He's a Real Space Cadet...

Today, the term "Space Cadet" is used for people who might not actually be completely "on the ball." It denotes someone whose head is stuck in the clouds, and who has trouble with a little thing called "reality." You certainly wouldn't use it to describe someone who is at the top of their field, quick witted and courageous. Therefore it is all the more ironic that that description is exactly what the term used to mean!

Meet Tom Corbett, Space Cadet!

Tom was the main character in a series of stories that appeared in just about every format imaginable in the 1950's. If you read comic books, listened to radio, or watched TV, you knew of the daring exploits of Tom Corbett and the Solar Guard. Tom spent his time at the Space Academy, on his trusty ship, the Polaris, or on a variety of alien worlds. It was all great fun for a nation that was just beginning to get bitten by the space bug.

Although early space series like Tom Corbett are rather silly when viewed with contemporary eyes, it is important to remember that they ignited the spark that eventually sent man to the moon, and spacecraft out of the solar system. The only problem is that now that spark is dangerously dim. We have a space program mired in politics and economics, run by people who are more interested in the bottom line than man's destiny in space.

In many ways, we need Tom back.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!