Chapter 6

HOLD ON TIGHT

The next morning, I was super-excited. We were going to take our first Martian walk! I didn’t know whether I was more excited for the Martian walk or the ability to talk with Raj and Yuna without having to text them.

After breakfast, everyone met in the exit pod and put on their space suits.

A green light inside the exit pod blinked a few times, and Mom announced that it was time for us to go outside. A door slid open, and suddenly there was nothing between Mars’s surface and us. Mom went out first and then the rest of us followed.

“Everyone is free to have fun and explore, but the plan is to collect as many samples as we can,” said Mom. “If you see any rocks or other deposits that you think look interesting, please place them in your bag or in your pockets. For all we know, one of you might discover a Martian fossil or a deposit containing water. Kids, Professor Will updated the translation feature in your helmets. I think you’ll find it more accurate now.”

“I can’t believe this!” Yuna said, walking away from the pod.

“I know,” I said. “To move faster, try skipping.”

“Wait up,” Raj called, waving goodbye to his parents.

We all skipped off in the same direction. The ground reminded me a lot of the desert. I immediately noticed a small pile of rocks that looked interesting. I took out my bag and stopped. Raj and Yuna stopped there too. “Let’s take some samples,” I said.

“Wow! I love collecting rocks and shells on the beach at home,” Yuna said.

“But this is way more exciting,” Raj added.

“Maybe your mom will let me paint some of the Martian rocks when we get back in the station,” Yuna said.

Dad bounced up to us. He looked funny bouncing across the surface like a bunny. He was recording us on his camera, which made him look even sillier. We waved, and he recorded us collecting samples and bouncing around the surface.

I spotted Apollo and the kids from his team in the distance. They were kicking something back and forth. “What is that?” I asked Dad.

“It’s a soccer ball.”

“Football!” Raj declared. “Football on Mars!”

I quickly realized that when I said “soccer” and he said “football,” we were talking about the same thing.

“Can we play?” Raj asked.

“Sure,” Dad said. “Skip on over and join in. It’s the first-ever sporting event on Mars! The work can wait for a while.”

Kicking a ball on Mars is much different than doing the same thing on Earth. Since gravity isn’t as strong on Mars, the ball traveled much farther when we kicked it. It was going so far that if we were on Earth, it would have looked as if we were professionals.

Apollo had just launched a kick way into the atmosphere above us. When we looked up to see it, we spotted Professor Will soaring above us in the Martian Master. The ball sailed up on a collision course with the MM. Professor Will tried to move out of the way, but the ball smacked into the MM anyway.

Everyone cringed. “I didn’t mean it,” Apollo said sheepishly.

The MM wobbled a bit, turned, and headed back toward the station.

“Let’s go see if he’s all right!” Dad shouted.

Professor Will had just landed when we reached him. “I’m so sorry!” Apollo pleaded when the professor got out.

“That was some shot!” he exclaimed. “You really gave me a scare.” The professor crawled underneath the MM to take a look.

“Thanks,” Apollo said proudly.

“Is there any damage?” I asked.

“The MM is designed to handle far worse things than getting hit with a ball, but I’ll double-check everything anyway.”

After a quick safety check, we all watched as Professor Will demonstrated the Martian Master. First, he hovered above us. Then, he blasted off like a spaceship and zoomed out of sight. In no time at all, he was back and landed on the surface. He rolled over to where we stood and stopped. We were all speechless, even Mom.

He got out and said, “The Martian Master works even better than I’d imagined. Cozzie, great work!”

Cozzie gave a thumbs-up and said, “No problem.”

I could see why the professor painted the Martian Master green. It made it stand out against the red surface.

“I’d like to give everyone a chance to explore with an MM. Inside you’ll see a touch screen with a map of the entire planet. The map can use your location to guide you anywhere on Mars. I’ve designed them so children can use them as well as the adults. If for any reason you lose control while operating the vehicle, the computers will take over. If you see Apollo playing soccer, avoid him at all cost,” he joked. There were several giggles.

“In order to be extra-safe, though,” Mom said, “we’ll have an adult go in each Martian Master.”

Dad went with Apollo and his team, and Mom and Cozzie went with my group and me.

“Can I drive?” Cozzie asked, climbing in.

“Let Starr start off,” Mom answered. “After she gets the hang of it, maybe you can sit on Mommy’s lap and have a turn.” Cozzie didn’t seem thrilled, but he agreed.

Cozzie climbed in the back with Mom, and I climbed in the front with Raj and Yuna. I touched the control-panel screen and the Martian Master turned on.

It displayed a map of the area around us and highlighted some of the interesting things that we might want to see.

“Olympus Mons!” Raj exclaimed. “We have to see Olympus Mons!”

“That’s fine with me,” Yuna added.

I knew from my research that Olympus Mons was the highest point on Mars. “It’s the tallest volcano in the solar system,” I said.

“Volcano!” Cozzie exclaimed. “We’ll get burned by the lava!”

“It’s not active,” Yuna said.

“It’s perfectly safe,” Mom assured him.

Raj turned back to look at Cozzie. “Would you like to press the screen and tell the Martian Master where we’re going, Cozzie?” he asked.

Cozzie lit up. He looked at Mom, and she nodded that it was fine. He unbuckled quickly and leaned over the seat. “Hold on tight!” he shouted, pressing the screen.