Inspired by Robert A. Heinlein's 1948 novel Space Cadet, the Tom Corbett series started as a TV show in 1950. It stayed on the air for five years and, among other things, spawned a series of novels published by Grosset & Dunlap. Written by unknown authors, they were published under the pseudonym Carey Rockwell, with Willy Ley (the TV show's technical director) listed as technical advisor. Stand by for Mars is the first of eight novels written between...