movie. There are no secret creatures lurking inside that space shuttle.â He threw his smelly socks at Ziggy, who ducked.
âAlso,â Jerome added, âI heard somewhere that they filled it up with cement when they mounted it there, to make sure space-happy kids like you donât try anything. There would be nothing to see even ifyou could somehow climb the one hundred feet to the top of it.â
âBesides,â Rico said, âif you so much as put your big toe outside the door of this Habitat tonight, alarms will ring, adults will show up in their nightclothesâa horrible thoughtâand youâll be sent home before the moonlight has time to shine on your face.â
âYou know what, Ziggy,â Rashawn said. âYouâd get us all in trouble and make our team look bad if you tried something like that.â
âYes, but weâre the Black Dinosaurs clubâshouldnât we be solving a mystery while weâre here?â Ziggy asked.
âThe only mystery I care about right now is what happened to my pjâs!â Rico said as he dumped out his bag of clothes.
âYouâre sitting on them,â Cubby told him with a laugh as he climbed into his bunk. Rico grabbed the pajamas and stuffed his other clothes back into his bag.
âHey, donât worry. Ziggy is no fool, mon! But I can dream, canât I? This whole place is about learningthe science to help make dreams come true. Maybe one day I can do that.â He climbed into his top bunk. âBut for now, Iâm getting some sleep and dreaming of ways to get to space.â He pulled the covers over his head.
The next morning, the boys woke to an early wake-up call and a breakfast of waffles and eggs. For their first activity, Team America headed over to the Multi-Axis Trainer, which Samantha called the MAT. A little nervous, each camper in the group shifted from one foot to the other as Samantha adjusted the straps and checked it for safety.
âIt looks like a giant eggbeater,â Ziggy said.
âPretty big eggs,â Rico said with awe in his voice.
âMartian eggs, of course, mon,â Ziggy said, trying to sound unconcerned.
âItâs designed to show you how your body would react if you were in a space vehicle that went into a tumble, so it goes upside down and around and aroundâalmost at the same time,â Cubby explained.
âYou ever been on one?â Jerome asked.
Cubby shook his head. âI know a lot of this stuff because Iâve read about it in books, but Iâve never been on any of this equipment,â he admitted.
âWhoâs going first?â Samantha asked.
Ziggy raised his hand. âSince I fully intend to be a real astronaut,â he announced boldly, âIâm gonna be the first to see what it feels like to get your guts scrambled!â
He walked over to the circular-shaped machine, which was about eight feet tall and four feet wide. It was made of about thirty rounded metal bars that curved around the astronaut-traineeâs seat. In the center of it a leather-cushioned chair with crisscross shoulder straps, arm and leg restraints, and a sturdy seat belt waited for Ziggy.
Samantha helped Ziggy climb into the seat, strapped him in carefully, and asked, âAre you ready, Ziggy?â
He nodded, and she stepped over to the controls to turn the machine on. âKeep your eyes open,â she suggested. âThat way, your body will know where it is and you wonât get dizzy.â
âI hope my body knows that,â Ziggy told her quietly.
âHis face looks just like it did the day he got called to the principalâs office for letting that stray dog in school and hiding it all day,â Rashawn whispered to Jerome.
âDo you think heâll throw up?â Rico asked.
âI hope not!â Cubby said. âThat wouldnât be a pretty sight.â
The MATâs motor began to hum, and then