Chapter 3

MARTIAN MASTER

Later in the day, there was a sense of excitement on the ship like never before. People zipped in every direction preparing for the landing on Mars. Raj and Yuna stayed with their families, taking pictures and getting ready for the landing. Both of their parents were scientists and would be very busy while on Mars. While their parents were working, it would be up to me to keep Raj and Yuna safe and entertained. No pressure!

I took off on my cruiser. I wanted to take a look at some of the other experiments the crew would be doing once on the surface. Crew members were preparing to measure wind, look for water, take air and soil temperatures, and all kinds of other cool experiments.

I found Kathy busy at work. Kathy raises fish and plants together in an amazing interconnected system called aquaponics. Most of the vegetables, fruits, and fish we eat on the station come from her work. I’m her number-one helper.

Kathy was moving tomato plants from small planters to larger containers. “Hi, Starr, are you ready for the landing?” she asked.

“I can’t wait,” I said. “What are you going to do with all these plants?”

“I want to see if we can grow plants on Mars. I hope to build permanent greenhouses on the surface. If we can learn to grow crops there, people might be able to live on Mars permanently in the future.”

“But how will the plants get water?” I asked.

“The pod will be completely sealed from the outside environment. Any water that is placed inside the pod will stay inside it. If I get it right, it should create a complete water cycle.”

“But Mars is freezing cold,” I reminded her.

“True, but the Sun shines on Mars about the same number of hours per day as it does on Earth. The pod will capture the sunlight and use it to heat up the pod. Since Mars is farther from the Sun, the sunlight isn’t as strong as on Earth. The pod is designed to magnify the heat from the Sun, creating a very warm and humid environment for the plants.”

“That’s cool!”

“I’m having fun with it,” she said. Kathy looked up at me curiously. “How are things going with your team? You might have the most difficult experiment of the mission.”

I was happy that Kathy understood that working with Raj and Yuna wasn’t easy.

“They’re really nice kids, but it’s been pretty hard,” I said. “As you know, we can’t talk to each other easily.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a solution,” she said, getting back to work.

“I hope so,” I said. “I’m going to take off and see what Professor Will is up to. Maybe I’ll talk with him about it.”

When I cruised into Professor Will’s pod, he was tightening something on a vehicle I’d never seen before.

“Hi, Starr!” he said. “Are you as excited as I am to become a Martian?”

I smiled. “You bet.”

“What do you think of my latest invention?”

“It looks pretty amazing,” I said. “What is it?” It looked like an airplane, a spaceship, and a rover all mixed together. The outside was dark green with black-tinted windows.

“I call it the Martian Master, or MM for short!”

“Cool!”

It reminded me of one of Cozzie’s toys that changed from a robot to a truck.

“The MM can move several different ways,” Professor Will said. “If the weather is calm, it can fly above the surface, much like an airplane. But sometimes Mars is very windy and has sand storms. When this happens, the vehicle can simply roll along the surface like a rover. For long distances, it functions like a rocket ship and can travel at very high speeds. It may be my best invention.”

The door opened on the driver’s side and Cozzie stuck his head out. “It’s AWESOME!” he exclaimed.

“I didn’t know you were in there!” I said.

“I’m helping Professor Will build it!”

“Oh wow,” I said, smiling. I turned to the professor. “Can I climb inside with him?”

“Sure,” he said. I climbed in on the passenger side. The cockpit was larger than I expected. It had two rows of seats and could easily hold six people.

“It’s green,” Cozzie said. “Do you know why that’s important?” he asked seriously.

I thought about it for a moment. “No, why?”

“Because everything else on Mars is red, so the green makes it stand out. Professor Will told me.”

“That makes sense,” I said. “Was painting it green your idea?”

“No, I would have painted it all different colors… with zigzags… and stars,” Cozzie said.

“Your team will have access to your very own Martian Master,” I heard Professor Will say from outside the MM. “I built eight of them altogether.”

“Can the kids fly it?” I asked hopefully.

“Sure, with some training. I’ve made it very user-friendly. The Martian Master can even fly itself if needed. All you have to do is tell it where you want to go and it will do the rest.”

“I can’t wait to give it a try.”