Mission to Mars

Question

by Sheela Raman
It had taken decades of hard work, but at long last the day arrived. Hundreds of spectators gathered at
NASA's Kennedy Air Force Base to watch the Orion 254 shuttle shoot up into outer space, headed for
Mars. Almost everyone in the world had tuned in to watch live footage of the launch on their smartphones
or on TV. Onboard the shuttle two astronauts, dressed in puffy white spacesuits, patiently waited for
blastoff. Roy and Ciara Thomas were a married couple NASA had specially selected to undertake this
risky mission. In just a few minutes, they would begin an adventure that would carry them further away
from Earth than anyone else in human history.
A voice came over the speakers that hovered above the excited spectators. Suddenly the crowd hushed.
"In 1969, human beings walked on the moon for the first time," said the deep, confident voice, "and now, in
July of 2020, we expand our frontier to Mars. Please send your salutations and blessings to our brave
astronauts as they embark on this groundbreaking mission. "
Everyone erupted into cheers and whistles, and Ciara and Roy smiled as they heard these expressions of
support over their shuttle radio. Family and friends of the astronauts stood at the front of the crowd. Tears
streamed down their faces. They were proud of Roy and Ciara, but they did not know when or if they
would ever see them again. The voyage would take at least a year to complete, and it involved many
risks. Although Earth was now at its closest possible distance to Mars, the famed Red Planet was still 34
ReadWorks.org · © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mission to Mars
million miles away. The moon, which is 240,000 miles away from Earth, seemed a walk around the block
by comparison.
"Ten," counted the deep voice, "nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!" And with that, colossal
fuel jets attached to the shuttle shot white-hot streaks of fire into the ground, and the shuttle and tanks
immediately shot upward into the sky. In order to generate enough force to propel the shuttle from the
earth's surface all the way into outer space, the shuttle's fuel tanks had to send an enormous amount of
opposite pressure against the ground. That's why NASA scientists designed the jets to be so big and
powerful. The jets created a great show of fire and smoke when they released.
Within minutes, Roy and Ciara passed through the top layers of the earth's atmosphere. The fuel jets,
which were no longer necessary, broke away from the shuttle and drifted off into the vastness of outer
space. Roy and Ciara began to float inside the shuttle because Earth's gravitational pull no longer
weighed them down. Oxygen tanks fed air into their surroundings so that they could breathe. Roy and
Ciara took their first deep breaths in space and gazed out the window. A brilliant blue sphere rose before
them amid the blackness like a giant, shimmering jewel. That was Planet Earth, home to their fellow men
and women, and they were now hurtling away from it at 75,000 miles per hour.
"Ground control to Roy and Ciara," said a happy voice on the radio from Mission Control.
"Roy Thomas to Mission Control," replied Roy.
"That was a textbook takeoff," the officer said. "Congratulations!"
"Thanks," said Roy. "We'll keep you posted as we move along."
NASA chose Roy and Ciara for the Mars mission not only because they were both very intelligent and
physically fit, but also because they were happily married. Over such a long trip, NASA felt it was better to
send people who would not easily get into fights. If anything went wrong on board the spacecraft, Roy and
Ciara would have to work as a tight team to fix the problem. For an entire year they would have to survive
without a single freshly cooked meal-all their food was stored on the craft in vacuum-sealed packs and
tubes. A finite cargo of oxygen tanks contained their air supply. If at any point the mission stalled for too
long, they ran the risk of running out of air to breathe. To maintain a good attitude amidst these
challenges, the two astronauts really had to enjoy each other's company.
The risks of the Mars voyage did not seem to faze either Roy or Ciara. They were excited about the
contribution they would make to human understanding of the universe. Roy was tall and broadshouldered, and had been an Air Force captain before joining the team at NASA. Ciara was a petite, fineboned woman, who worked as an astrophysicist for most of her career before volunteering to train as an
astronaut.
For one whole quiet year the couple sailed across space. Every now and then Roy grew claustrophobic
inside the small craft, but when this happened he exercised on the special fitness machines, or donned his
spacesuit and opened the door of the craft, climbing on top of its surface to check that all parts were
running smoothly. Ciara wrote in a journal about the beautiful sights she saw out the window-distant
galaxies and stars, a giant asteroid not so far away. By the time Orion 254 finally approached the arid,
rust-colored surface of Mars, people on Earth had almost forgotten about them. But as the craft got closer
and closer to the red surface, news channels on Earth started buzzing. "Humans on Mars, at long last!
Another giant leap for mankind!" they proclaimed.
Roy manned the gears of the craft now, directing it to a flat plain on the surface of Mars, just between two
deep craters. He was an expert pilot, and he landed the spacecraft with a gentle thud. "Bravo!" shouted
ReadWorks.org · © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mission to Mars
Mission Control. Everyone was clapping in the background. "You're about to make history!"
With great care and attention, the astronauts put their spacesuits back on. On top of these suits they
strapped an extra layer to protect against radiation, much like a doctor puts a protective layer over a
patient before performing an X-ray. Unlike Earth, Mars does not have a very thick atmosphere or an ozone
layer, so the radiation from the sun is many times stronger there. In a pouch attached to her spacesuit,
Ciara carried jars and a small shovel to collect samples of Martian soil. She would be the first person to
bring this precious material back to Earth. What would they discover in it? Alien bacteria? Some powerful,
indestructible metal?
Roy switched on the television monitors outside the spacecraft, so citizens of Earth could watch this
historic, first walk on Mars. The two astronauts fixed microphones to the insides of their suits so that they
could talk to each other, Mission Control, and the rest of the earthly world. They fastened their spacesuits
to cords inside the craft and stepped out into the swirling dust.
As he took his first steps, Roy saw a flicker of silver out of the corner of his eye. It seemed to move
through the air and settle behind a rock to his right. Forgetting for a moment that he had to move slowly,
Roy dashed forward to catch a better glimpse. In that one moment the cord attaching him to the
spacecraft suddenly snapped, and he went floating into the air. People watching from Earth gripped their
chairs in fear. There was not enough gravity on Mars to hold Roy steadily on the ground.
Ciara saw what happened and immediately shouted to him over the intercom. "Throw something out in
front of you! As hard as you can!"
Roy knew when to listen to his wife. He removed a big hammer from his tool belt and hurled it with all his
might directly ahead of him. The force of his throw generated an equal and opposite force that sent Roy
hurtling backwards-right back into the spacecraft. He grabbed hold of the doors of the craft to steady
himself and then looked at the broken cord. Fortunately they had the materials to fix the tear, and Ciara
and Roy worked together quickly to patch it up. Within fifteen minutes they were back out on the surface.
Mission Control and most of planet Earth cheered them along.
"Mars landing, take two," said Roy, to Mission Control.
"What happened?" asked the commander at Mission Control. "Why did you rush forward like that?"
"You're not going to believe this," said Roy. "But I swear I saw something silver, moving behind that rock
just ahead."
"Are you saying . . . that you might have seen a life form?" asked the commander in a serious, quiet voice.
"Could be," said Roy. "Won't know for sure until we explore a bit."
"Indeed," said Ciara. "We'll have to be very quiet and slow."
Side by side, tools in hand, Roy and Ciara Thomas ventured forth into the mysterious red landscape.

Where is the shuttle carrying Roy and Ciara going?(1 point)
Responses

The moon
The moon

The sun
The sun

Mars
Mars

Venus

Answer 1

Mars