The Space Mission Adventure (5 page)

Ziggy handed it to him. “I think it's not from this world,” Ziggy said with a serious expression that was unusual for him.

“What makes you say that?” Rico asked as he peered closely at the object.

“It looks hard, but it feels a little soft. It looks like it would be cold to the touch, but it feels warm. I think it's something left by a space traveler.” Ziggy spoke as if he meant it. For once, he wasn't laughing.

Rico didn't make fun of Ziggy's observation. Instead, he said, “Let's approach this scientifically, Ziggy. Let's talk about all the things it could possibly be before we decide it's from outer space.”

Ziggy nodded, but he didn't seem convinced. “It looks like the back of one of those insects you find in the summertime—all shiny and metallic-looking,” he said.

“Are you sure it's not just a piece of dead bug?” Rico asked thoughtfully.

“What's that you said about bugs?” Jerome asked as he joined them. “I got bug spray in my backpack, you know, just in case.”

“You won't need spray for this, mon,” Ziggy said, “unless this is a space creature that can come back to life.”

“What are you talking about?” Rashawn asked as he joined them. The other members of the team were taking their turn on the chair.

“Ziggy thinks he found a space artifact,” Rico explained. The four of them took the object and examined it.

“Is it a piece of some kind of plant?” Rashawn asked as he sniffed it.

“It's too hard, I think,” Ziggy said.

“Could it be broken off one of the pieces of equipment in this room?” Jerome offered. “They've got all kinds of space simulators in here. Maybe this is part of one of them.”

“Maybe, mon,” Ziggy said. “But I got a feeling that
this shiny green thing has some special meaning.”

Rico looked at the object closely, then tapped it on the bench to listen to the sound it made. “I think it's made of metal, but I can't really tell. It's not rock, either—at least I don't think it is. Where did you find it, Ziggy?”

“I found it by the moonwalk simulator, and I think it came from outer space,” Ziggy stated.

Rico, Jerome, and Rashawn shook their heads in disbelief. Team America had finished the simulation, and Samantha called them all to head for lunch.

“All we have to do is figure out why it's here.” Ziggy carefully put the oddly shaped green thing back into his pocket.

AFTER LUNCH AND JUST BEFORE THEIR MISSION,
Samantha took Team America outside for a little fresh air and to prep them for their pretend journey into space. “Are there any questions?” she asked.

“We saw what it was like to walk on the moon,” Rico said, “but what does it feel like to be weightless? Does it feel like you're floating?”

“Well, I've never been lucky enough to actually fly in space,” Samantha replied, “but the astronauts I've spoken to tell me that sometimes weightlessness makes them throw up, and that it's hard to adjust to being able to lift heavy objects with no effort.”

“Can you sneeze in space?” Rashawn wanted to know.

“I'm sure you can,” Samantha answered. “But I bet you can't guess what happens to the liquid that would come out of your nose.” She grinned at the group.

“Tell us!” they demanded eagerly. Nicolina, a petite girl with a quiet smile, put her hand over her ears, pretending she didn't want to hear.

“Everything liquid in space, from water to fruit juice to mucus—even urine . . . ,” Samantha began.

“Yucko, mon!” Ziggy said, making a face.

“. . . forms into perfectly round balls. All the molecules are pulling on one another, so you see, with no gravity, a force we call surface tension makes the liquids ball up.”

“Hey, since you brought it up, I gotta know this,” Ziggy said slowly. “How do astronauts go to the bathroom, mon?”

“I wondered the same thing,” Jerome admitted, “but I didn't want to ask.”

“Even I don't know the answer to that one,” Cubby said.

Samantha smiled as she looked at the group. “First of all, there are no flush toilets, so the toilets function with air instead. Basically, astronauts use the bathroom in something very much like a vacuum cleaner. Some of the shuttle crew call it Mr. Thirsty!” She laughed as the team members giggled with disgust and delight.

“This might be more than I can handle, mon.” Ziggy covered his face with his hands, pretending to be upset. “Maybe I can't be an astronaut after all.”

“A hose with vacuum suction is attached to the body, and urine is sucked through the hose. It's quite simple,” Samantha explained, “and nothing to be embarrassed about. It's a normal human bodily function.”

“What about women astronauts?” Jessica asked shyly. She blushed.

“There is an adapter for females,” Samantha replied matter-of-factly. “And as long as we're on the subject, solid waste is also eliminated by means of suction devices. The opening is only about four inches in diameter, so an astronaut's
aim
becomes
really important. They even have a practice device at the training center! It has a TV camera mounted in the toilet bowl so astronauts can learn exactly where to position themselves so everything comes out where it should!”

“Does that one have a name too?” Amy asked.

“For sure! It's called Target!” Samantha looked like she was having fun. “The astronauts have target practice before a mission.”

“I thought target practice meant shooting at space invaders like on my Mega Mighty Martian Blasters video game, mon!” Ziggy said.

“Not this time, Ziggy,” Samantha replied with a laugh.

“Oh, man!” Jerome said. “Big yuck!”

“So if an astronaut cut herself while in space,” Nicolina asked quietly, “would the blood float like little balls as it leaves the cut?”

“Exactly!” Samantha said. “Little floating globules of blood.”

“That's amazing,” Nicolina replied, her eyes large with wonder.

Ignoring the boys who were making faces, Amy asked, “So if all liquid turns into little balls, how do they drink anything?”

“Good question, Amy,” Samantha said. “You're right—they couldn't drink from a cup. They use straws, instead, used in specially designed containers that help them suck the liquid into their mouth.”

“What do astronauts eat, mon?” Ziggy asked. “I'm almost afraid to know the answer after the last one you gave us.”

Samantha laughed. “This time I think you can handle the answer, Ziggy. They eat MRE's, which stands for ‘meals ready to eat.' Often they are dehydrated, which means water has to be added before they can be eaten, but sometimes it's stuff like candy or peanut butter or cans of pudding like you'd eat at home.”

“Not like stuff I eat at home!” Ziggy told them with a laugh. “I bet the astronauts never had cornflakes with gravy, or peanuts with prune juice, mon.”

“Yuck!” Nicolina and Jessica said together.

“Where do astronauts sleep?” Rashawn asked.

“There are no beds, but they use something called sleep restraints to hold themselves in one place so they won't float around and bump into one another. When they're asleep, unless they're secured, their arms float straight up in front of their bodies. Their hair, too. I'm told it's a slightly spooky sight.”

Ziggy looked thoughtful. “Samantha, have any space shuttles ever encountered any aliens, mon?” Ziggy asked. “I'm not being silly—I really want to know.”

“No, Ziggy,” she replied with the same seriousness. “But I suppose there is always a first time. Now, let's get busy. It's time for our mission. Team America, let's launch!”

They marched over to Mission Control, where a group of specialists took over the training of the various Space Camp teams. Stanley was one of them. He carried a clipboard with the name and assignment of each member of Team America.

“First, each of you will be assigned a position,”
Stanley began. “If this were a real space shuttle about to be launched, what jobs do you think would be needed?”

“Captain of the astronauts!” Ziggy called out.

“Excellent!” Stanley said. “We call him the commander, and he or she is responsible for all crew activities inside the shuttle. We also need a pilot—someone to be in charge of flying the shuttle. Ziggy, you'll be the commander, and Cubby, you are the pilot.”

“Awesome!” Cubby and Ziggy answered together.

“You know, with all my experience with the Mega Mighty Martian Blasters game, I should be really good at this,” Cubby said.

“You have that game too, mon?” Ziggy asked Cubby enthusiastically.

“Sure,” Cubby said. “I can get to the very top level!”

Ziggy looked at him with awe.

“We also need mission specialists,” Stanley continued. “These are the folks who do space walks—we
call them EVAs, or extravehicular activities—and payload specialists, the folks who work on the cargo or the experiments.”

“Can I be those too, mon?” Ziggy asked.

“This is a team effort, Ziggy.” Stanley checked his clipboard. “Jerome and Rashawn are the payload specialists, and Nicolina and Neil are the mission specialists.”

“None of the experiments involves bugs in space, do they?” Jerome asked. “I saw a movie once about a bug that went into space and it came back and ate up a couple of cities! I don't think I've got enough bug spray for an attack like that!”

“You gotta understand, Stanley. Jerome gets really buggy when it comes to insects!” Rashawn explained as he made buzzing noises near Jerome's ear.

Stanley laughed. “I promise. No bugs.”

“Don't you need somebody to be in charge of the computers on the ground?” Amy asked.

“Good, Amy,” Stanley said. “The shuttle can't go up unless there is somebody on the ground making
sure everything is safe. That person is called the flight director. He or she is in charge of the entire mission from ignition to touchdown. That will be your position, Amy.” She grinned with delight.

“What about me?” Rico asked.

“Rico, you'll be the CAPCOM. That's the communications captain. You're in charge of all messages from ground control to the flight crew. Alan, you are the EVA officer. You are responsible for all the equipment that the shuttle crew is operating in space.”

“Like when they do space walks and stuff?”

“Yes, your job is to keep them safe. It's scary out there—floating in space, connected to the shuttle by only a thin cord.”

“Cool!” Alan said.

“Nicolina and Jessica—you two are assigned to the space station and will do various experiments that must be recorded and analyzed and sent back to Mission Control. You also get to wear the space gear and helmets and do the space walks!” Nicolina put her hand to her head and giggled. The two girls gave each other high fives.

“I want to wear a space suit and walk in space too, mon,” Ziggy complained.

“Your job is critical to this mission, Ziggy,” Stanley told him firmly. “Regardless of your position, a successful mission depends on the entire flight crew's coordination and skill. Are you with me, Team America?”

“Yes, sir!” they all replied enthusiastically.

“Then let's get this mission underway! We have just one hour to prepare for the launch in Mission Control, blast into space, go into orbit, do our experiments, and land safely.”

“That's an awful lot to do in an hour,” Rico commented.

“In real life it takes months, even years, to prepare a crew for launch and bring them back home. This is just to give you a taste of a real space mission.”

“Since this is just a simulation—a pretend version of what real astronauts do—why can't we pretend we find space creatures?” Ziggy asked.

“Sorry, Ziggy. You'll have to do that when you get back home.”

Team America marched into the area where the mission would take place, each one of them getting prepared in the various modules set up to be similar to what the inside of a real space shuttle or launch-pad would look like. All the team members got written scripts, headphones so they could communicate,
and even space suits so they really felt like they were doing their jobs.