The Space Mission Adventure Read Online Free PDF Page B

mission.”
    â€œI thought target practice meant shooting at space invaders like on my Mega Mighty Martian Blasters video game, mon!” Ziggy said.
    â€œNot this time, Ziggy,” Samantha replied with a laugh.
    â€œOh, man!” Jerome said. “Big yuck!”
    â€œSo if an astronaut cut herself while in space,” Nicolina asked quietly, “would the blood float like little balls as it leaves the cut?”
    â€œExactly!” Samantha said. “Little floating globules of blood.”
    â€œThat’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?”
    â€œGood 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.”
    â€œWhat 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.”
    â€œNot 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.”
    â€œYuck!” Nicolina and Jessica said together.
    â€œWhere do astronauts sleep?” Rashawn asked.
    â€œThere 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.”
    â€œNo, 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.
    â€œFirst, 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?”
    â€œCaptain of the astronauts!” Ziggy called out.
    â€œExcellent!” 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.”
    â€œAwesome!” Cubby and Ziggy answered together.
    â€œYou know, with all my experience with the Mega Mighty Martian Blasters game, I should be really good at this,” Cubby said.
    â€œYou have that game too, mon?” Ziggy asked Cubby enthusiastically.
    â€œSure,” Cubby said. “I can get to the very top level!”
    Ziggy looked at him with awe.
    â€œWe also need mission specialists,” Stanley continued. “These are the folks who do space walks—wecall them EVAs, or extravehicular activities—and payload specialists, the folks who work on the cargo or the experiments.”
    â€œCan I be those too, mon?” Ziggy asked.
    â€œThis is a team effort, Ziggy.” Stanley checked his clipboard.