STARR’S GUIDE TO SPACE TRAVEL

Apollo —

My mom and dad named my older brother Apollo after the Apollo space missions that landed the first humans on the moon.

aquaponics —

Fish and plants live together in an aquaponic system. That means a place where fish and plants are grown together. The fish waste provides nutrients to the plants, and the plants help purify the water. It’s how we grow food and raise fish on our space station.

atmosphere —

The layers of gas that surround a planet. Earth’s atmosphere is made up of five main layers. Mars’s atmosphere is 95 percent carbon dioxide. Humans would not be able to breathe on Mars.

caldera —

A caldera is a large volcanic crater.

Cosmo —

My little brother’s name is Cosmo. Mom and Dad got his name from the word “cosmos,” which means “the universe.” It’s a good name because sometimes my brother thinks the universe revolves around him.

Deimos —

One of Mars’s moons. Yes, it has two! Mars’s moons, Deimos and Phobos, were named for the horses that pulled the Greek war god Ares’s chariot. “Phobos” means “fear” and “Deimos” means “panic.”

documentary film —

My dad makes documentary films. They’re films about real things or people. He’s made some real snoozers.

greenhouse —

A greenhouse is a building where plants are grown. It helps holds in heat and protects plants from cold weather.

microgravity —

The word “micro” means “very small.” Gravity is the force that holds us to the ground. In space, gravity is not as strong, so “microgravity” basically means “small gravity.” When you see astronauts floating around in space, it’s because of microgravity. Microgravity is so much fun! You have to experience it one day!

Olympus Mons —

The largest volcano in the solar system. It’s about three times the height of Mount Everest.

orbit —

The way something goes around an object in space is called its orbit. The moon is in orbit around Earth.

Phobos —

The other Mars moon. It’s larger than Deimos.

scarp —

A very steep slope. We reached a scarp at Olympus Mons.

simulator —

A machine used for training. Mrs. Sosa trained us for space in a Zero-G simulator. It was amazing!

space-cation —

Tia and I pretty much made the word up. It’s basically the words “space” and “vacation” put together.

stabilizer —

A stabilizer is used to keep something steady or stable. In space we use them to hold us in place. If we didn’t have them, we’d float all over the place!

Valles Marineris —

The largest canyon in the solar system. It’s about four times longer and three times deeper than the Grand Canyon.

zero-G —

This is basically the same thing as microgravity, when you don’t feel gravity and you float. Sometimes people call this weightlessness. Most people think of it as floating, but it feels more like you are falling.