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space2.1.mp3
"Well Mark, I am Mr Jones. I hear you want to be a spaceman."
"I think that would be very exciting," said Mark.
"If you want to become a spaceman this means that you will have to work very hard indeed," said Mr Jones.
"I know that," said Mark. "I will do my very best."
"Now," said Mr Jones, "When did you first get the idea you wanted to be a spaceman?"
"It was when I read a story about some men who went to the moon in a space capsule. It did not have any rockets. It was fired out of a huge gun."
" Do you think that would work?" said Mr Jones.
Mark said, " If we could make a gun big enough it might be able to fire a capsule into space but the
people inside would be killed. The capsule would pick up speed far too quickly."
space2.2.mp3
"Well done Mark! That is perfectly true, but we are going to try something different. The School will be
built in the North of Scotland, in a place where the land rises upwards for miles and miles."
"We will build a kind of electric railway for the capsule to travel along and when it reaches the end, it will be going fast enough to leave the earth and go into space."
"Will it carry people?"
Picture of electric railway.
"Yes, you might be going on it yourself. Now you have to do a test in school and when I know if you have
done well enough I will write to your mother and father. Goodbye for now Mark."
Mark did well in his test and a month later he came home from school and found that his mother was sitting at the computer phone.
Picture of Mark's mother at the computerphone.
space2.3.mp3
On the screen was a happy face and that meant a happy message. Mark's mother threw up her hands and said, "A message has just come in for you and I've printed it off. Here you are. Read it!"
At the top of the page it said, "New Glen Space School." Mark was so excited he was shaking. The message went on to say:
Dear Mark
I am very pleased to say that we can offer you a place at Space School.
Just then Mark's father came in. "Well done Mark!" he said. Now I have just heard that your cousin Philip is going too, so you can travel up together."
"But how did he get in?" said Mark. "He never worked for the test! He said his Dad would fix it up for him to go. He must have cheated!"
"Don t be silly Mark," said his Father, "The two of you are to travel up together in an electric car which will drive itself. I want you to get out the map so you know how to get there. You put the plan into the car's computer and the car will take you to school."
Mark thought, "This is very exciting but I wish Philip was not coming too. He is horrible!"
