User talk:Marc o polo

Marc Lewkowitz Mrs. Gatlinkin Period 4 12/31/69

I looked out the window. It was both more horrible and more beautiful than the pictures ever displayed. I watched as the surface swiched from light to dark light to dark holding and fallowing the curves and bumps of the surface.It seemed like an eternity ago that I was there within the caves of steel. I thought back to that time. My teacher was handing a test out.



“Children, today you will be taking a test.” The class groaned. The teacher often gave us tests without forewarning. She called them “pop tests”. She said that in the real world, you won’t always have a chance to prepare, and you just have to go along with what life deals you. the teacher had short brown hair and was about 4 ft 6 in tall her skin was a light brown. When all the tests and answer sheets were handed out, the teacher began her instructions. “No cheating! If you do, you will regret it!” the teacher warned. “Remember, answer truthfully.” I looked down at my test. To deter cheating, the test had been nuclear timer sealed; when you broke the seal the timer would start to count up.It was acurate to the nearest millionth of a second. on the back our names, social security numbers, and everything was printed on answer sheet. And some of the sutff i dident even know. “Now on my mark…go,” the teacher called out. I broke open the seal fliped open the blue green test booklet and began taking the test. Number 1. What is your favorite color? It sounded like a joke question, so I skipped it. Question 2. Where is your favorite place to hang out? I decided to flip to see the other questions. They were all like that. All personality type questions. Why go through all this trouble to just to give us a personality test? I wondered. Well, I better get started. Sixty minutes later, the teacher called time. I closed the test book and the teacher collected them. “You will learn soon if you passed. Class dismissed!” the teacher called out. We all left to go out and home. As we were leaving the teacher called out, “Oh, and the test results will be out within the next few weeks.” Well, from the sound of it, I had a pretty good chance of failing. Oh well, whatever happens - does.



I sigh. With a heavy heart, I turn my head away no longer able to stand the ever growing inky black void surrounding what was once my home. I watch as my onece home continues to shrink. Soon it would be a tiny blue-green grain of sand shrouded by the strong light emanating from the sun. I watch as the planets whiz past while ever growing smaller. It is mind boggling how things so large could even move at all.



“How could they ask this of us? He’s all we have left.” I heard my mom screaming in tears. “What can we possibly do? You know what happens if we refuse,” my dad screamed. “I know, but he’s only 13 for God’s sakes” my mom cried out. I could practily see my parents in my minds eye my mom sitting there covering her face closing her blueish green eyes trying to stop the tears from comming out her brownish blond hair messed over her face. and my dad one arm around her trying to calm her down and one hand pulling on his own dark brown hair watching her with his soft but intence brown eyes. “Well, let’s just go to the meeting and see what happens. Maybe we can talk them out of it. Who knows,” his father answered. Later, my father came in. “Listen. I came in to tell you that no matter what happens, we’re proud of you.” Then he left as quickly as he came in. I had a tough time sleeping that night. I was thinking about the test and the argument. These two events had to have happened on the same day for a reason. There was no such thing as coincidence in my mind. Despite, the silence, I could not help my mind jumping back to the present. I pressed my hand against the cold window. This was as close to my parents as I may ever get from now on. I wish I could have known what was going on before the last minute. Why didn’t my parents tell me? Were they afraid I would say no or that I would insist they come with me? Maybe they didn’t know how to tell me. Maybe the answers could be found in my memories. My thoughts went back in time. It was a few weeks after the test and the argument. “Get up. We have to leave,” Dad shouted hurriedly. There were suitcases by the front door stuffed to the brim with my clothes. “Dad, what’s going on? It’s 7:00 A.M.” I said tiredly. “No time to explain. We have to go or we will miss our plane,” Dad continued, cutting me off. “Plane??? Why can’t we just take the highway?” I asked now fully awake. “Well, if we took the highway to Washington, it would take 40 hours,” Dad answered. I gulped. I hated going on planes. Everyone did, and Washington was a long way off. A few hours later, we were sitting on a plane. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about the thousands of miles around. A few miles down below me, and all that separated me from this huge expanse was a few inches of steel. And yet, somehow I wished I could see out, but there were no windows. So I turned on my video player, put on my head sets, and watched the tridimensional show. I looked around at the other passengers. Fifteen other families on board. The plane was unusually full. It was a non-stop flight to Washington so they were going where ever we were. I wondered why?



A tear rolled down my cheek. “Why?” I asked, “Why? Why me? I’m only 14. Why.” But, there was no one to answer. They were all asleep. It wouldn’t be long now until all that was left of earth would be the tiny pulsing star in the sky surrounded by is trillions of brothers. I looked out on to the planet’s surface at the oceans, at the continents. My eyes dawned upon the giant domes that lay on the planets surface. These same domes that shielded the cities from the outside world, from the trillions of feet seemed to stretch on to infinity. Now it appeared to be small enough to fit within the palm of my hand. Soon all that would be left of Earth would be in my head.



After two and a half long hours, we finally arrived in Washington. “Solid ground at last! I really do hate flying,” mom said. All throughout the flight, she had been clutching on to the armrests like it would save her life it something went wrong. Now she looked as pale as a ghost. “Never mind that. We have to get going,” my dad said, who had been too engrossed in his news paper during the flight to notice mom’s apparent discomfort. “Couldn’t we get lunch first?” I groaned. There had been nothing to eat except a packet of peanuts on the plane and it was well past lunchtime. “No, ” my parents answered together. When they were of one mind about something, there was no changing it. “Besides, a brunch will be served at the meeting.” my dad continued. I was about to ask, “What meeting?” when a hover limo stopped by. The driver opened the door and welcomed us in. My parents were not exactly wealthy. They had a c4 rating, so I wondered how they could afford such an expensive vehicle. I stepped in and admired the many features, surround sound, 3D movie glasses, a yeast food synthesizer, and even real chicken. These were the kind of novelties you could expect from some one with a c10 rating. “Dad, who is paying for all this?” but I was too late. Dad was engrossed in his newspaper again and mom was watching one of her gushy love movies in 3D well if you can’t beat them join them I put on my head phones and listened to some music before I knew it we were at a huge government building. Inside there was 3000 some families and a giant long dining table set out with food “go ahead sit down” I sat down but my parents didn’t in fact they left I looked around every one around 55% looked 17 or 16 20%  looked 15 to 14 15% looked 18 and 19 and everyone looked about my age and I was pretty good at guessing someone’s age by appearance. The only exception was a stout man (who looked about 50). he had brown hair speckled with gray, and was sitting at the head of the table. I quickly recognized him as under secretary Cursh Limpanol “AHEM” Cursh coughed bringing attention to him “hello I and under secretary Cursh Limpanol now many of you remember taking a test a few days ago everyone took a personality type test” he asked out there were a few mummers of agreement around the room I wondered did every one take “Now I want to explain the point of the test. In a few days 3 space ships will be going up off of earth” Cursh began “Will one of them be transporting Eliza Bailey, is he going to solve another seemingly impossible mystery” one kid interrupted. “No the ships will be containing you” Cursh called out my heart missed a beat because not only would I have to leave earth I would be one of the youngest there. “Us? I began were all going into space” I asked “yes all of you got the ideal responses on the test that’s why you’re here everyone else will be informed tomorrow” “which one of the 50 spacer worlds will we be going” a another kid asked. who I recognized as a kid named Jacob that’s when it hit me maybe some of the other kids my age are there too maby i might not be as alone as I thought i would be. be going with me “none of them you will be going to a new planet to colonize it” Cursh answered the room was silent then one kid broke out laughing laughter can some times be contagious because one kid starts laughing and another finds the situation funny and another finds that kid has a funny laugh so the process continues until everyone is laughing hysterically. Well this is the exact situation everyone was laughing like it was some joke I wished it was some kind of joke too but I knew in my heart it wasn’t “I’M NOT KIDDING” the Cursh screamed “but why do we have to do this” one kid asked in a small barely audible voice “because humanity isn’t developing there hasn’t been a new invention in years where to dependent on machines to do thinking for us” “think about it how long has it been since a human traveled to the ocean floor an earth man we landed on the moon how long has it been that people have even stepped out of the domes that sounded” Cursh reasoned “but what about the spacers there developing and advancing technology there exploring new frontiers I’ve heard that there a program to start colonizing” one kid argued “yes but who came up with the designs who mined up the metal who welled them into the correct peaces who put them together, and that program you heard about guess who they are going to have build there first robots,” Cursh argued back “the spacers too have built walls around themselves but not physical walls the spacers have become even more dependent on robots then we to such a point that they can no longer be with out them that’s why you have to go you are the ones who are the most able to break away from the robots and colonize a another planet but I’m afraid for this reason your parents wont be able to come along because they didn’t take the test and pass they are not eligible to come with you.” There was a mummer around the room  “QUIET” Cursh “boomed please hold all questioning for the end now I need to explain the mission to you now for the next 2 months you will be training by farming and working outside the dome” Outside the dome I shuddered what a horrible thought what a horrible thought such wide open space “then you will be put on one of the rockets and will take off to different planets making a series of 30 jumps over a span of about 2 years and then land on the surface which enough food to last you 1 year as well as seeds and animals to raise and grow if all goes well the planet will prosper and begin to develop technology perhaps even enough to one day find the other planets that were colonized and form a galactic empire” suddenly I realized something “Mr. Limpanol the spacers must authorize any shuttle launch I don’t think that that they will allow us to do this” I questions Cursh’s eyes drooped “no they wont this mission is completely unauthorized so it’s very possible that if a spacer ship discovers you will be incarnated murmurs where going around the room of course you don’t have to go a few sighs of relief went around “but… if you don’t then you and your family nor any of your offspring as well as any of your direct relatives over 55 will be demoted to a rank so low that you will not even be able to use the public bathrooms and you can never be promoted no matter how hard you work will be promoted for any reason. At any rate it is time for your feast so dig in



The red lights flashed and the sirens blared. It was coming. The thing that would take me millions of miles away……. The ship was preparing for the jump to hyperspace. I made my way back to the cabin and secured myself in the chair. They said it wasn’t necessary to strap yourself in, but you can never be too safe. Suddenly I had a strange feeling of being inside out for a split second I ran out to the window in hopes that maybe earth was still there or that it was all just a dream I wasent the first time I had whished it had all been a dream



Two months ago we had been sitting in that office building eating in hopes that I could eat away my troubles. Now I stood before the rocket and walked in was there a huge good bye crowd no it would attract to much attention I waved good bye to my family and friends seeing them for one last time. I walked into the rocket and strapped my self into the chair and looked into the screen and the numbers as they counted down 30,29,28,27,26,25 I wished to my self that it would all be a dream but it was no use in a few seconds I would leave earth for ever…



It had been a few days since that morning it had seemed so long ago but that was then this is now. I ran to window and looked out but earth was gone. i felt like a leaf being sweeped away in a river unable to change my corce or dierection not able to control which direction i was going “NO take me back I want to go back” i colapsed to the floor in a sob. then I realized what was there to go back to back to the earth back to the shelter of the robots back to the cities and the caves of seela there was no reason to go back there was only reason to go forward and that the i was from here on out in contral of which direction i could i was no longer the leaf on the river and i had a chance to chose what i would do next. I looked out the window this time not looking for the sun not looking for earth or it’s planetary companions but looking out and wondering which star would light the sky of my new home…

End of Book One

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2004/TiffanyYam.shtml

[C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\Space balloons.mht]



How I chose my topic

The prior knowledge I have of this topic is that there were space balloons used to reach high altitudes and some other facts about them I also knew that the first balloons were flown in France and I also knew about the zeppelin crash. My project interests me because I have always been curious about early space travel. The topic has historical significance because the first man in space is generally thought to be Yuri Gagarin



http://www.thatquiz.com/tq/classpage?005d4af01ee404

To each day a leaf fallen from it’s tree in a large pile collected up over the years three different colors many different days

some are golden brown most common of the three none standing out, mashing together over the years neither good nor bad happy or sad they simply are. a challenge to recall or remember and yet they are there remanning there forever

some are bright green standing out among the rest showing them selves vividly. filled to the tip with happy memories and joyous times. though they number few, but... they call to be seen in the sea times of golden brown

some are a deep red though not as strong as the green these still stand out. they seem to be more in number then there are. these are saddened wet with tears. though there is still importance. learn from these times and never let them happen again

never forget, that what one leaf may seem like to you to others it may appear diffrent. rember to think of how others as well as your self. for once leaves have fallen they can no longer change all that changes is how we veiw them

Though many stand out with unmatchable intensity as time goes on as more leaves fall some are buried under others forgotten lost until dug up and revealed to the world again perhaps to be saved perhaps to be buried yet again

Marc Lewkowitz Mrs. Verma 3/12/07 history of space exploration

since the beginning of time people have looked in to the sky and seen the stars. They noticed pattern in the sky like how the Egyptians realized that when the a certain star rose in the sky the Nile would flood it’s banks. They drew pictures with the star such as the big dipper. However it wasn’t until modern times that we really understood what the stars really were and it took even longer to get in to space. the first journey to space Is normally thought to be Yuri hover this is not true. on august 16th 1960 Joseph Kittinger ascended to the edge of space in a space balloon where he jumped. this was almost a year before Yuri’s space flight. the mission to the moon was the next stop in space exploration on January 27 1967 Neil Armstrong, Gordon Cooper, Dick Gordon, Jim Lovell and Scott Carpenter. blasted off and reached the farthest distance a man has ever gone from earth and lived… the moon. many more missions to the moon were completed after his however soon moon missions started becoming a waist of our governments money. the moon was just a pile of rocks. where manned space flights were limited by time. unmanned probes are much more versatile probe have taken pictures of many planets and then sent this info back to earth at the speed of light. however they are not with out there flaws the Galileo space craft is a prime example the difficulties probes can create. however probes have an unlimited potential for instance the voyager probes have been exploring the universe. and continue to send back information to this day.