Hawking Stephen W - George and the Blue Moon

I dont know what I may seem to the world, but as to myself, I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.

Isaac Newton

THE LATEST SCIENTIFIC IDEAS!

As you read the story, you will come across some fabulous science essays and information. These will really help bring the topics you read about to life, and are written by the following well-respected experts:

by Professor Ros E. M. Rickaby

Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford

by Professor Tamsin A. Mather

Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford

by Allyson Thomas

Aerospace Engineer, NASA

by Dr. Toby Blench

Research Chemist

by Kellie Geradi

Mars Astronaut

by Katie King

MSci, University of Cambridge

by Dr. James B. Glattfelder

Complex Systems Theorist

by Dr. David Warmflash, M.D.

by Professor Stephen Hawking

University of Cambridge

by Dr. Stuart Rankin

University Information Services, University of Cambridge

By Dr. Richard Garriott de Cayeux

ISS Astronaut

With very special thanks to Sue Cook, the George series nonfiction editor

And to Stuart Rankin.

T he pink-fringed coral waved gently in the soft blue ocean as a shoal of millions of tiny silver fish dived past it. Swimming as one, the swarm of fish jackknifed and suddenly shot upward and away, toward the turquoise water above Georges head. A larger fish lay up there, hovering between George and the sunshine on the surface of the ocean. The huge fish moved slowly across his field of vision, as stately and as well armored as any battleship.

On the floor of the ocean bed, where the coral reef dropped away to the sandy ground, little creatures scuttled along, waving their pincers furiously as though a catch would swim straight into them. Wriggly sand worms snaked around them, creating curly patterns in the loose material on the sea bed.

Another group of fish swam past, so close to Georges nose that he thought he could reach out and touch them! These fish were brightly colored, like a little carnival passing through, with stripes of red, blue, yellow and orange. In the far distance, George thought he saw an immense flippered turtle turn and stare at him with its ancient unblinking dark eyes. The turtle opened its mouth, and to Georges astonishment, it seemed to be calling him! It seemed to know his name!

George, the turtle said. George! Strangely, the turtle seemed to have reached out a hand and was shaking his shoulder.

A hand? How would a turtle have a hand? George was just pondering this from his underwater idyll when...

*

George! It was his best friend, Annie, standing in front of him, holding the cardboard 3-D virtual reality headset he had been wearing until just a few moments before.

George blinked, adjusting to the bright sunlight of a summer afternoon in Foxbridge rather than the murky blue gloaming in the depths of the Coral Sea, off the coast of Australia. He felt completely disoriented. A moment ago, hed been floating by the Great Barrier Reef. Now he was back in the tree house at the bottom of his backyard, rather than at the bottom of the ocean. There was no turtle talking to himjust his best friend Annie from next door, and she certainly seemed to have a lot to say.

Im taking back my VR headset! she complained. I should never have let you have it! You spend all your time underwater now! And I want you to look at this. She waved her tablet at him and then pressed a button so the screen came to life. George looked down at it, but he was still seeing fish-shaped blue clouds in front of his eyes so it took him a few moments to focus his vision. Compared to the marvels of the reef, it looked very dull.

You made me come out of VR to read a form! he protested. Like you fill in to get a train pass.

No, silly, persisted Annie. You didnt look properly.

George looked again. Oh! he said, realization dawning like the sunrise on a planet with two suns in the sky.

See? said Annie. What does it say?

Astronauts wanted! he read. Astronauts wanted! he repeated. Thats so cool! He continued reading out loud. Do you have what it takes to leave Earth behind and travel farther than any human being has gone before? Could you start a human habitation on the red planet? Could you save the future of the human race by helping it spread out into space and colonize a whole new planet? Do you have the skills to take us into a new era of manned space travel? George rattled off quickly. If so, apply here.... Hang on, he said suspiciously. If they want astronauts, dont you think they mean grown-up ones?

No! said Annie triumphantly. This is for junior astronauts! It says sobetween the ages of eleven and fifteen!

Bit weird, isnt it? asked George. Why would you send a bunch of kids to Mars?

Duh! replied Annie. Any mission to Mars wont be ready for yearsby the time it lifts off, we wont be kids anymore. But they must want to start the training now so theyve got lots of time to pick the best candidates... can you fill them out? She handed him the tablet.

Them? said George.

One for you, one for me, said Annie.

Why am I? he started to ask.

You cant change what youve typed, said Annie, who was getting more confident now about admitting she was dyslexic. And theres no autocorrectthe form goes automatically, as soon as youve typed it. So it would be way better if you did it.

Will spelling really matter on Mars? questioned George. There are far more important things for traveling in space, you know that.

No, said Annie firmly. It wont. But I might not get there if I call it the planet Rams by mistake.

This form is quite long, said George, scrolling down.

Of course it is! scoffed Annie. You dont think they are going to let just anyone fly to Mars?

Or Rams, added George with a mischievous grin.

Yes, Rams, the new home of the human race! cried Annie. Right, come on. Whats the first thing?

Um... Explain in your own words why you would be a great candidate to join a trial program for junior astronaut training in preparation for a Mars mission in 2025.

Easy! cried Annie. Ive got a very high IQ, Im excellent at problem solving, I have lots of experience traveling in space

Can we put that? interrupted George. While it was definitely true that he and Annie had traveled in space before, no one was supposed to know about their out-of-this-universe adventures. When does training start? he asked. Hang on! It starts really soon. How are we going to get places in this? Havent they chosen people already?

Hey, chill out! It says that a few places have become vacant, said Annie. I cant believe we missed the ad the first time. And its timed to start at the beginning of the school vacation.