Chapter 5

FINAL TEST

Later that day, Apollo, Cozzie, and I were going through a last-minute Martian space suit check with Mom and Dad. We were in a special training pod that created the conditions we would experience when out on the Martian surface the next day. It was the last time we’d practice before experiencing the real thing.

“Tomorrow, when we explore the surface, you’ll collect rock samples,” Mom said. “For larger samples, you’ll have bags to put the rocks in, and you can place smaller samples in the pockets of your suit. As you know, there used to be water on Mars. One of our goals for the mission is to find more evidence of water on the surface of Mars. The more samples we collect, the better the chances are that we’ll discover something amazing.”

“Where did all the water go?” Cozzie asked.

“What do you think?” Dad asked me. He was filming.

“Maybe someone drank it all,” Cozzie said.

Dad smiled.

“But no one lives on Mars,” I said, smiling at Cozzie.

“What about Martians?” he asked. “I bet they’re pretty thirsty.”

“We are the only Martians,” Mom said.

“That we know of,” Apollo added. It was as if he couldn’t help himself from trying to frighten Cozzie.

We all glared at Apollo. He smirked and said, “Sorry.”

If you were sorry, you would stop, I thought.

“In a few moments the pod is going to open slightly, which will allow the Martian atmosphere in,” Mom said. “The temperature will drop, but we should stay comfortable and safe. Are you guys ready?”

“I hope my cameras hold up,” Dad said.

My heart pounded in my chest. I knew we were safe, but it was still a little scary. What if Mars really did have some sort of curse?

“Here it comes,” Mom said, pressing a button on the side of the pod. Vents in the side of the pod opened, letting in the Martian atmosphere. The computer screen on the wall displayed the temperature. It dropped to one hundred degrees below zero Fahrenheit. The computer displayed that there was almost no oxygen and mostly carbon dioxide. Thankfully the suit continued to provide us with oxygen to breathe.

“What’s the big deal?” Cozzie asked. “I don’t feel any different.”

“That’s the idea,” Dad said.

“Perfect!” Mom said, smiling. “The space suits are absolutely perfect.”

It was hard to imagine that the temperature was so cold and there was really no oxygen outside, because I felt perfectly normal. We stayed in the suits and the simulator for about thirty more minutes as we ran tests on the suits. Mom had us run in place, jump around, and even fall a few times.

When she was convinced that the suits could handle Mars, Mom pressed the button again. The vents closed back up.

“We can take our helmets off in a few seconds,” Mom said. “The pod is filling back up with oxygen and heating the air so we can breathe safely and be comfortable.”

I looked at the monitor on the side of the pod measuring the oxygen levels and the temperature. The numbers were going up really fast until they stopped and a buzzer sounded. Mom took off her helmet and told us we could do the same.

“Well,” Mom said. “That’s the last test. We’re all set to make our first Martian walk tomorrow.”

My phone buzzed. It was Professor Will.

“Hi, Starr,” he said. “Can you stop by my pod? I think we have something you’re going to like. I’ll need your helmet.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” I said excitedly.

Raj and Yuna had kept working with the professor while I was at the safety check with my family. When I got there, Raj and Yuna had on their space helmets. Professor Will looked as proud as a peacock. I was really excited to see how our design had turned out.

Raj waved for me to hand him my helmet. I handed it to him, and he pulled out the liner and installed a bunch of wires and a small speaker. He also put in what looked like a small computer chip and screwed it all in place. Then he placed the liner carefully back.

“That looks pretty amazing,” I said.

He handed me my helmet and I put it on.

“Okay,” the professor said. “Say something.”

“What should I say?” I asked.

Raj and Yuna giggled. “Can they understand me?” I asked. “Can you understand me?!” I asked.

They giggled louder. Yuna said something in Japanese, but in my helmet I heard a computer voice say, “Starr, I can understand you can!” It wasn’t perfect, but I got the idea of what she was saying.

“Raj, can you understand me too?” I asked.

He said something in Hindi, but I heard the computer voice say, “Yes, please and thank you!”

“It’s still a bit glitchy, but it’s better than texting,” Professor Will said. “You’ll have to be careful not to jar your helmets too much. The wiring is very delicate. You don’t want to damage the speaker. You’ll really need to use that on Mars. I’ll keep working on it.”

We all nodded that we understood, but couldn’t stop talking and laughing. We could finally understand each other… kind of.