Journey to Moon Base Artemis
Leo’s stomach did a slow-motion somersault as the lunar shuttle, The Silver Arrow, drifted into the docking bay of Moon Base Artemis. He had spent months preparing for this trip, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight of the moon’s surface. Looking out the thick, pressurized window, he saw a landscape of endless gray dust and jagged craters. In the distance, the sun beat down on the surface with a blinding white light, creating shadows so dark they looked like bottomless pits.
As the airlock hissed and the pressure equalized, Leo stepped onto the lunar base. His first step was a disaster. Expecting the heavy thud of Earth’s gravity, he pushed off with too much force and found himself floating toward the ceiling. A passing technician laughed softly and caught his arm. "Easy there, rookie," she said. "The moon only has one-sixth of Earth’s gravity. You have to learn the 'lunar shuffle' if you want to get around." Leo grinned, feeling light as a feather. Every movement felt like he was moving through water, effortless and slow.
- Hydroponics:
- The process of growing plants in sand, gravel, or liquid, with added nutrients but without soil.
- Vacuum:
- A space entirely devoid of matter, such as the area outside the moon base where there is no air.
- Gravity:
- The force that pulls objects toward the center of a planet or moon; it is much weaker on the moon than on Earth.
- Modules:
- Individual parts or sections of a building or spacecraft that can be connected together.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the name of the lunar shuttle that transported Leo to the moon?
- 2Describe the landscape Leo saw through the pressurized window as he arrived.
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About this fiction passage for Upper Elementary
“Journey to Moon Base Artemis” is a fiction reading passage about Space Colonization, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 4 minutes to read (605 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.