Space Travel - 100 Years from Now
By Eridin Sheffey
CONGRATULATIONS! You have won an educational solar system scholarship from the Aqua Dulce Space Port. You have won a student berth aboard the nuclear-powered USS Stargazer. Your inter-planetary passport must be current, you must show your student ID, and provide proof of zero gravity training.
Schedule:
March 8th
Launch: Please arrive at the Agua Dulce Space Port on March 8, 2107. Your flight leaves at 11:30am Earth-Greenwich Standard Time. Be sure to arrive two hours early to process your interplanetary documents and get fitted for your space suit. Do not eat before the launch, to prevent vomiting.
March 9th
Arrive on Moon. Get three astronomy units at the historic Albert Einstein Observatory. Visit the Sea of Tranquility Lunar State Park to see the Apollo 11 landing site, good for two archeology credits.
March 11th
Launch off the Moon to Mars, landing at the Olympus Mons Spaceport on July 26th. You will stay at the Mt. Olympus Hilton Hotel, which offers a spectacular view of the largest mountain in the solar system. Attend the annual Neil Armstrong Gala Ball on July 29th and meet astronomers and planetary scientists. It starts 5 EGST (Earth Greenwich Standard Time).
You will be on Mars for a week. Tour the polar ice cap water treatment plant, the beautiful gardens in the Themis Ridge Greenhouse, ski on frozen carbon dioxide at the Pathfinder Ski Lodge, and study fish in Chico Valles Canyon. This canyon was filled with water, is heated by high tech solar panels, covered with SPF glass, and filled with fish.
August 3rd
Launch off Mars, and start your study of gaseous planets.
August 31st
Dock at the Callisto Spaceport, in orbit around Saturn, to take on water from the underground ocean water treatment plant. Taste the delicious sweet water, swim in the mid-solar system swimming pool, and study at the Galileo Observatory, where you can see Jupiter, the rings, and the moons.
September 19th
You leave for your next stop, Saturn, arriving on October 14th. You will land at the Titan Spaceport. You will enjoy a ride in a Zeppelin Observatory, which is filled with hydrogen from Saturn's atmosphere, and floats easily in Titan's noncombustible nitrogen atmosphere. From the Zeppelin Observatory, you will be able to get a fantastic view of the rings and moons that circle the planet. This is the furthest point that we can take you as students. Scientists are working on establishing a spaceport on one of Uranus's moons, Rosalind. We are hoping to include this as part of your studies in 2112.
October 30th
Launch for home! On October 31St will be a homecoming Halloween Party on the ships ballroom. You can enjoy zero-gravity gymnastics by the Martian Olympic Team.
On the way home, we will make one more stop at the Callisto Spaceport for water. During the spaceflight, you have access to the onboard Stellar Observatory, seminars on space flight and engineering, and can finally relax at the Solar Panel Sun Deck.
All aboard!