Space Cadet

Space Cadet
First edition cover
AuthorRobert A. Heinlein
IllustratorClifford Geary
Cover artistClifford Geary
LanguageEnglish
SeriesHeinlein juveniles
GenreScience fiction
PublisherScribner's
Publication date
1948
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover, Paperback)
Preceded byRocket Ship Galileo 
Followed byRed Planet 

Space Cadet is a 1948 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein about Matt Dodson, who joins the Interplanetary Patrol to help preserve peace in the Solar System. The story translates the standard military academy story into outer space: a boy from Iowa goes to officer school, sees action and adventure, shoulders responsibilities far beyond his experience, and becomes a man. It was published as the second of the series of Heinlein juveniles and inspired the media franchise around the character Tom Corbett, including the 1950s television series Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and radio show which made "Space Cadet" a household phrase whose meaning later shifted in popular culture.[1]

  1. ^ "Space (v.) entry in Online Etymology Dictionary". etymonline.com.