Dinosaur Boy Saves Mars (16 page)

First off, in the Author's Note to
Dinosaur Boy
, I said there were some hints in that book about where the series would be headed next, but that I would save my explanations for the second Dinosaur Boy book. Now I can tell you there were three clues:

1. Sawyer's school is called Jack James Elementary School. Jack James was the project manager of the Mariner 4 mission, which took the first pictures of Mars.

2. The security guard who almost busts Sawyer, Elliot, and Sylvie when they are breaking into the school is from Viking Security. That was a reference to the Viking landers, which went to Mars in the 1970s.

3. In Chapter 8, when Dr. Cook is talking about the science fair, he tells the kids that it's “the perfect opportunity for you to really get into the spirit of the scientific method” and also to “[l]et your curiosity run wild!” That wasn't just good advice:
Spirit
and
Opportunity
are both the names of rovers that landed on Mars in 2004, and
Curiosity
is a mobile science lab that arrived in 2012.

The research for the Dinosaur Boy books is always ridiculously fun, and this one was no exception. The history of space exploration is full of amazing stories, extremely smart and interesting people, and exciting visions about our future as a species. I had a blast sneaking in references to some of the fun stuff I found whenever I could.

Venetio Lowell was named for Venetia Burney, the eleven-year-old girl who named Pluto. In 1930, when Venetia's grandfather (an Oxford University librarian) told her that a new planet had been discovered, she told him they should name it “Pluto” after the Roman god of the underworld. Her suggestion eventually made it all the way to the astronomers at Lowell Observatory, who chose it as the planet's official name.

Sawyer's grandfather, Dr. Franklin, was named in honor of Rosalind Franklin, a pioneering woman of science whose part in the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA went largely unacknowledged during her lifetime. (Three men were awarded the Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1962, four years after Franklin's death).

Ms. Helen's last name, “Tombaugh,” is a tribute to Clyde Tombaugh, the astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930 while working at the Lowell Observatory. The
New Horizons
spacecraft reportedly carried some of Tombaugh's ashes as it cruised by Pluto and sent back photos in July 2015.

The various chancellors on Mars are all named for individuals who made some of the earliest telescope observations of Mars:

Chancellor Fontana was named for Francesco Fontana, an amateur astronomer who used a handmade telescope to make observations (and woodcut drawings) of Mars in the 1630s.

Chancellor Gio was named after Giovanni Schiaparelli, an Italian astronomer whose discovery of crisscrossing
canali
(“channels” in Italian) on the surface of Mars in the 1870s was incorrectly translated into English as “canals.” This led to a hugely popular theory that there were intelligent, canal-building life-forms on Mars. Although ultimately disproved (unless Sylvie's right and the Martians are just messing with us), the theory continues to spark people's imaginations today.

Chancellor Gale was named for Walter Frederick Gale, an Australian banker who observed Mars with a telescope he built himself in the late 1800s. The Gale Crater, where
Curiosity
landed in 2012, was also named for him (although not by me!).

I chose the name “Asaph” for Sylvie's dad after Asaph Hall, the astronomer who discovered Mars' two moons, Phobos (“horror”) and Deimos (“terror”).

Tycho Brawn was named for Tycho Brahe, a famously eccentric astronomer known for his accurate measurements. The Tycho in this book wore a fake nose because he lost his in a gene-ing attempt. The real Tycho wore a fake nose because he lost part of his in a duel over a math equation. Tycho Brahe died after a lengthy banquet in Prague where, depending on who you ask, he was either murdered or having such a good time that he forgot to go to the bathroom, which caused his bladder to burst. He also might have helped inspire Shakespeare's
Hamlet
. You can't make this stuff up.

The
Sabatier
, the small spaceship Sawyer and his friends rent, is named for the Sabatier reaction, a chemical process that produces methane and water from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Since this is a relatively simply way to produce both water and rocket fuel, some people (notably Robert Zubrin in his book
The Case for Mars
) theorize that this reaction may become important for eventual human colonization of Mars.

The Kuiper Kickers (K2) got their name from the Kuiper Belt, an area of the solar system beyond Neptune that includes Pluto and at least two other so-called “dwarf planets”: Haumea and Makemake. The Kickers' Coach Charon is named for Pluto's largest moon. Their goalie, “Stern,” is named for Alan Stern, the principal investigator of NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto.

Orlando Eris was named partly for Lando Calrissian (the reformed smuggler and friend of Han Solo in Star Wars) and partly for Eris, the largest dwarf planet in our solar system. The discovery of Eris in 2005 (and the fact that it is bigger than Pluto) was one of the major reasons the International Astronomical Union decided to officially define the three qualifications for being a planet (which caused Pluto to be reclassified as a dwarf planet).

Coach Kepler, the coach of Mars's Red Razers, is named for Johannes Kepler. He started out as Tycho Brahe's assistant and is most well-known for identifying Kepler's laws of planetary motion.

The players on the Martian soccer team are all named for various individuals who are actively involved in furthering our understanding of Mars today: Bruce Jakosky (principal investigator of NASA's MAVEN mission to study the Martian atmosphere); William Banerdt (project leader for InSight, NASA's planned 2016 mission to study the interior geology of Mars); Dr. K. Radhakrishnan (the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, whose Mars Orbiter mission put a craft into orbit around Mars in 2014); and Robert Zubrin, an author and aerospace engineer whose inspiring enthusiasm for a manned mission to Mars can't be denied.

The
Lost Beagle
got its name from
Beagle 2
, a British spacecraft launched in 2003 as part of the Mars Express mission. It lost contact on December 25, 2003, just before it was supposed to land on Mars. Its fate was a big mystery until 2014, when images of
Beagle 2
were finally transmitted (the spacecraft having landed successfully but with a malfunctioning communications antenna) by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The lizards that produced the eggs for the really gross omelet and the '14 Finals toast are called “Brunos” after Giordano Bruno, an Italian thinker who was burned at the stake in 1600 for (among other things) his controversial view that there might be life on other planets. The SETI (Searching for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) League gives an award every year called “the Bruno” to honor significant contributors to their field.

And the dinosaur with the crested head that Sawyer thinks he sees as they're taking off from Saturn? That's a
Corythosaurus
, of course. It's always been my favorite dinosaur. I have no idea why…

Much love and galaxy-sized hugs,

CPO

My dinosaur-kid-in-space odyssey wouldn't have been possible without the help of the following wondrous people, all of whom I owe a batch of homemade Nutri Nuggets (at the very least):

My fantastic agent, Sarah LaPolla, for
getting it
and for always having my back.

My wonderful editor, Aubrey Poole. (I'm looking forward to our queso date!) Fantastic production editor Elizabeth Boyer, incredible copy editor Diane Dannenfeldt, fabulous page designer Nesli Anter, and genius cover artist Marek Jagucki. Ace publicist Kathryn Lynch. Marketing wizards Alex Yeadon and Beth Oleniczak. Sourcebooks library superstar, Jean Johnson. And everybody else at Sourcebooks, for giving the Dinosaur Boy books a perfect home.

Tara Costello, Chrissy Costello, and Cameron Wilson for helping me come up with Orlando's pranks (and then screening them for believability and coolness).

Jordan Womack for educating me on soccer-football terminology.

Steve Richardson and Derek Sawyer, the two most patient geologists of my acquaintance, for putting up with questions like, “What type of rock would make a Martian miner cry?” and follow-ups like “Yeah, but can you think of one with a cooler-sounding name?”

The late Carl Sagan, for writing
Cosmos
. Also Ann Druyan, Pam Abbey, and everybody at Druyan-Sagan Associates for giving me permission to use my favorite
Cosmos
quote at the beginning of this book.

The creators of Star Wars,
The Big Bang Theory
, and
Doctor Who
, for inspiring various parts of this book.

The entire Kid Lit writing community of Austin, Texas, with extra-special thanks to Cynthia Leitich Smith, Greg Leitich Smith, Mari Mancusi, Nikki Loftin, P. J. Hoover, and Jo Whittemore.

Jane Vaughn and Kim Delinski, for keeping me (relatively) sane on a daily basis.

You! For picking up this book and making it all the way to the Acknowledgments section. (Woo-hoo!)

And most of all, my wonderful family: Mark, Sophia, and Alex, for taking this incredible adventure with me and for continuing to love me, even when I'm on deadline and certifiably insane. I love the three of you to Pluto and back, times a billion.

Cory Putman Oakes earned her BA (in psychology) from the University of California at Los Angeles and her JD from Cornell Law School, and then naturally decided to pursue a profession that utilized neither of these. Her first book (
The Veil
, a young adult novel) was published in 2011, and she has been writing for kids and teens ever since.

When she's not writing, Cory enjoys running, cooking, and hanging out with her husband and kiddos at their home in Austin, Texas. She is often on Twitter (@CoryPutmanOakes) and Facebook. You can find out more about Cory and her books (plus recipes for things like Nutri Nuggets and Mrs. Juarez's molé sauce) on her website,
www.corypoakes.com
.

Thank you for reading
!

At Sourcebooks we are always working on something new and exciting, and we don't want you to miss out.

So sign up now to receive exclusive offers, bonus content, and always be the first to get the scoop on what's new!

SIGN UP NOW!