their seats," she announced.

Tom found himself moving with difficulty. As he walked through the door, Astro joined him. A look more eloquent than words passed between them and they made their way silently up the slidestairs back to their quarters.

Lying in his bunk, hands under his head, eyes staring into space, Tom asked, "What happens now?"

Sprawled on his bunk, Astro didn't answer right away. He merely gulped and swallowed hard.

"I—I don't know," he finally stammered. "I just don't know."

"What'll you do?"

"It's back to the hold of a Venusport freighter, I guess. I don't know." Astro paused and looked at Tom. "What'll you do?"

"Go home," said Tom simply. "Go home and—and find a job."

"Ever think about the enlisted Solar Guard? Look at McKenny—"

"Yeah—but—"

"I know how you feel," sighed Astro. "Being in the enlisted section—is like—well, being a passenger—almost."

The door was suddenly flung open.

"Haul off them bunks, you blasted Earthworms!"

McKenny stood in the doorway in his usual aggressive pose, and Tom and Astro hit the floor together to stand at attention.

"Where's the other cadet?"

"He went with Captain Strong, sir." answered Tom.

"Oh?" said Mike. And in a surprisingly soft tone he added, "You two pulled green slips, eh?"

"Yes, sir," they replied together.

"Well, I don't know how you did it, but congratulations. You passed the classification tests. Both of you."

Tom just looked at the scarlet-clad, stumpy warrant officer. He couldn't believe his ears. Suddenly he felt as if he had been lifted off his feet. And then he realized that he was off his feet. Astro was holding him over his head. Then he dumped him in his bunk as easily as if he had been a child. And at the same time, the big Venusian let out a loud, long, earsplitting yell.

McKenny matched him with his bull-like roar.

"Plug that foghorn, you blasted Earthworm. You'll have the whole Academy in here thinking there's a murder."

By this time Tom was on his feet again, standing in front of McKenny.

"You mean, we made it? We're really in? We're cadets?"

"That's right." McKenny looked at a clip board in his hand and read, "Cadet Corbett, Tom. Qualified for control deck. Cadet Astro. Power deck."

Astro took a deep breath and started another yell, but before he could let go, McKenny clamped a big hand over his mouth.

"You bellow like that again and I'll make meteor dust out of you!"

Astro gulped and then matched Tom's grin with one that spread from ear to ear.

"What happened to Philip Morgan?" asked Tom.

"What color slip did he have?"

"Blue."

"Anything besides green washed out," replied Mike quickly. "Now let's see, you have a replacement for Morgan in this unit. An astrogator."

"Greetings, gentlemen," drawled a voice that Tom recognized without even looking. "Allow me to introduce myself to my new unit-mates. My name is Manning—Roger Manning. But then, we're old friends, aren't we?"

"Stow that rocket wash, Manning," snapped Mike. He glanced at the clock over the door. "You have an hour and forty-five minutes until lunch time. I suggest you take a walk around the Academy and familiarize yourselves with the arrangement of the buildings."

And then, for the first time, Tom saw the hard little spaceman smile.

"I'm glad you made it, boys. All three of you." He paused and looked at each of them in turn. "And I can honestly say I'm looking forward to the day when I can serve under you!"

He snapped his back straight, gave the three startled boys a crisp salute, executed a perfect about-face and marched out of the room.

"And that," drawled Roger, strolling to the bunk nearest the window, "is the corniest bit of space gas I've ever heard."

"Listen, Manning!" growled Astro, spinning around quickly to face him.

"Yeah," purred Roger, his eyes drawn to fine points, hands hanging loosely at his sides. "What would you like me to listen to, Cadet Astro?"

The hulking cadet lunged at Manning, but Tom quickly stepped between them.

"Stow it, both of you!" he shouted. "We're in this room together, so we might as well make the best of it."

"Of course, Corbett—of course," replied Manning easily. He turned his back on Astro, who stood, feet wide apart, neck muscles tight and hands clenched in hamlike fists.

"One of these days I'll break you in two, Manning. I'll close that fast-talking mouth of yours for good!"

Astro's voice was a low growl. Roger stood near the window port and appeared to have forgotten the incident.

The light shining in from the hallway darkened, and Tom turned to see three blue-clad senior cadets arranged in a row just inside the door.

"Congratulations, gentlemen. You're now qualified cadets of Space Academy," said a redheaded lad about twenty-one. "My name is Al Dixon," he turned to his left and right, "and these are cadets Bill Houseman and Rodney Withrop."

"Hiya," replied Tom. "Glad to know you. I'm Tom Corbett. This is Astro—and Roger Manning."

Astro shook hands, the three senior cadets giving a long glance at the size of the hand he offered. Roger came forward smartly and shook hands with a smile.

"We're sorta like a committee," began Dixon. "We've come to sign you up for the Academy sports program."

They made themselves comfortable in the room.

"You have a chance to take part in three sports. Free-fall wrestling, mercuryball and space chess." Dixon glanced at Houseman and Withrop. "From the looks of Cadet Astro, free-fall wrestling should be child's play for him!"

Astro merely grinned.

"Mercuryball is pretty much like the old game of soccer," explained Houseman. "But inside the ball is a smaller ball filled with mercury, making it take crazy dips and turns. You have to be pretty fast even to touch it."

"Sounds like you have to be a little Mercurian yourself," smiled Tom.

"You do," replied Dixon. "Oh, yes, you three play as a unit. Competition starts in a few days. So if you've never played before, you might go down to the gym and start practicing."

"You mentioned space chess," asked Roger. "What's that?"

"It's really nothing more than maneuvers. Space maneuvers," said Dixon. "A glass case, a seven-foot cube, is divided by light shafts into smaller cubes of equal shape and size. Each man has a complete space squadron. Three model rocket cruisers, six destroyers and ten scouts. The ships are filled with gas to make them float, and your power is derived from magnetic force. The problem is to get a combination of cruisers and destroyers and scouts into a space section where it could knock out your opponent's ships."

"You mean," interrupted Astro, "you've got to keep track of all those ships at once?"

"Don't worry, Astro," commented Roger quickly. "You use your muscles to win for dear old 42-D in free-fall wrestling. Corbett here can pound down the grassy field for a goal in mercuryball, and I'll do the brainwork of space chess."

The three visiting cadets exchanged sharp glances.

"Everybody plays together, Manning," said Dixon. "You three take part in each sport as a unit."

"Of course," nodded Roger. "Of course—as a unit."

The three cadets stood up, shook hands all around and left. Tom immediately turned to Manning.

"What was the idea of that crack about brains?"

Manning slouched over to the window port and said over his shoulder, "I don't know how you and your king-sized friend here passed the classifications test, Corbett, and I don't care. But, as you say, we're a unit. So we might as well make adjustments."

He turned to face them with a cold stare.

"I know this Academy like the palm of my hand," he went on. "Never mind how, just take it for granted. I know it. I'm here for the ride. For a special reason I wouldn't care to have you know. I'll get my training and then pull out."

He took a step forward, his face a mask of bitterness.

"So from now on, you two guys leave me alone. You bore me to death with your emotional childish allegiance to this—this"—he paused and spit the last out cynically—"space kindergarten!"