Дмитрий Алёхин
A Journey To Mars

Chapter 1: The Last Goodbye

The Sun was bright over the space center. Four astronauts walked to the big white rocket. Their names were Alex, Maria, David, and Kate. They were good friends. They worked together for three years. Now they were ready.

"Are you ready?" asked Alex. He was the captain. He was tall and strong.

"Yes," said Maria. She was the doctor. She smiled, but her eyes were a little sad.

"I am ready," said David. He was the engineer. He loved machines and rockets.

"Me too," said Kate. She was the scientist. She wanted to study red rocks and red dust.

The rocket was very big. It was called "Ares One." It stood on the ground like a tall white tower. People watched from far away. Families and friends waved their hands. Some people cried.

Maria looked at her mother. Her mother cried. Maria said, "Do not cry, Mama. I will come back. We will come back in two years."

Her mother said, "Two years is a long time."

"Yes," said Maria. "But this is my dream. I must go."

Alex looked at his wife and his little son. His son was five years old. The boy said, "Papa, are you going to the red star?"

Alex smiled. "Yes, my son. I am going to Mars. It is a red planet. I will bring you a red stone."

The boy laughed. "A red stone! I want a big red stone!"

"I will try," said Alex. He hugged his son and his wife.

David had no family at the space center. His family was far away. But his best friend came. His friend said, "David, be careful. Space is dangerous."

David said, "I know. But I am not afraid. I have a good team."

Kate looked at the sky. She thought about Mars. She thought about the red dust, the cold wind, and the big mountains. She was excited. She was also a little scared. But she did not tell her friends.

A man in a white suit came to them. He said, "The rocket is ready. It is time to go."

The four astronauts walked to the elevator. The elevator took them up, up, up to the top of the rocket. They opened a small door and went inside. The inside of the rocket was small but clean. There were four chairs, many buttons, and a big window.

"Sit down," said Alex. "Put on your seatbelts."

They sat down. They put on their seatbelts. They waited. The countdown began.

"Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... LIFT OFF!"

The rocket shook. It was very loud. The four astronauts felt heavy. They could not move. They looked out the window. The sky was blue, then dark. The Earth was small. Then the Earth was very small. Then the Earth was a little blue ball in the black sky.

"We are in space," said Kate. She smiled.

"Yes," said Alex. "Now we fly to Mars. It is a long journey. Six months."

"Six months," said David. "That is a long time."

"Yes," said Maria. "But we have food, water, and air. We have books, music, and games. We will be okay."

The rocket flew into the dark sky. The four friends looked at the stars. They thought about Mars. They thought about the red dust. They thought about their families. They were happy and sad at the same time.

Alex said, "Goodbye, Earth. Hello, Mars. We are coming."

Комментарий к Главе 1 (Chapter 1 Commentary)

bright — яркий

space center — космический центр

astronauts — космонавты, астронавты

rocket — ракета

captain — капитан, командир

tall — высокий

strong — сильный

doctor — врач

smiled — улыбнулась (past tense от smile)

sad — грустный

engineer — инженер

machines — машины, механизмы

scientist — учёный

dust — пыль

tower — башня

far away — далеко

waved — махали (past tense от wave)

cried — плакали (past tense от cry)

come back — вернуться

dream — мечта

wife — жена

son — сын

planet — планета

laughed — засмеялся (past tense от laugh)

hugged — обнял (past tense от hug)

dangerous — опасный

afraid — испуганный, боящийся

team — команда

excited — взволнованный, в восторге

scared — напуганный

suit — костюм

elevator — лифт

buttons — кнопки

window — окно

seatbelts — ремни безопасности

countdown — обратный отсчёт

LIFT OFF — взлёт! (команда при старте ракеты)

shook — тряслась (past tense от shake)

heavy — тяжёлый

journey — путешествие

food — еда

water — вода

air — воздух

stars — звёзды

Goodbye — до свидания

Hello — привет

Полезные выражения:

Are you ready? — Ты готов?

Me too — Я тоже

a long time — долгое время

I must go — Я должен идти

be careful — будь осторожен

It is time to go — Пора идти

Put on your seatbelts — Пристегните ремни

at the same time — в то же время

Chapter 2: Life in the Rocket

The rocket flew through space. It was very quiet inside. The four astronauts took off their seatbelts. They moved slowly. In space, people float. There is no gravity.

"Look at this!" said Kate. She was in the air. Her feet were not on the floor. She laughed. "I am flying!"

David laughed too. "Yes, we are all flying now. This is fun."

Alex said, "Be careful. Do not hit your head. There are many buttons and machines here."

Maria opened a box. Inside there was food. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "We have bread, soup, and fruit. But the food is in bags. We must eat from bags."

"No plates?" asked Kate.

"No plates," said Maria. "In space, food floats away. So we eat from bags."

They ate together. The food was not very good, but they were hungry. They talked and laughed.

After dinner, Alex said, "Now we must work. Every day we have jobs. Maria, you must check our health. David, you must check the engines. Kate, you must study the stars and the planets. I must check the computers."

"Yes, Captain," they said.

The days were long. Every morning they woke up and did exercises. In space, the body becomes weak. So astronauts must move a lot. They ran on a special machine. They lifted small weights.

One day, Kate looked out the window. She saw a big red ball in the dark sky. "Look!" she said. "Mars! I can see Mars!"

The others came to the window. They looked and looked. The red planet was far away, but it was beautiful. It was red like fire.

"It is so big," said Maria.

"And so red," said David.

Alex said, "We will be there in three months. Be patient."

But not every day was good. One night, there was a loud noise. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! A red light turned on.

"What is that?" asked Kate. She was scared.

David ran to the machines. He looked at the buttons and the screens. "The air machine is broken," he said. "We must fix it fast."

"Can we fix it?" asked Maria.

"I think yes," said David. "But I need help."

Alex said, "I will help you. Maria, Kate, stay calm. Put on your masks."

David and Alex worked for many hours. They used tools and small parts. It was hard work. Finally, the red light turned off. The noise stopped.

"It is okay now," said David. He was tired but happy.

"Good job," said Alex. "You are a good engineer."

The next day, they called their families. They used a special phone. The phone sent their voices to Earth.

"Hello, Mama," said Maria. "I am okay. I love you."

"Hello, my son," said Alex. "I am okay. I think about you every day."

The voices from Earth were slow. It took many minutes. But it was good to hear their families.

Kate said, "I miss my mother and my father. I miss my friends. But I am happy here. This is my dream."

David said, "I miss my dog. His name is Max. He is brown and white."

"You have a dog?" asked Kate.

"Yes," said David. "He is small and funny. He likes to run and play."

They all laughed. Then they looked at Mars again. It was bigger now. It was closer. The red planet waited for them.

Alex said, "Three more months. Then we will walk on Mars. Then we will touch the red dust."

"I cannot wait," said Kate.

"Me too," said Maria.

"Me too," said David.

The rocket flew on. The stars were bright. The Earth was far away. Mars was near. The journey was long, but the four friends were together. And together, they were strong.

Комментарий к Главе 2 (Chapter 2 Commentary)

flew — летела (past tense от fly)

quiet — тихий

inside — внутри

took off — сняли (past tense от take off)

float — плавать, парить (в невесомости)

gravity — гравитация, притяжение

feet — ноги (множественное число от foot)

floor — пол

fun — весело, забавно

hit — ударить

head — голова

hungry — голодный

bread — хлеб

soup — суп

fruit — фрукты

bags — пакеты, мешки

plates — тарелки

floats away — улетает, уплывает

dinner