A New Home on the Red Planet
Leo woke up to the sound of the morning alarmâa gentle hum that mimicked the chirping of birds from Earth. He stretched, feeling lighter than a feather. On Mars, everything felt bouncy. Gravity was only about one-third of what it was on Earth, which meant Leo could jump higher than any basketball star back on the home planet. He hopped out of bed and landed softly on the padded floor of his small room in Habitat Section 4.
"Leo! Breakfast is ready!" his mom called from the kitchen.
He zipped up his red jumpsuit, the standard uniform for kids in New Hope City. Walking to the kitchen involved more of a glide than a stomp. For breakfast, there were "space pancakes" made from flour grown in the colonyâs hydroponic labs and topped with synthetic maple syrup. It wasn't exactly like the real thing his grandparents talked about, but it was delicious. The colony had to grow its own food because shipping supplies from Earth took months and cost millions of dollars.
"Remember, your class has the excursion to the Borealis Crater today," his dad said, sipping recycled water from a silver pouch. "Keep your helmet sealed and stay with the group. The dust can be tricky."
- Hydroponic:
- A way of growing plants in nutrient-rich water instead of using soil.
- Radiation:
- Dangerous energy that comes from the sun or space and can be harmful to living things.
- Pressurized:
- When the air inside a container or building is kept at a steady level so people can breathe normally.
- Synthetic:
- Something made by humans to copy a natural product, rather than being found in nature.
- Airlock:
- A special chamber with two doors that allows people to pass between different air pressures safely.
More sheets from this passage
Built from the text itself â answer key included where it counts.
vocabulary worksheet
Match the passage words to their meanings, then fill the missing words back into real sentences.
writing prompts
Two writing tasks that build on the passage, with plenty of lines to write on.
- All 3 sheets as one workbookPro
One PDF with a cover, contents page and every answer key at the back.
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About this fiction passage for Upper Elementary
âA New Home on the Red Planetâ is a fiction reading passage about Mars Colonization, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 5 minutes to read (797 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.