by Melinda Metz
Zoe wanted to spend every free second she had in the lab. She couldn’t wait to try out all the neat scientific equipment. She, Goo, Samuel, and Dylan had all been given a science experiment to work on — Zoe’s experiment was studying worms.
They’d also need to put in an hour a day on the treadmill that was at one end of the lab module. Real colonists would have to exercise to keep their bones and muscles strong in Mars’s lower gravity. And for the next three days, they were colonists!
“The last module is your galley, or kitchen,” Mr. Pegg said, leading them inside. “There’s a fridge, freezer, microwave, oven, and stove. The oven and stove won’t be functioning during the simulation, but you will get to use the food rehydrator.” He touched what looked like a drawer underneath a cabinet.
“Awesome possum! We get to eat dehydrated astronaut food!” Zoe exclaimed.
“But aren’t the colonists going to be growing their own food?” Dylan asked.
“Ultimately, yes, but the greenhouse modules aren’t ready yet,” Mr. Pegg said. “And the colonists won’t have any crops when they first arrive on Mars, so they’ll need to bring dehydrated food. It’s light, so they can bring more of it. As colonists, you’ll need to be aware of how quickly you use up your supplies. There’s advice on food rationing in your mission binders.”
Just then, Kaylee squeezed into the crowded room. “Sorry. I let you get ahead of me again. There’s just so much stuff in here that I want to show on my blog.” She rubbed the screen of her cell with the hem of her shirt and started taking more pictures. Zoe noticed the screen left an orange
“Well, this is the end of the tour. Any questions before you begin your Mars mission?” Mr. Pegg asked.
“Oh, I do! What happens if the hab equipment breaks?” Kaylee asked.
Mr. Pegg frowned, then quickly flashed a big smile. “I have complete confidence in our equipment,” he answered. “But if something does go wrong with one of the systems during the simulation — which is very unlikely — we’ve made sure the habs will still be supplied with oxygen, heat, and everything else the kids need. They’ll be perfectly safe.”
“And we’ll have Mission Control,” Zoe reminded Kaylee. “They’ll help us figure out any problems. We’re even wearing monitors so they can watch our vital signs.” She ran her fingers over one of the electrodes taped to her skin.
“Are there any other questions from our colonists?” Mr. Pegg asked, turning toward the S.M.A.R.T.S.
Zoe was sure she’d think of a million questions later, but they’d have their binder — and Goo, who remembered everything she read. “I think we’re good,” she answered. The other three nodded.
“Great!” Mr. Pegg clapped his hands. “See you when you return to Earth.”
“Good luck!” Kaylee said. She turned and followed Mr. Pegg through the tight tunnel that led out of the hab.
The S.M.A.R.T.S. colonists were all alone.
Goo had already sat at the table and started flipping through the binder. “Okay, so our most important job is keeping the hab operating smoothly. It’s the only thing protecting us.”
“Protecting us from … what?” Samuel asked.
“You know. The stuff we’ve been talking about since we won the contest,” Goo answered. “The average temperature on Mars is negative eighty degrees Fahrenheit. The atmosphere is only about one percent of Earth’s atmosphere. That means a lot less protection from radiation. And Mars’s atmosphere is only about 0.2 percent oxygen,” she rattled off.
“On Earth, the atmosphere is twenty-six percent oxygen,” Dylan added. “So basically if we went outside without protective gear, we’d freeze to death, suffocate, and get radiation poisoning.”
Zoe shivered. She was excited to be in the hab. After all, being an astronaut was her dream. But it was a little scary imagining living on a planet that was so dangerous.
5
“I feel like I’m working at NASA,” Jaden said from his console in the control center. He, Caleb, Sonja, and Benjamin were alone in the S.M.A.R.T.S. Mission Control, ready to start the simulation. The control centers for the other groups were all on the second floor of the Mars Commission building — Mads and S.M.A.R.T.S. on the west wing, and the Kelvins and Fig Neutrons on the east.
“Me too,” Caleb agreed, sitting down at the console next to Jaden. A row of monitors was set up in front of him.
The four S.M.A.R.T.S. kids were taking the first Mission Control shift, which meant they would be watching over the colonists in the hab for the next eight hours. Antonio, Destiny, and Brooke were taking the night shift, which started at two thirty in the morning.
While the colonists had been getting a tour of the hab, one of the Mars Commission engineers had been going over the control center’s equipment with the rest of the S.M.A.R.T.S., plus Mrs. Ram and Mr. Leavey. She had also explained that all communication between Mission Control and the colonists would be on a twelve-minute delay.
Although emails could be sent almost instantly on Earth, communication between Mars and Earth wouldn’t be so easy. Messages couldn’t travel faster than the speed of light, and Mars was between 34.8 million to 250 million miles from Earth, depending on where the two planets were in their rotations around the Sun.
That meant a message could take anywhere from 3 to 22.5 minutes to go from one planet to the other. In order to make the simulation realistic, Mr. Pegg had decided it should take twelve minutes to receive emails or other communications.
After they’d gone over the Mission Control basics, Antonio, Destiny, and Brooke had gone upstairs to rest in the huge suite that S.M.A.R.T.S. had been assigned. Then Mrs. Ram and Mr. Leavey had left too. The sponsors were allowed in the control center, but Mr. Pegg wanted the kids to handle the simulation on their own. The Mission Control team had Mrs. Ram and Mr. Leavey’s cell numbers if they needed anything.
“Okay, so what do we do first?” Sonja asked.
“How about if we each monitor one colonist?” Jaden suggested. They wouldn’t be using all the tech in the room, but they’d be able to monitor the most important functions of the hab and keep watch on the colonists’ vital signs. “We can divide up the hab systems too, so we won’t have to try to watch everything at once.”
“I’ll take … Samuel,” Benjamin said. He was still pausing in the middle of every sentence, as if Samuel would be jumping in to finish it.
They quickly divided up the rest of the hab team. Sonja would monitor Goo. Jaden would monitor Dylan. Caleb would monitor Zoe.
“Samuel’s stressed!” Benjamin exclaimed as he brought up his twin’s vitals. “Blood pressure … is one hundred and thirty over ninety. Heart rate … ninety-four beats per minute. I knew he should … have traded.”
“Those levels aren’t dangerous,” Sonja pointed out.
“But Benjamin’s levels might be,” Caleb muttered to Jaden.
Jaden glanced over. Benjamin’s forehead was sweaty, and he seemed to be blinking faster than usual. He definitely looked stressed!
“Hey, look!” Sonja exclaimed. “They’re coming into the common room! It seems like everyone’s okay.”
The common room was the only part of the hab with a camera that sent a video feed back to the control center. They all watched the screen as Zoe, Goo, Dylan, and Samuel sat down in padded chairs.
“What is Samuel doing?” Caleb yelled, jumping to his feet. “He’s eating Cheez Crunchies!”
“So? We really … like them,” Benjamin said.
“But crumbs!” Caleb replied, running over to the screen. He tapped it to enlarge the image of Samuel. Big orange crumbs had fallen onto the twin’s shirt.
Jaden felt like an alarm bell had started ringing in his head. “Crumbs could get into the CO2 scrubber,” he explained. “They might really mess up the machine. And if the scrubber is broken, the air will become unsafe to breathe!”
The colonists produced carbon dioxide, or CO2, every time they exhaled. The invisible gas had to be taken out of the a
ir and vented outside the hab by a special gadget called the CO2 scrubber. If too much carbon dioxide filled the sealed hab, there wouldn’t be enough oxygen left for the colonists to breathe.
“Why does he even have Crunchies?” Caleb moaned. “Astronauts don’t get to bring food like that. They can’t even have bread. They use tortillas for sandwiches. Crumbs can be deadly!”
“I don’t … get it. I packed … both our bags. No Crunchies,” Benjamin answered. Then he started blinking even faster. “Someone else must’ve put Crunchies in Samuel’s bag!” He spoke loudly and without any more hesitation. “It was Barrett!”
“Let’s go find that stinking cheater!” Sonja cried, already starting for the door.
“No!” Jaden rolled his desk chair into the aisle to block her. “We don’t know he did it.”
“Who else could it be?” Benjamin demanded.
Jaden thought for a second. “The Earth Firsters!” he exclaimed. “I bet they’d love for the Mars Commission to look bad in front of all the reporters and possible investors. Maybe they’re trying to mess up the simulation.”
“That would make sense,” Caleb agreed. “But Barrett is still a good suspect. We know he doesn’t have a problem with playing dirty.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Jaden promised. “Just not now. We’re Mission Control. Our first job is to help the colonists.”
Sonja huffed out a frustrated breath, then nodded. “You’re right. They need to know not to eat any more Crunchies.”
“I’ll email Samuel!” Benjamin volunteered.
“We’re probably too late,” Caleb said.
“What are you talking about?” Benjamin asked. His fingers were already flying over the keyboard.
“Remember the delay? It’ll take twelve minutes for the message to get to them. And the video we’re getting is on a twelve-minute delay too,” Caleb explained. “Which means Benjamin was actually eating the Crunchies twelve minutes before we saw him do it. He’s probably already finished the whole bag.”
“I forgot about that,” Benjamin said. He hit the send button so hard it made a popping sound. “I forgot how far away Mars really is.”
6
The first thing Zoe thought about when she woke up in her tiny bedroom Saturday morning was the CO2 scrubber. She’d been worrying about it ever since they got that email from Mission Control last night. She couldn’t believe she and the other colonists hadn’t thought about the damage the Crunchies crumbs might do.
Zoe climbed out of her bunk, got dressed, and walked through the short tunnel to the common room. She checked the stats on the hab’s atmosphere. The carbon dioxide levels were fine — for now.
She sat down in front of a monitor to check her email. Nothing official from Mission Control, but there were messages from other S.M.A.R.T.S., cheering the colonists on. There was also an email from Mr. Pegg:
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Hi, Zoe!
I hope you’re enjoying the experience of being a Mars colonist. Traveling to Mars, you would have already spent more than six months with your three crewmates.
One of the difficulties of being a colonist is living in such close quarters — even with your friends. To make our simulation as realistic as it can be, I have a request. It may sound strange, but I’d like you to crack your knuckles at least twice an hour. Many people find the sound irritating. These kind of minor annoyances can become a huge problem on Mars.
I hope you’ll help me out with this, Zoe. I’m so pleased to have you as one of the first people to live in our habs.
Sincerely,
Tim Pegg
Zoe stared at the email for a few moments, then closed it. She’d read tons about life as an astronaut, and she knew Mr. Pegg was right about how hard it was to live in a small space with other people.
Still … Zoe nibbled her lip. She didn’t want to do anything that would bug Goo, Dylan, and Samuel, but it would make the simulation more realistic. Maybe it could help the Mars Commission better prepare the real colonists. She decided she’d do it.
“Hi,” came a voice.
Zoe looked over her shoulder and saw Goo. “Hi,” she answered.
Keeping her eyes locked on Goo, Zoe cracked her knuckles. The sound didn’t seem to bother Goo. She had the right kind of personality for a colonist — she didn’t get upset much.
“First thing on our schedule is breakfast,” Zoe said. “Want to go rehydrate something?”
“Sure,” Goo said. “I just want to check my email first.”
Zoe nodded while she logged out. “See you in there.”
When Zoe reached the small galley, she found Dylan and Samuel going through the foil packages of food.
“I’m going for the Mexican scrambled eggs,” Dylan announced. He moved out of the way so Zoe could look at the choices, then slid the top of his package into the rehydrator. He selected the number of milliliters of water needed, chose hot, and then started the machine. “My mom should get one of these,” he said when he pulled the package free and tore it open.
“You aren’t supposed to open it right away,” Goo told him as she joined them in the galley. “The package tells you how long to wait. Didn’t you read the directions?” Zoe noticed that Goo’s voice was sharper than usual.
Dylan frowned as he looked into the package. “Gross. I’m throwing it away and starting over.”
“You can’t. The food is rationed. We only get to eat a certain amount a day,” Zoe reminded him. “There’s no mini-mart to walk to on Mars.”
“I’ll go hungry then,” Dylan snapped. “It smells terrible anyway.”
“I thought dinner was good last night,” she replied, cracking her knuckles. Samuel flinched.
Uh-oh, Zoe thought. She’d forgotten how much Samuel hated that sound. And she had to crack her knuckles twice an hour!
“You can have my food,” Samuel told Dylan. “I’m not hungry.” He glared at Zoe, then stomped out of the galley.
He’s a lot more than just irritated, Zoe thought, staring after Samuel and feeling worried. To win the competition, she, Samuel, Dylan, and Goo needed to work as a team. But could they do that when it was obvious that Samuel couldn’t even stand to be in the same room with her?
7
After breakfast, Caleb and Jaden decided to investigate the Cheez Crunchies mystery before their next Mission Control shift. Step one was to check out the Earth Firsters.
When they walked out of the huge front doors, they spotted the protestors sitting in groups by a row of tents. “So do we just walk up to them?” Caleb asked. “Or do we —”
“I think the decision’s been made for us,” Jaden answered. The girl with the long black braid was trotting toward them, a bag slung over one shoulder. A younger girl with the same long black hair was with her.
“Hi, I’m Robin. You’re some of the contest winners, right?” the girl said, coming to a stop in front of them.
Caleb nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m Caleb, and this is Jaden.”
“Nice to meet you,” she replied, smiling. “We’re having breakfast. You want to eat with us?”
Jaden raised his eyebrows. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. It’ll be good too. Everything’s locally grown. Did you know that they’ve started growing quinoa around here?” Robin asked.
“I don’t even know what quinoa is,” Jaden admitted.
“It’s a kind of grain,” Robin explained.
The younger girl made a face and pretended to gag. “Hey, do you guys have smart phones?” she asked. “You must. Everybody has one, if their parents aren’t crazy.”
“Lark, no!” Robin exclaimed.
“What?” Lark said. “If I borrow a phone, I didn’t buy it, so I didn’t use money that could be used to help people. I borrow my friends’ at school. Please just let me borrow one.” She looked back and forth between Caleb and Jaden. “I want to get to the next level of Bubble Witch.”
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“They aren’t giving you a phone,” Robin said firmly. She turned back toward the boys. “So, breakfast?”
Caleb eyed Robin suspiciously. “It seemed like you didn’t want us around when we showed up yesterday,” he said. “And now you’re inviting us to breakfast?”
“We don’t have anything against you,” Robin answered. “We just don’t want some company spending billions of dollars on something stupid when there are so many people who need so much right here.”
“But every space mission has led to amazing new technology,” Jaden protested. “Like the research NASA has done on artificial muscle systems for their space robots has given people better prosthetic limbs. Firefighting gear used all over the country is based on lightweight materials that were developed for our space program. And —”
“And did you know that forty-nine million people in the U.S. have trouble getting enough food?” Robin interrupted. “Let me give you one of our pamphlets.” She dug around in her bag, spilling stuff onto the ground — a hairbrush, a library book, and a packet of Cheez Crunchies!
Caleb picked it up. “Wow. I didn’t know they had Crunchies trees in the U.S.!” he exclaimed.
Lark giggled. Robin snatched the Crunchies away from Caleb. “Those aren’t mine!” she snapped.
“Then why were they in your bag?” Jaden’s voice was calm, but his Spidey senses were tingling. Could Robin be the one who’d put the Crunchies in Samuel’s bag?
A blush spread up Robin’s neck and into her face. “It belonged to someone in my group,” she admitted. “I confiscated it.”
“She’s like the Earth First police,” Lark whispered.
“Look,” Robin insisted, “not everyone in Earth First is perfect. But we’re still right about how it’s horrible to waste a bunch of money going to Mars!”
Robin shoved the Cheez Crunchies into her bag, then grabbed the rest of her stuff off the ground. She took Lark’s hand and hurried away.
