5 Space slingshot

Chapter Five SPACE SLINGSHOT Roshni held the antenna tightly to her body. It was the same length as her arm. Up close, it looked even more like an umbrella. Through the window of the Beagle, Roshni could see Ollie grinning and giving her a thumbs-up. She gave him one back. "Just one problem now," she said to herself. "I've only got one hand free! So how am

I going to climb back inside the Beagle?" A moment later, her question was answered. Her safety tether began to pull her back in. Ollie must have pressed the "RECALL" switch! She relaxed and let herself be reeled into the airlock, just like a fish on a line being pulled to shore. In no time, she passed through the outer airlock doors. She shut them behind her and waited for the airlock to fill up with air again before unfastening her safety tether from the wall.

The inner doors slid open. There was Ollie, waiting with open arms. He gave her a hug. Roshni let go of the antenna so she could squeeze him back with sheer delight.

"You did a space walk!" he said. "That is so unbelievably cool!" "I know," Roshni said happily. "I'll never forget it as long as I live." In the background, the Beagle made happy burbling noises and blew a little trumpet fanfare. "We'd better hurry back to the probe and repair it," Roshni said. "We've only got another thirty minutes before the comet's due to strike Jupiter." She sat down at the controls and Ollie joined her. They set their course, fired the thrusters, and hoped they'd reach the Odin probe in time. Through the window, they saw a cluster of shining shapes in the far distance. They were hurtling down toward the planet, leaving foggy trails behind them.

"There's the comet!" Roshni said. "But it's all broken into bits," Ollie said, looking anxious. "Are we too late?" "No," Roshni said excitedly. "Comets break up when they get close to a planet, because its gravity pulls them apart. This one must have broken up when it got close to Jupiter." She checked the distance indicator. They were still nowhere near the probe. Only twenty minutes left to go! "Can you go any faster, Beagle?" Roshni asked.

The Beagle made a sad beep. Ollie patted the console. "It's okay. We know you're trying your best." Roshni racked her brains. They needed to go faster. But how? She remembered watching an online video with her dad about space travel. She thought back to the part about something called "gravity assists"... "That's it!" she yelled. "We can do a slingshot!" "Sounds cool," said Ollie. "But what is it, exactly?"