Escape Pod: Will You Be An Astronaut?

By Greg van Eekhout Read by Christiana Ellis

First appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Astronauts are people who ride rockets into space.  They must train for a very long time before they go.  Astronauts must be brave and smart.

Will you be an astronaut?

* * *

The biggest rocket ever was the Saturn V.  On the launch pad it was taller than a 30-story building.  Today’s rockets are smaller and lighter.  Today’s rockets can be launched more than once.  They have wings and can come back to earth and land like airplanes.

When a rocket launches, it’s like an earthquake. The ground is shaking! There is flame and smoke. It’s like an explosion!

Antonio is strapped into his seat.  He is about to ride to a space station.  Because there is no air in space, Antonio must wear a space suit.  In the suit, Antonio can breathe and talk over radio.  He wears a helmet with a special faceplate that protects him from the sun.  The fingers of his gloves have tiny claws that help him work with small objects.

What’s all that noise? It must be a rocket! Astronauts are traveling to space!

5-4-3-2-1!  Lift off!

Rated PG-13. Deceptively G…

2 Comments

  • Richard in Macon GA aka "Mainframe" says:

    Great reading! I was going to pass on this one on Escape Pod, but when I saw that Christiana was doing it; well I just HAD to give it a listen.

    As always, Christiana brings the AWESOME!

    Oh yeah, BTW, buy her book, Nina Kimberly the Merciless. It’s a YA book that is a great read for any “YA” ages 9-99.

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