The Space Mission Adventure Read Online Free

chattering at each other in one of the many trees that lined the path.
    â€œHey, Rico,” he whispered. “How do we know those squirrels aren’t visitors from another planet?”
    â€œBecause they’re squirrels, not Martians!”
    â€œBut how do you know for sure? It could be a really clever disguise,” Ziggy insisted.
    â€œWouldn’t this be the logical place to land and hide and observe humans? Nobody would even notice the ship they flew in if it looked like one of ours!”
    â€œWe’ve got enough real stuff to figure out here, Ziggy, without making up wild stories about alien squirrels.” Rico opened the door to the Space Museum, where they would learn about early space travel. Jerome and Rashawn trailed behind, happily talking to the three girls from Georgia.
    There were so many visitors touring the Space Center, the children paid very little attention to the attractive African-American lady in a navy blue Space Academy jumpsuit who was walking just ahead of them. She glanced back at them as they talked about aliens, looked as if she was about to say something, but then hurried on into the building without speaking. Samantha looked at the woman as if she recognized her, but the lady seemed to be in a hurry, so Samantha let the moment pass.
    â€œSo who eats the bananas every night?” Ziggy asked as they entered the hall full of displays of real space suits and actual lunar vehicles.
    â€œIt couldn’t be the squirrels—they don’t eatfruit. They eat nuts and stuff like that.”
    â€œSee what I mean?” Ziggy said with a laugh. “I read somewhere that Martians love bananas, mon. Maybe we’ve got a mystery here after all!”

THAT NIGHT, AFTER AN IMAX MOVIE IN THE Spacedome that showed what it would be like to be in space, several lectures on early space history, a lengthy practice for their “mission,” during which they would pretend to be real members of a team launching a rocket into space, and building their own model rockets, the Pathfinder team dragged themselves wearily to the Habitat.
    Cubby and the twins headed for the showers while Ziggy and his friends got ready for bed.
    â€œNow I see why there’s no television in here,”Jerome said as he pulled off his T-shirt. “They really keep us going!”
    â€œDidn’t that shuttle look awesome in the moonlight?” Ziggy whispered dreamily. “It looked like it could just take off and head for the next galaxy.”
    â€œYeah, it did look powerful,” Rico agreed. “It’s hard to believe it can’t fly.”
    Ziggy looked thoughtful. “I still think it’s a very clever disguise for visitors from another planet. Remember that story we read about in our mythology book about the Trojan horse?”
    Jerome nodded. “Yeah, that was a cool story. The Greek soldiers put a giant wooden horse outside the gates of Troy, and the Trojans brought it into the city because they thought it was a gift.”
    â€œBut the Greek soldiers were hiding inside, and when everyone was asleep, they crept out of the wooden horse and attacked the city,” Rashawn said.
    â€œNo one suspected that big old horse had secret soldiers hiding inside, mon!” Ziggy said excitedly.“Maybe there are space warriors hiding inside that shuttle.”
    â€œThat shuttle has been sitting there for years, Ziggy. If bad guys from space are inside it, why haven’t they come out and attacked yet?” Rico asked reasonably.
    â€œI think they were waiting for us to get here, mon!” Ziggy said.
    Jerome threw a pillow at Ziggy and laughed. “Well, I hope they don’t come out of there tonight. I’m sleepy!”
    â€œI wish I could climb up there and look inside it,” Ziggy said quietly.
    â€œFirst of all,” Rashawn said as he sat in the middle of the floor taking off his socks, “you act like this is a science fiction