Moonbase Crisis: Star Challengers Book 1 Read Online Free PDF

noticed.
    Zota slowly nodded. “The Challenger Centers were created to honor the brave crew of the space shuttle Challenger, which exploded shortly after liftoff in 1986. One of the purposes of the Challenger mission was to teach students—from orbit—how valuable space programs really are. Soviet cosmonauts, astronaut trainees, test pilots, pioneers of rocketry … so many people gave their lives to help move the human race forward. Progress is not easy, nor is it free. These people are all heroes, visionaries who saw a better tomorrow and refused to let things stay as they were.
    “The Challenger Centers are designed to teach students the importance of pressing forward and striving to do things that haven’t been done before, to look for new frontiers. Explorers and pioneers know that they will face danger and hardship when they set off across new landscapes. But they go anyway—to discover the unknown. What they are doing is crucial, not just for themselves, but for humanity as a whole. That is the sort of spirit I need from you cadets today.”
    Song-Ye just rolled her eyes, but JJ found the commander’s speech inspirational.
    King asked, “You want us to be pioneers?”
    “Do we get extra credit?” Dyl quipped.
    Zota gave them a faint smile. JJ wondered what the man had seen in his life to make his gray eyes look so ancient. And what had caused his scar? “Bear in mind that you four have a comfortable life because someone else took risks or tried something new. They worked hard to make their ideas a reality. The future is your choice. You can’t just sit at home and expect someone else to take care of it for you. If we allow ourselves to become too complacent, the human race will not be prepared for crises we might face in the future. The human spirit needs challenges. For the sake of our future, humanity needs brave people like you to reach your full potential, and make your lives count.”
    After giving them a brief summary of the scenario, Commander Zota said, “For today’s mission, you will all need to double-up on job assignments.” JJ grinned as the commander continued, “At the moonbase, you will be setting up a new solar-power array. There are supplemental missions to use the lunar telescope to perform astronomical readings and to process resources mined from the lunar soil. Because there are so few of you, it is imperative that you cadets learn to work as a team to solve complex problems.”
    Dyl sighed. “Don’t tell me—I’ll be the team water boy, right?”
    Song-Ye glanced at his note card. “Double-up is hyphenated, Junior.”
    Dyl erased something on the card, blushing bright red.
    “Each of you will be given significant responsibility,” Zota said. “Before we continue, I would like to familiarize you with the communications set-up here, since it is similar to the one you’ll find on the moonbase.”
    Zota showed them how to activate the comm console, how to select the proper frequencies, and how to speak into the slender microphone pickup or use the headset. JJ was familiar with the basics from her earlier exercise during the field trip, but this seemed even more real—like an actual, working system.
    “Also,” the commander pointed out, “the Moon is nearly a quarter of a million miles from Earth, while the speed of our signal—the speed of light—is a mere 186,282 miles per second. Therefore it takes 1.3 seconds for a message to travel from Earth to the Moon, which will produce a noticeable lag when you talk to anyone at Moonbase Magellan.”
    “That doesn’t sound like much,” JJ said. “Would you even notice it in a conversation?”
    “It does interrupt the flow. Remember that if the person on the other end responds, it takes another 1.3 seconds after they speak for their message to reach you. That means it is important to remember to say ‘over’ when you finish what you’re saying, so the other person knows it is safe for them to speak.”
    “We’ll