Kyri loved space. He had books about planets, posters of rockets, and a model solar system that glowed on his ceiling at night. He knew that one day he’d be an astronaut, exploring the stars and walking on the Moon.
So when Mum and Dad told him they were taking a trip to the Space Centre, Kyri nearly bounced off the walls.
“They’ve got real astronaut training!” Dad said with a smile. “But it’s just for fun.”
“Fun?” Kyri said, eyes sparkling. “I’ll take it seriously!”
Lucy and Casey were coming along too, though Lucy mostly wanted to take selfies in the space suits. Reef tagged along as well, muttering something about seeing if they had zero-gravity skateboarding.
Welcome to Astronaut Training
The Space Centre was huge, with rocket models that stretched up to the ceiling and spacesuits worn by real astronauts. Kyri ran straight to the training area, where an instructor in a navy blue jumpsuit greeted the group.
“Welcome to Astronaut Training Academy!” she said. “Today, you’ll learn what it takes to become an astronaut. Are you ready?”
Kyri shot his hand up. “I’m ready!”
Reef raised an eyebrow. “Do we get to float?”
“Not yet,” the instructor said with a grin. “First, let’s see if you’ve got the skills to make it to space.”
The Multi-Axis Trainer
The first stop was the Multi-Axis Trainer—a metal chair surrounded by spinning rings. “This simulates what happens if you lose control in space,” the instructor explained. “Astronauts have to stay calm, no matter what.”
“Who’s first?”
Kyri’s hand shot up before anyone else. He climbed into the chair and gripped the handles as Reef gave him a thumbs-up. “You’ve got this, little buddy.”
The rings began to spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster until Kyri was flipping and twisting in every direction. It felt like being inside a giant washing machine!
But Kyri remembered the fact he’d read: Astronauts focus on their breathing to stay calm.
He took a deep breath, grinning as the spinning slowed to a stop.
“You alright?” Reef asked.
“That was amazing!” Kyri said, hopping out. “Astronauts have to stay calm even when everything’s spinning.”
Lucy paled. “I think I’ll stick to watching.”
The Underwater Space Walk
Next, they visited a giant swimming pool called the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.
“In space, astronauts float,” the instructor explained. “To practice, they wear heavy suits underwater. It’s the closest thing to zero gravity on Earth.”
Kyri’s eyes widened. “So they train like they’re swimming?”
“Exactly!”
Kyri and Reef put on snorkels and floated in the pool with weighted backpacks to simulate a space suit. Kyri pretended to “fix a satellite” while Reef swam circles around him like a shark.
“Did you know,” Kyri said as he adjusted his snorkel, “that the pool astronauts train in is 40 feet deep? That’s deeper than a house!”
Reef popped up beside him. “You and your facts, Kyri.”
“Facts are important in space!” Kyri said proudly.
The Gravity Simulator
The next challenge was the Gravity Chair, which slid along a track to simulate walking on the Moon. Kyri strapped in, and suddenly he was bouncing with every step, feeling light as air.
“This is like walking on the Moon!” Kyri said, hopping up and down. “You only weigh one-sixth as much as on Earth.”
Reef gave it a try, but he overdid his bounce and landed flat on his back. “Zero points for style,” Lucy teased, snapping a picture.
“Gravity’s tricky,” Reef muttered, rubbing his elbow.
The Final Test
Finally, the instructor gathered everyone together. “To finish your astronaut training, you must complete a mission simulation. You’ll launch, perform repairs on a space station, and return safely to Earth.”
Kyri couldn’t believe it. “A real mission?”
“Well, a pretend one,” the instructor smiled. “But real astronauts practice like this all the time.”
Kyri climbed into the mock spaceship cockpit, with Reef as his co-pilot. Lucy and Casey sat behind them, mostly pushing buttons they weren’t supposed to.
“Systems ready?” the instructor called.
Kyri grinned and flipped a pretend switch. “Ready!”
The screen in front of them showed a rocket launching into space. Kyri’s chair rumbled, and Reef pretended to steer. “We’ve got this, Captain Kyri!”
At the space station, Kyri used a robotic arm to “fix” a broken panel while Reef spotted him. “Careful, you’re drifting!” Reef teased.
Finally, they re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, and the simulator jolted to a stop.
“Mission complete!” the instructor announced. “You’re all officially Junior Astronauts!”
Home Again
On the way home, Kyri couldn’t stop talking. “Did you know astronauts eat their food out of pouches so it doesn’t float away? Or that they exercise for two hours a day to keep their muscles strong? Or that…”
“Alright, space genius,” Reef said, laughing. “You’re ready for the real thing.”
“Maybe,” Kyri said, looking out the car window at the stars. “But I need to learn more facts first.”
That night, as Kyri lay in bed, he imagined floating among the stars, fixing satellites, and walking on the Moon. He knew one thing for sure—if he worked hard enough, he’d be the best astronaut ever.
And next time, Reef would have to keep up.