To:

From:

Hi, my name is Miles Ramirez. It has been my dream to be an astronaut since I was a little kid. I always wondered what it felt like to shoot up into the stars and explore places that no one has ever dared to research. I am now 36 years old, and train at the NASA center as an astronaut! My favorite part of the space suit is the liquid cooling garment under the suit.

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When I grow up I want to be the best astronaut ever and fly among the stars!

- Miles 

(Second Grade)

They are designed to keep an astronaut’s body temperature within normal ranges by allowing cool water to circulate through flexible tubes.  Furthermore, I made lots of close friends at training including Kyle Hudson, Atlas Wells, and Paisly Callahan. 

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One day after my training, the chief of the NASA astronaut department, Gregory R. Wiseman, confronts me. “Hi Chief,” I say.  “Hello Miles, I’ve got some important news to tell you!” Chief Wiseman replies. 

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He then informs me that 6 astronauts including me are chosen to accomplish a current space mission! I finally have the opportunity to go into space to find new planets and novel information about the solar system. This mission is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I could not simply turn down.

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On September 21st, 2037, I woke to the pitter-patter of the rain falling outside. I lay listening to the rain drumming a percussive tune on my roof. Suddenly, the sound of a deep, bellowing rumble fills the room, Crash, Ka-Boom! I knew it was coming…I walk over to the window just in time to see an electric eel slithering across the dark sea of clouds. Just like that, I remembered what today was all about.  

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I quickly turn around and sprint to the bathroom. I get ready and make my way to the space station. Once I get there, I could tell that my team: Sage Anderson, Hazel Crofford, Paisley Callahan, Ben Forbes, and Atlas Wells are thinking the same idea as me. We do not expect to take off due to the weather. 

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In training, we all learned that most of the time, spaceships don’t blast off on the day they planned because of the weather.  For example, there is no takeoff until the wind passes down because the wind at a fast speed might push the rocket off-course. 

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“What are we going to do?” Sage says worriedly.  A couple of minutes pass and luckily, the thick foggy clouds quickly turn into a clear open space. My team and I put on our space suits and buckle up as the sound of “T- minus 9, 8, 7, 6, 5,” rings in our ears!  Both excitement and anticipation of the unknown rushed over me as we went BLASTOFF!! I watch the world as it gets smaller until I can no longer see it. 

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Thankfully, the launch to space is smooth and successful…Or so we think.  My eyes light up as I spot hundreds of twinkling stars, wow.  “Miles, Miles!”  I see Paisley running down the spaceship and when I look at her concerned face, I knew something was wrong. 

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“Huff puff, huff puff,” as she struggles to catch her breath, Paisley tells me that the spaceship’s brake is not functioning! “Miles, the brakes aren't working, I’m afraid we are increasing the speed at a rapid rate.” Paisley and I go down to the control panel to access the nook.  I see all my crewmates huddled around the colorful buttons and levers. 

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All of a sudden, we feel the ground shaking. I think to myself, “stay calm Miles, you have to pull it together, the ship is now flying faster than it has ever flown before. Right now, it might feel like an insane roller coaster ride, but we can figure out a way to make it out alive, TOGETHER!”Just as I am gaining hope, the control panel sparks like fireworks! “Crackle, Crackle, whizz, ZOOOOM!” 

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“The spaceship is accelerating up to 70%  at the speed of light!” “I’m afraid we can’t slow down, the forward-facing thruster is damaged!” I verbalize to my crewmates. Scared of the unknown, my team and I hold on tight as everything turns pale white… 

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My mind went blank… I wake up laying on a stormy cold planet, my body aching and covered with bruises. A jagged landscape wrapped this mysterious planet like a warm blanket.        

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The silence that surrounds me is deafening,  “Where are we?” I say weakly. I look around and see a horrifying sight, our spaceship has broken down into millions of pieces.  Coming back to my senses, I realize that my oxygen tank is low, and I frantically get up –worrying, I search for any extra oxygen tanks.

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I feel sick to my bones as I take my last breath. Just as I am about to lose consciousness, my eyes land on a sparkly metallic tube, that might be an oxygen tank across the rocky ground. I sprint to the tank, “Come on, come on, I’m almost there.”  

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Just before I reached my destination, everything falls pitch black. Out of nowhere, I start to see a soft glowing light above my head. As if on cue, a big screen pops up in my mind, no way, this is just like the movies. When someone passes away doing something noble, just after the story begins to get good! “Is this it, did I die? NO! I can't! I can’t leave the crew behind on this mission, they need me to get back home safely. Focus Miles, you got this!” 

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And with a bolt of energy, I feel my lungs filling up with air. I sit up to see Ben, Atlas, Paisley, and Sage staring at me in disbelief. “It worked, it worked!” They shout.  “What worked?” I say confusingly. My crewmates give me an update about the oxygen tank. They tell me that right after I lost consciousness they switched my oxygen tank. “We’re so glad you are okay! We wouldn’t know what to do without you!” Ben said in relief. 

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I am so glad that my friends came to the rescue, but my smile simply turns into a frown when I learn that Hazel lost all her memory in the crash!  She started questioning who am I, what are we doing on this planet, and many more. “Who am I?  What’s my name? Is it Olivia? Autumn? Or is it Gabriella!? How come we’re stuck on this planet!?  Wait, how old am I?” Her ongoing questions drive me crazy, but I find the patience to answer all of them in the best way that I could. 

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My group and I then decide to search in the remains of the spaceship crash for any extra supplies.  “Guys! I found some unused oxygen tanks!” Atlas shouts across from the cargo room.  After looking around and inspecting the spaceship, My group and I had a large pile of resources and materials we could use while exploring and collecting samples from this planet. One of the best items that I found was an inflatable tent.  

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In training, I learned that sometimes astronauts use inflatable tents when camping on the moon for special missions. After setting up the tents, we agree on studying the planet and becoming aware of our surroundings. When observing the landscape, I spot a huge body of water! I excitedly sprint to the uncharted lake–finally arriving there I lean in to collect samples. 

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After I take a look at it I  quickly pull a ph level scale out of my pocket to determine the ph level. Murky and dirty as it was, the ph levels turned out to be 7.2! “WOW! That’s awesome, now we have a water source.” I think to myself. Furthermore, back at the camp, from hammering bolts to screwing nails, everyone took the time to repair our ship and explore the planet to find food. “Clank, Clank Clank,” “Huff,” after a  long hour of fixing the space ships’ engines, my arms are aching.

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I then decide to take a water break but alas,  there was no more,  so I head to the lake.  Just as I am about to scoop up a large bucket of water, I see a huge movement in the lake… I immediately back away not knowing what it is. “What could have caused a ripple that big?” I think to myself. “Are my eyes deceiving me?!”  Right as I think that I'm seeing things, a bright fluorescent green colored fish swims up from the dark depths to the surface of the lake! 

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I am amazed that there are fish on this planet, it is not only an incredible discovery but it also provides us with food! Finally filling up the bucket, I carefully walk back to the campsite to tell my teammates- only to find them arguing…again. 

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Spending all this time with the crewmates is challenging because they often get into fights and criticize each other for small mistakes.  For example, Sage was furious at Ben simply because he took the last of the water. Even in these crazy situations, I try to remain calm. “Whew!” I take the opportunity to distract them from all the drama.

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“Hey, guys I found fish in the lake!”  “Wait what?!” Atlas asks, confused. “Yeah, I can’t believe it too! Come on, let’s check it out!” We all stand around the rim of the lake,  focusing our attention on the cloudy water. After a while, we start to see silhouettes of gilled creatures, and before we know it, there are hundreds of neon-colored fish swimming through the water. “Wow, it’s soooo pretty, almost as if it is a rainbow!” Hazel says. 

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The next morning, I gather some extra rope and a sharp piece of aluminum alloy from the spaceship crash to make a makeshift gadget. I also reach for an empty bucket. Finally, I take a stroll to the lake to collect more water and gather fish to eat. Once I get there, I quietly sneak behind a huge boulder, keeping my eye on the team's potential meal. 

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“That's it, keep it steady,” I tell myself as I take a deep breath, untie the rope, and aim for my prey.  I gently pull my arm back and throw my spear with such force it went flying into the foggy water. Feeling unconfident with my aiming skills, I slowly draw the rope out of the water, and to my surprise, I didn’t catch one, not two, but three large, fleshy fish. Satisfied with my catch, and excited to show my crewmates our breakfast, I almost forget to fill the bucket with fresh murky water.

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“Oh! That’s right.” I think to myself. Just as I fill up the bucket, I glance up at the sky-black, gloomy clouds moving my way. Horrified that I might get stuck here from the sudden change of weather, I seize my spear and bucket and run as fast as I can back to my group.

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“Oh no, I got to go, ASAP!” 

As soon as I get to the tents I  alert the team that there’s a huge storm coming. We’d spent so much time repairing the ship, and the storm will destroy all our hard work! Everyone boards the spaceship, “Oh no. If the storm ruins our progress we won’t be able to make it home!” Paisley expresses. 

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Heavy raindrops fall from the sky as a strong gust of wind sends the ship rocking back and forth. The ship tilts so much that it falls on one side. “Aaahhh,” my crew and I scream before banging into the spaceship wall.  When the storm finally passed we head outside. The supplies and tents that were out of the ship were all destroyed. I put my hands on my face in disappointment.

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Out of nowhere, we hear a deafening sound of an engine, “Weeeeeeeeer.” My crewmates and I spot an orange flash of light in the sky. “What is that?” I state. “It looks like a meteor of some sort,” Ben replies. 

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The sound gets louder, and as we take a closer look, a shape of a ship comes together. On the side of the Spacecraft, bold navy blue letters spell out the acronym “NASA.” The heavy landing sends dust flying all around us. “Ough, ough.” As we continue to cough a shadow forms and a familiar voice fills the air, “Hello there, I’m here to rescue you.” “Kyle?” I wonder out loud.  “Yeah, I’m Kyle. I can’t believe I finally found you guys!” “Wait, wait, what do you mean found you guys?” Sage answers. 

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N A S A

“Wait…you mean that you don’t know?” He answers. “Don’t know what? Kyle, tell us.” I verbalize. Kyle takes a deep breath before he tells us the shocking news, “you and your crew have been missing for 6 years! NASA has been looking everywhere in the solar system for you guys but had no luck. However, I knew you were somewhere out there so I took the newest spacecraft and left!” His words leave us speechless.  “What?! We’ve been gone for 6 years?! 

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But how is that possible? The crew and I have only been on this planet for a week.” Paisley expresses. “Now there's the unbelievable, yet possible part…you were able to accelerate faster than the speed of light and into a space-time continuum.” Kyle chuckles before finishing his sentence. “Y’all traveled to the future!” Without warning, my head starts spinning in all directions.  

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