Stand by for Mars! download epub

Stand by For Mars!: A Tom Corbett Space Cadet Adventure. By Carey Rockwell, Willy Ley Technical Adviser. New York, Grosset & Dunlap Publishers. 1952 224pp. ISBN: 978-1258205638

Recently an article about the German-American, Willy Ley crossed my path and it created an interest in the science (and science fiction) writer. Kindle offered a cheap version of this particular book so I downloaded and read it.

The book is a science fiction novel of which Ley and Rockwell collaborated on a number of occasions. The story is an inspirational book for young men in the same vein as my grandfather’s Horatio Alger, my father’s Booth Tarkington and my own Clair Bee. I wrote a graduate thesis on these sort of books so for a change feel qualified to discuss the topic…not that qualification is necessary for me to opine.

The writers listed above all told tales of moral high ground and the requirement of team building which Stand by for Mars! did as well. Rather than sports being the focal point for the story, this one was about saving passengers on their way to Mars on board an apparently doomed spacecraft. The three heroes, as students of the elite Space Academy circa 2350 came together and worked as a unit under the direction of Tom Corbett. It was not always easy.

Unknown to Tom or the Venusian Astro, their third partner was the son of the man who first made a Martian settlement. But Roger’s father died in the process and he was left impoverished along with his mother as a result. Roger had a large chip on his shoulder making the threesome a difficult group with which to build a strong team of space cadets. In 1952, “Space Cadet” meant something entirely different than the concept that I have known since the late 60s. It was then, an honorable term.

As one might guess, their acumen and skills as students under extreme pressure, came to the fore and the bitter feelings that were preventing them from success were tossed aside during their perilous though successful rescue mission. They became heroes and if we can live another 234 years as so many futurists suggest, we may be reading about the threesome in whatever method mass media has at that time.

So, while they were experts in their occupations as space cadets there was some time for sport and one of the games was “Mercuryball” which will be played in a fashion of soccer but with three players to a team, a twelve inch ball and one that is filled with air but also with a mercury filled capsule to ensure flight unpredictability. Imagine, a small ball with a guarantee of inaccurate arcs for its mercury capsule being kicked by its players, 60 yards!! These boys were not only very smart and scientifically adept but also monstrously good athletes.

As this genre goes, trouble and tumult prevail until everyone recognizes their moral imperative and then they do the right thing and everyone gets their medal in the end.

Willy Ley died young by today’s standards. He was 62 and when this book came out 17 years prior to his demise, the characters considered people in their 60’s to be elderly. Clearly I am in my dotage. Willy named one of his daughters Xenia.

yet another of his books I missed.
His influence on von Braun and
the entire space programs of
multiple countries is known. He writes
good sci-fi, or is it design documents?

Have not read it yet, I tend to collect for a while then read so I look forward to this read. I am a recent Steampunk fan though I guess I always have been and now known what to call it!

I've heard the radio pod casts and now reading the books. This was an enjoyable read while I was in line at the super market or relaxing the last 10 min. of the day. I'm hoping the next book in the series will hold my interst just as well.

A great old science fiction book for pre-teens and teens. I got it for my 9 year old grandson to read.

One must remember this was this was written before technical advances could prove some of the ideas imposable. But this is science fiction!
Would recommend to anyone of any age.

Absolutely great reads! The whole series is cute in its 50's-dated language (which contains no swear words whatsover, unless you consider "space gas" an unholy epithet), and just has a fun energy!

I had the whole series of Tom Corbett books when I was young. I found them here and there growing up. Unfortunately during the many moves my family made, the books were lost. I found them again as an adult and bought the whole series from a seller. I think Stand By For Mars is the best of the 8 Tom Corbett books. It reads well, has action, plot and character development. It stands up well for a book that was written over 60 years ago. Yes some of the science reflects the early 1950's but still the book reads well. Even though we knew the Section 42-D team would eventually gel, it was good to read how it was done.

I was fascinated by the sport of mercury ball. Recently I read about something called wobble ball. The shape of the soccer ball is different but the effect seems the same as mercury ball - you can't tell where it will bounce or how it will bounce.

This is a fun read and although it is book for young adults, as an adult I still enjoy it. I pick it up every few years or so and read it and the series. As a kid I watched a lot of the space shuttle missions on TV. In the back of my head I thought how cool it would be to go to the Space Academy. Maybe 50-100 years from now there will be such a thing.