This colony was created by a class of English students that was broken up into about nine different groups. Each of the groups was in charge of at least two different topics; some had three. The groups were Air Supply, Waste and Water, Nourishment, Energy, Construction, Government, Economy, Transportation, Interior Design, Communication, Leisure Time Activities, Health Care, Law Enforcement, Industry, Communication, Education, and Population management. Our class voted on important decisions like the population and where the colony would orbit. The population of the colony is 2,000 people with room for expansion. The class decided to orbit around the Earth.

I think our colony is very unique because of our agricultural area as well as the interior and exterior design of the colony. The exterior consists of a large torus at the end of a shaft. At the other end there are two spheres that contain the living and social area of the colony.

The Agricultural area consists of a BioSphere and an AquaSphere. The BioSphere is a smaller version of the two on earth. It contains plants and animals from the South American Rain Forest. The main goal of the BioSphere is to study the plants and animals for medicines and new life. The AquaSphere is a water containment center for the aquatic life from the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. Again, there is a main goal for this ecosystem. It is to analyze the dolphins, their habits, and the use of their communication.

I think that in the time given, we were able to accomplish our tasks as well as do a wonderful job. I thought that this was a very fun project that made us open our minds and think in a different way than we've ever thought before. Each of the groups did a great job communicating with each other. This project also made the class improve their communication and cooperation skills.

I want to thank NASA for developing a project that opened our intellectual skills and made us put them to the test. I hope NASA continues this project as well as others for us to keep our minds open and to give the next generation the same opportunities.

The space colony is a rounded space craft. It doesn't have any external sharp corners. It is a multi-faceted colony. Its basic design consists of four parts: a modified cylinder of several different diameters, a torus attached to the front section of the cylinder, two modified spheres connected by tubes to the rear section of the modified cylinder.

The solar panels are on top of the cylinder. They are attached to the space craft by tubing. The solar panel area contains 17200.0 square meters. The air supply is held in huge cylinders, which contain .135534597016 oxygen mass, and .20330189552400005 of nitrogen mass.

The space craft holds 2,000 people, whose homes are set in either one of the three levels for the living courts. There are four hospitals. There are two in each of the circular spheres. The Law Enforcement Office is located in the left sphere. The space craft holds a green house before you enter the living courts. There are two bio-spheres in the front of the craft. The docking is located in the turning cylinder.

The main goal of the BIO-AQUA Project is to maintain two different environments by the use of recycling and the chain effect. Everything will be used. The BIO-AQUA Project consists of a smaller version of the Biospheres on earth as well as a giant aquarium containing aquatic life from the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean.

It contains much of the same organisms as that of the South American Rain forest. It contains animals from each of the forest floors of the rain forest. We have tried to continue the prey and predator food chain while trying to preserve some of the threatened species. There are heat lamps that produce artificial sunlight for the plants and animals. The sun lamps run on a time clock exactly like the one on earth. This will help the plants to keep from growing out of control or dying. The animals can also maintain nocturnal and diurnal living environments. The AquaSphere's water will be the source of water for the BioSphere's plants and animals. The water will be filtered through a salt water distillation system. The salt will be saved and later added to the aquarium water if the water has a low salt content. As the precipitation forms on the plastic dome, a precipitation collector will replenish the water in the AquaSphere.

The AquaSphere will contain water from the Pacific Ocean and will contain aquatic life from the Caribbean. The water temperature will be heated according to the normal temperature of the year on earth. The main focus of the AquaSphere will be the bottle nose dolphin. Testing will be conducted on the communication of dolphins.

Again the project will have two separate parts, the livestock and plants.

The plant environment will contain normal soil that's not rich. This way the soil won't absorb too much oxygen, which would kill the plants. The farming will be mechanically run, and everything will be on timers. There will again be artificial sunlight that will be run on a timer exactly as it would appear on Earth. The carbon dioxide will come from the dioxide cleansing from the main living area in the colony.

The livestock will be in a separate area with proper food such as grassy areas with silos and wheat, barley, and some corn. Again this area will be mechanically operated. The cows will be herded and then be milked by much of the same equipment we use on earth.

(Although most of this was my idea I did consult a book called Colonies in Space, by T.A. Heppenheimer.)

Most of the air supply will come from the plants from the agricultural section as well as the BioSphere and AquaSphere. The oxygen from the plants will be filtered and have nitrogen and trace elements added to it .

There of course will also be a carbon dioxide problem. Every day at 1:00 there will be a carbon dioxide cleansing. The air from the colony will all be taken into the air vents. From there, three quarters of the carbon dioxide will be removed from the air and then sent to the plants in the agricultural areas. During this time of cleansing, everyone will be required to wear an oxygen mask. The oxygen will come frome the spare oxygen tanks. The tanks are filled with oxygen from the plants every week.

There will be a minimum of 8,000 kg of oxygen per day. If there is 10,000 kg of oxygen then there will be spare oxygen. There will be 8,000 kg of oxygen for the livestock area. The output of carbon dioxide per day is 9,600 kg.

Calculations are based on the NASA Space colony contest's Inputs and Outputs for one person per day.

We, the people of New Terra Colony, are united in keeping a just and civil environment. We will grow and prosper in a shared economy. We shall maintain a democracy with three branches of government and a system of checks and balances.

This democratic government will consist of an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch. There shall be one President. An election will be held every four years by the people. He or she must be a citizen of New Terra Colony. This person must be a minimum of thirty years old and cannot have had a criminal record. The President can veto a bill by the legislature.

The New Terra Legislature shall be comprised of one house. Every two years, twenty representatives will be elected to serve in this legislature. These members must be a minimum of twenty five years old and cannot have had a criminal record. The representatives can over-ride the President's veto with a 2/3 vote.

The Judicial System will consist of three elected judges. Each judge will be appointed for a maximum of two sixteen year terms. These judges will have to sit in judgment for civil, criminal, and constitutional matters.

Communications to Earth would be kind of like they are today, but is a little more advanced. In the colony, two ways of communication have to considered: communication to earth and communication through the colony.

There are a lot of ways to communicate to earth from our colony. There is a virtual mail that is kind of like an E-mail but with a picture and audio recording. Telephones are transmitted by satellite. Every month a shuttle comes to bring packages to the colony. Computers will get the internet by satellite. TheT.V's will have all the channels which would be transmitted by a satellite on earth. Within the colony, video phones and computers will run by solar energy collected in batteries and then converted to electrity.

As you can see, our colony has very advanced forms of communication.

The space colony will consist of a shared economy. Every five years, the citizens will vote on whether it will remain a shared economy. A shared economy means that everyone in the colony will receive equal amounts of money regardless of their types of jobs and working skills. This type of economy will mean that there will not be a profit made, because everyone is making equal amounts of money. The workers will be paid every 2 weeks.

The unit of money is going to be called terra. It will be worth 2 dollars in American money.

The amount of money per household will depend on the amount of people in the family household. Retired people over the age of 65 will receive all of their everyday needs. These particular people have the choice either to return to earth or stay on the colony.

The educational system is mostly the same as the system now on Earth. There are three levels of education on the colony with up to three years of preschool (including kindergarten), then moving on to six grades in the elementary school, and six grades in the high school.

After you finish high school, you have to two options. You can go back to Earth for college because the colleges are already built and there is a wide variety of choices already available. The other option is to be enrolled in an Earth college by computer and be linked to the lecture halls by satellite. (This type of arrangement is already in use in some private high schools in the U.S. to allow high school students of small schools to take more specialized courses at the university level.) Of course, there will be classes and programs offered to adults and students graduating from high school, who have chosen not to go to college. The courses will not be as advanced, but you can train for the job you want.

There will be two school buildings available to the colony. If you live on the left side of the colony, you will go to the New Terra West School . If you live on the right side, you will go to the New Terra East School. There will be three school buses for each side. Only a certain number of children will be allowed to go to one school to avoid over-crowding. You can apply to whichever school is more convenient to travel to.

The curriculum for the space colony schools will have to include many of the same subjects that we learn on Earth. They will have to teach math, social studies, science, and English. There are many different forms of each of these subjects.

Math will be taught mostly by the same standards. They will teach adding and subtracting in first and second grade, multiplication in third grade, review in forth grade, dividing and continuations on multiplying in fifth grade and in sixth grade a review. Then, you will learn simple equations in seventh grade, two step equations, angles, and other geometry in eighth grade. In ninth grade, algebra will be taught. Geometry will be continued in tenth grade. Trigonometry is in eleventh grade and finally advanced algebra and calculus in twelfth grade.

Social Studies will be taught at an early age most likely starting with second grade and continuing up through high school. One of the major ideas taught will have to be the history,the making of, and all the information about the space colony. Then they will learn about Earth and space as they get older.

Science is also a very important subject. Up in space we won't be able to do some of the experiments that we do now in space because of the environment. For example, we can't use Bunsen burners because they would be a fire hazard, but we can do experiments with crystals and other space experiments.

English is on our colony is really not at all different from Earth language at this time. As the English language has changed over the years, it will most likely change while up in space. We will be able to learn a foreign language, but English will also be taught.

Some other subjects that will have to be taught are gravity control, space life management (or health) astronomy, psychology of living in space, effective ways of transporting objects, and space discovery.

Gravity control will include learning to walk in space without gravity, how to maintain the gravitational pull in the colony, and how the different planets have different gravitational pulls.

Space life management, or health, would teach how to keep a healthy diet in space, how traveling outside the colony would effect you, and other health related subjects.

There will be four hospitals for various needs. The construction of the colony provides for two major living sections in the form of spheres. Each sphere will be equipped with two hospitals, connected by a special tube-like closed corridor. There will be a ratio of one doctor for every sixty patients and five nurses for every doctor. There will be a health care program which includes regular check-ups to prevent serious diseases. Healthcare is free since there is a shared economy. Funds to pay for health care will come from the government.

To attract doctors to the colony, scholarships will be offered with the agreement that recipients will pledge to be doctors and nureses and lab specialists for at least five years. Scholarship winners will have free housing and tuition for college.

Waste and water are very important essentials of life in space. If colonists could not use and recycle the water and waste in space, then a space colony would not be possible.

Disposal of solid waste is a big process in the space colony. They use treated solid waste to fertilize the food crops. Each toilet is connected to a big waste plant where they do all the jobs necessary to reprocess it. The water and fertilizer are collected into separate tanks. The fertilizer is sent to the farms throughout the colony.

Disposal of liquid waste is another big process in the space colony. The liquid waste that is disposed from the toilets is drained to a treatment plant for filtration and disposal. Once it reaches the plant, it is filtered and iodized. It is then sent to all of the water pipes, such as bathtubs, toilets and sinks.

Without these processes, the space colony of New Terra wouldn't be possible. (The Bio-sphere, which houses a unique ecosystem, has its own type of water supply.)

The industry will be making furniture, foods, transportation items, gardening tools, and many more. There will also be space tourism. We'll have buildings that produce school supplies, carpeting, appliances, and glass products. For example, windows. The industry will need a considerable amount of space to build. There will be many products to make and and many buildings are needed to make those products. Machines will be doing all of the labor. There will also be volunteer work available for those who would still like to work. Since our economy is shared, this will be no problem. There will be a certain section in our space colony for industry. Industry will also be making clothes, shoes, and accessories, of course.

Anything that is edible will be made in one factory, so it isn't exposed to other things that are harmful to people if they ate the product. Furniture and appliances will be made in the same factory. Most of them will be made to correspond with each other. For instance, the machines will make a couch that is white and has blue stripes on it; then the machines will make appliances to go along with that pattern.

Space tourism will be a big thing for the colony. People will have to get a checkup before they come up, so they won't wipe out the entire colony with a plague or any other disease. They cannot come up if the doctor says they are sick. If the person has even the slightest symptoms of being sick, they cannot come until they have fully recovered. Since the colony has a shared economy the extra income from the tourists will be shared by the entire population.

There will be a retirement home for the older citizens and they will be cared for twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. Nurses will also be available all the time. There will be activities and some classes for them so they won't get bored. The retirement home will be called L.Y.F.E. The L stands for live, the Y stands for young, and the F and the E stand for forever.

-15 policemen(gender does not matter)

-10 on duty,standing around on the streets

-5 at the station, waiting to be called on duty,take care of jail cells

-1 to a cell (depends on time that needs to be served)

-when people get arrested, police will say,"You have the right to be silent. Anything you say will and can be used in the court of law."

- jails will be aluminum, with a table and chair, one bed and a pillow and blanket per cell

-there will be enforced surveillance in the jail

-good behavior will result in probation

This is an application for the space colony

Name: First__________Last_________M.I.___

Street Address____________________

City_________State/Providence__________Phone#_________

Country______________ Zip Code________Age___

Education____________________________________________

Previous Employment ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other related applicants and relationships ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Medical History, i.e. current medications and all surgeries.

Please attach a full medical history and current physical.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Allergies

____________________________________________________

Current occupation___________________________________

Employer____________________________________________

Current Family Status__________________________________

NOTE FAMILY UNITS APPLYING FOR THE COLONY SHOULD CONTAIN NO MORE THAN FOUR PEOPLE.

Former Addictions, ex. drugs, alcohol, etc. Please be specific.

____________________________________________________

While building our space colony, we came about a few problems. How are we supposed to get around from place to place in our space colony? How could we get around inside the buildings of our space colony? Well, we came up with both designs to clear this problem. So read on and indulge in our creative ideas!

Indoor Traveling Device:

Our first mobile was an indoor device. We called this the Incredible Indo-Mobile. This device allows easy transportation around buildings, such as hotels, banks, or shopping malls without all the exhaust fumes and pollution from normal devices, like cars and motorcycles. The conveyor belt allows the mobile to glide along easily. The driver controls when the car must make a turn or stop at a designated spot. The runners below the mobile are segmented to be flexible so that easy turns can be made. The design is very comfortable for the driver, so that they can concentrate their full attention on driving. Speaking of comfort, the cushioned seats are made from water-proof leather. Durable seat belts have been installed for safety and protection against any unexpected accident that may occur. Of course, because everyone deserves a safe ride, space-bags have also been installed. Below the actual structure lies a sleigh-like platform for easy gliding on the conveyor belt. We chose this design over wheels, because we are using the conveyor belt to move the mobile where it needs to get. At the front of the mobile the steering wheel is located. The leather material allows you to get a good grip. Using the wheel to turn and steer on the continuously-moving conveyor belt is a piece of cake! There are headlights all around the mobile to light the way as you coast along the conveyor belt. They also allow you to get a clear view of your surroundings.

The whole point of this conveyor belt method is plain and simple. Pollution is hazardous to your health, so we thought it would be effective to come up with a new pollution-free device of transportation. Pollution-free is the way to be!

Outdoor Traveling Device:

Our second form of transportation is an outdoor device that is adapted for getting from Earth to our colony and back again. We called this device the Fantastic Flyer. It has exhaust tubes for the exhaust to escape from while the space-ship is in use. The aerodynamic structure allows for quicker and smoother flying. Located below this device are wheels for landing. There are also bendable wheel attachers that allow the wheels to fold up when flying and extend down when landing. The headlights are to help you to see your path when landing on Earth from space and back again. You can sit back and relax in the durable leather seats and enjoy a comfortable ride.

The Fantastic Flyer runs on the same fuel that current shuttles run on. On the other hand, the Incredible Indo-Mobile simply runs along the conveyor belt, which is run on electricity from our solar-powered batteries. As you can see, we needed to use different methods of moving each of the two vehicles because each of the vehicles serve for a different purpose. Using either one of these models will surely get you to where you need to be!

New Terra is one of the most recent space colonies that is orbiting the Earth. They have a couple of very nice recreational centers. There is a repertory theater and a movie theater. There are also sports teams. Entertainment is provided in the homes with state-of-the art video game systems.

Every room will be equipped with a New Terra video station that comes with your T.V. The games are not like any other. They are the highest quality CD's that you have ever seen. The graphics are amazing. The characters almost look like real humans. Of course there are many games with space themes. You can also do one more thing. You can play regular music CD's on it. Music may come from Earth or be by the group from New Terra.

For those non-sport players, there is a repertory theater and also a movie theater. The New Terra Group is the best around; they give concerts of space music and also play earth music. The New Terra Players also do plays about being in space and what it is like. Our movie theater is also very nice. There is a domed screen that goes right over your head and speakers in all of the seats, which vibrate when something exhilarating happens in the movie.

There are also sports teams in the New Terra League with teams like the New Terra Asteroids. They play baseball, touch football, and basketball, and they are good at all of them. (Fields are not as big as on Earth, and some rules are modified.) The teams are always looking for new players that can play all of these space version sports.

New Terra is one of the best colonies in space. It is also one of the most active. As you can see, the colony does as much as it can to provide a variety of interesting activities.

For the finest quality clothing for inside and outside New Terra Space Colony, come to Sarah and Sarah's Clothing Outlet in the commercial section of the space settlement.

Inside-the-colony wearing apparel includes casual and dress-up styles for adults and children. See our own original designs and styles inspired by the latest Earth fashions.

All official New Terra uniforms are also available. See our new logos for law enforcement, medical, scientific, agricultural and maintenance staffs.

Our stock of outside-the-colony wear includes not only state of the art space suits with internal temperature control but also breathing tanks. We have suits for work-related and recreational space walk use.

Deep in the center of New Terra, about thirty miles east of the biosphere, and just beyond the thickest patch of briar you ever did see, lies the quiet and peaceful village of Mapleville. Although it seems to have a very calm and serene atmosphere, Mapleville really has a lot going on for such a miniature town. In fact, it really looks a lot like an enlarged replica of the Lego towns my brother and I used to build in our childhood years. Every year, usually around early springtime, tourists from all over the space colony of New Terra to flock into the crowded streets of downtown Mapleville. There, for only one short day takes place the largest celebration residents of the New Terra will ever experience. April 25th is dedicated to the day of the Annual Meteor Maple Festival Day. It's wonderful! It is a day filled with sweet, sugary times and being with friends and family. I guess that's what true happiness is all about!

Five minutes walking distance from Sarah's Beauty Salon stands the Sugarbee residence. That's where I, Samantha Sugarbee, known to most as Sam, live. I live with my grandmother, otherwise k known as Gram. It's just the two of us, and I must say I like it that way. We share a small Cape Cod style log cabin. The size of our home is definitely small, yet it's the perfect size for the two of us. We live a very simple lifestyle and tend to enjoy just the little things in life. It's like the saying, "It's the little things that count." Well, one of those "little things" that Gram and I both really look forward to each year is the annual Meteor Maple Festival.

Every April, Gram and I spend week after week preparing maple syrup for the festival. As a result, each year we've won first place. We cherish this honor more anything in space, and the metallic purple ribbons we win for it always receive a treasured spot hanging from our mantle. Not only do we receive a large amount of satisfaction from winning first place in this festival, but just being with a loved one, collecting sap from our maple tree and spending day after day boiling it down delivers a great amount of joy, almost like waking up on Christmas morning with hot cider in my favorite space mug. I really cherish that time to spend with Gram, especially since I know that she may not be around too much longer, at least as long as I hope she'll be. Anyway, last year's Meteor Maple Festival began with a little bit of a different spin as the previous years. I remember it all so well, even as if it had happened just a short week ago. It all started about three weeks before the annual Meteor Maple Festival would take place.

I was beginning to get very excited, knowing that any day now Gram and I would begin our yearly syrup making bonding session. The sun was just beginning to appear beyond the morning haze. Living in the New Terra space colony, we get large amounts of imitation sunshine produced by the solar panels on the outside of our shielded colony. It's wonderful! I sat on the front porch stacking the numerous number of rusty metal pails that we would use to collect the sap, a mixture of ninety-nine percent water and one percent sugar, from the old maple trees. Gram appeared in the screen door. By her perplexed facial expression, I was immediately able to pick up the sign that something was not right. My shoulders began to tense up, as she approached me. With the very serious tone of a surgeon general, Gram uttered the words that most grandchildren definitely would not want to hear from their loving grandparents.

"Sam", she stuttered, "at my doctor's appointment yesterday, Doctor Holland unexpectedly discovered some cancer cells present in my body."

I sat there, unable to move as I slowly processed everything she was telling me, from the fact that she really did have cancer to the point where she announced that we would not be making our delicious prize-winning maple syrup for this year's Meteor Maple Festival. My eyes began to well with salty tears as I realized that I didn't need to be stacking these rusty metal buckets. What's the point, I mean, there would be no maple syrup-making this year. Gram and I sat on that porch, well basically until the sun hologram was just beginning to disappear beyond the artificial internal horizon of New Terra. We talked until I was finally able to realize we were just doing what was best for her.

The night panorama was being projected now. Every now and then a flaming meteor would fly by. The brightness of those meteors really gave me a great deal of hope. Gram got up, claiming that she was exhausted, and needed some rest. Not me, I sat there until what seemed like forever. I thought back to the previous years and what it had been like to be with Gram making maple syrup. Oh...the endless hours we spent playing cards in the traditional sugar house located twenty meters away from the biosphere. We would just sit there and giggle as if Gram were still young, watching as the water evaporate from the sap.

At that moment, I got the brightest idea I must say that I have ever gotten. It was an idea that could save this year's Annual Meteor Maple Festival from crashing and would save the hundreds of tourists from leaving to return back to their home without their favorite maple syrup. I was going to do it! I was going to make the maple syrup all on my own, and I was going to win first place, and bring home once again a metallic purple ribbon. After all, I had to prepare myself for the days when Gram really wouldn't be around. Then what would I do? I was going to need to know how to make that maple syrup all on my own. I knew that I must satisfy the customers that for so many months had looked forward to just one small sample of our famous maple syrup. It is the best maple syrup in the whole outer space.

So, I began to do what I knew I must do if I was counting on winning first place. This was by no means easy work. I never really realized how tough it was before. I mean, Gram usually did the tough stuff and left me with the simple jobs.

Now, the tides had turned. It was all me this time! Maple syrup making involves getting up extra early, when the artificial dew is still fresh, to collect sap from our trusty old maple tree. That tree year after year had always managed to give us enough sap for the proper amount of syrup we must make. Last year, as I remembered, the weather was programmed correctly. You see, in order for the sap flow to be good, the days must be warm and the nights must be cool. Otherwise the flow just isn't right.

As I sat there watching the clear, sugary liquid peacefully slither from the little silver spicket, I thought of how I would approach Gram to tell her of my plans for this year's Meteor Maple Festival. I decided that this afternoon I would tell her when she returned from her doctor's appointment. Yeah, that's what I would do!

Around 4:30 p.m. space time, Gram pulled into our driveway. I always knew when she was approaching home when I could hear the little beeps of our Indo-mobile and the skidding of the sleigh-like platform against the conveyor belt. She hopped off and made her way to the front porch.

"Hey, Sam," Gram replied.

"Gram, there's something I need to talk to you about. It's just that... every year I look forward to the Meteor Maple Festival with incredible excitement. This year when you told me of your medical condition, it broke my heart. Well, I've been thinking a lot lately, and I decided that I'm going to make maple syrup for this year's festival all by myself. It's something I want to do. Oh...and I'm going to win first place again, too, and bring you home a metallic purple ribbon."

Gram chuckled,"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"How could I get hurt, Gram"?

Gram hesitated, "I'm just saying, don't get your hopes up too much about winning first place. All the previous years we've done it together, and I just don't know if you're able to do it all on your own at this point."

After thinking it over for a couple of seconds I replied, "Don't worry Gram. I really can do it. I'll make you proud...you'll see."

The next two weeks were tough. By about the end of the second week, I actually began to regret my initial decision. I mean, what if I didn't win first place after all, and I had done all this work for nothing!

That didn't happen, though. On the appointed day,I found myself standing on the podium, holding the metallic purple first place ribbon. I knew I would be okay. Being there right, at that very moment, a feeling of satisfaction passed over me. I had done it, and all the long, hard hours of work I had done had been for a purpose!

About an hour later I was on my way home. Walking along the thick, hot cement I thought of how proud Gram would be of me. As I approached the front porch swing I could see Gram, so peacefully reading her copy of "Country Living". I sat down beside her.

"I have some good news to tell you," she said.

"So do I," I exclaimed as I whipped the metallic purple first place ribbon from my back pocket.

A huge grin spread across her pale, wrinkled skin, "Oh Sam, I'm so proud of you. Now I know that even when I am no longer here you will continue to follow our family tradition by making the best maple syrup ever.

We sat there for a long while, until I felt a warm sprinkle hit my cheek.

"Gram, what was that good news you had to tell me?" I asked curiously.

"Well, at my doctor's appointment the other day, Doctor Holland informed me that there was no longer any trace of cancer cells in my body," Gram stated with a smile, and for the first time in a very long time she looked very young to me.

I couldn't possibly put into words how happy I felt at that moment.

I looked over at Gram. Her eyes were closed, and she looked as if she must be sleeping . Feeling very tired myself, I closed my eyes, too. This had been an unforgettable Meteor Maple Festival!

BY JENNIFER

It was a crisp, cool, sunny, spring day. All the maple trees were ready to be tapped in the biosphere of the space colony New Terra, which was built as a complete residential space settlement in orbit around Earth. The scientists were very excited because this was the first year that the syrup would be plentiful enough to be tapped.

The space colony's biosphere was extremely large compared to those of any other colony. They had experimental plants, mini rain forests, animals, even a weather system to create rain, wind, fog, or even snow. Thousands of different kinds of flowers, trees, bushes, and other plants colorfully filled the biosphere.

There were quite a few scientists in the colony working in the biosphere. The newest member of the team, Karla, concentrated on trees. Her favorite type of tree was the Maple tree. She said in an E-mail to her relatives on Earth: "On Earth I admired their personality. In the spring, they are just starting to bud and grow, showing a new start. In summer, they are bright, healthy, and green, representing the grown animals and other plants. In autumn, the leaves turn brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows and start to fall off showing signs of calmness and weather change in the autumn. Then comes winter. Their bare branches and snow covered trees are silent just like the rest of the earth."

The scientists waited eagerly for the day they would tap the maple trees. In order to simulate spring conditions on Earth, the temperature of that part of the biosphere would have to be alternated between a cold period and a warm period to get the sap flowing. In the meantime, most of the other scientists continued with their other experiments and tests in the biosphere, but Karla was too excited to do other work. All she did was take care of the trees. She would water them and actually talk to them. All the other scientists laughed at her and thought she was crazy.

The day arrived to tap all the maple trees. Everybody got to tap one tree. Karla drilled her hole in the maple tree with great care. Nobody knew what to expect.

Each scientist stood in amazement as not one thing came out of the trees! No one knew what to say.

"Maybe the sap takes longer to come out of the trees here. Let's check again tomorrow," said Bob, one of the scientists.

Everybody waited until the next day to see if any sap came out of the maple trees, but none did. Karla was the most disappointed, but she never gave up hope. She believed that the sap would come up eventually. It had to-- she was already tasting the sweat maple syrup in her mouth! She came to work every morning hoping to find at least a drop of sap in the buckets. but nothing was ever there.

As the time went by, the maple trees went through their normal cycle, turning their brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows. Karla still loved to watch the trees but had to continue with her job. She would go out during her break and tend to the trees, talking to them and watering them. Karla thought the the leaves on the maple trees looked extremely large for the "autumn" cycle. She climbed to the top of one tree to collect some data. As she leaned down to grab her clipboard her hair caught a branch. She got it untangled and felt something sticky in her hair. She pulled off one of the leaves and it was hard and glossy.

"It's like glass," she thought out loud.

She took another leaf off and squeezed it. A thick, water-like, clear fluid came dripping out. She let a drop land on her hand and tasted it.

"It's sap!" she cried out joyfully.

She called the rest of the scientists into the biosphere and showed them her discovery. They all were very confused. She explained that the sugar in the sap must travel into the leaves and harden, causing each leaf to turn into a glass like material.

"Now we can have maple syrup," said Bob.

All the scientists congratulated her on her discovery and apologized for not believing in her theory of helping plants grow by talking to them. No one could explain why the sap went up into the leaves the "autumn" cycle. Perhaps it was the result of the space station's sometimes uneven artificial gravity, which was produced by rotating the structure of the colony. Anyway, they had to learn to expect the unexpected--in space!

The year was 2046. It was an average day on New Terra, a space colony orbiting Earth. Brandon Galutz, a slim, freckled-faced 14 year old was rummaging through some of his grandfather's old collections, when he came upon the largest discovery of his life.

Deep down, buried underneath piles and piles of old junk, Brandon uncovered an old sheet of paper. He began reading and discovered it was a recipe for making the esters which tasted just like maple syrup from Earth. Brandon was astonished and excited about this discovery. He immediately snatched the paper and scampered to the nearest phone. On the other side of the colony lived Brandon's friend Mark Mondanaro. Mark was lounging around on the couch when he received a phone call from Brandon.

Brandon explained to Mark about the recipe. Mark decided it was interesting and they would look into the subject more thoroughly.

The next day, Mark and Brandon got together and attempted to make the maple syrup. After about two hours of mixing and stirring, they had the solution. It was very sweet and pleasant. They both came to the conclusion that if they made enough, they could make some good money for the colony by selling the maple syrup to the colony's tourists from Earth. Brandon and Mark went to the center of New Terra and tried to sell their mouth watering syrup. No one would buy. It was obvious they needed something new, and something catchy.

Brandon and Mark worked vigorously throughout the night and into the bright glares of the artificially programmed morning. By then they had come up with the perfect name for the maple syrup. By combining their last names, they came up with "Mondolutz." The following day, they put Mondolutz to the test, selling it at all the major attractions on New Terra. By the end of that day they had many costumers.

The name that these two hometown heroes came up with served as an advantage. To this day they are still working on New Terra. They made large sums of money for their colony's shared economy in what seemed a blink of the eye. If you live in a certain section of New Terra, in the early portions of the morning, you will wake up to the smell of boiling maple syrup.

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Everyone's Got To Be Weird

by Sarah

Late one spring day in April a girl luckily named April was with her friends when all of a sudden April started to scream. (No, you silly, not the month--the girl named April) Why, you ask? Well, give me a minute, and I'll tell you. Now before I was rudely interrupted by somebody, I was telling my story about a girl named April and her friends and how April started to scream.

April and her friends lived on an orbital space settlement named New Terra. They were inseparable until they "ditched" April because she started to scream. She was left out there by her lonesome way out in a dwarf maple tree grove in the agricultural section, where the girls had been trying to collect sap for maple syrup. Because of the unusual growing conditions, the maple sap had become so sticky that when April had put the tap in, her hand had gotten stuck to the tree and she had not been able to get it off! So her friends had started to laugh at her and would not help her! How rude! So there April was stuck to a maple tree, in the middle of a space colony, screaming her head off, yelling for help. When she paused a moment to gulp for air, she heard an announcement for an in-coming vehicle, but then went right on screaming. Then she suddenly saw something and stopped screaming.

The doors to the bio-sphere opened and out came her favorite movie star. It was Ben Afflon! The surprise triggered a surge of adrenaline that got her loose from the tree's sticky sap. Concerned, Ben said, "I hope that you are all right."

The star-struck April couldn't say any more at first, but she eventually managed to utter in a whispered voice, "How did you get over here and know that someone was hurt? And oh, by the way, I really like you. Will you sign my autograph book?"

He replied, "Why sure I will, and to answer your other questions, I could hear you screaming as I walked through the docking door. That's why I came over here before reporting to the tourist center."

For the rest of the day, April and her favorite movie star, Ben Afflon, toured the space colony to see if Ben liked it enough to move there. However, before doing anything else, Ben had made it a point to sign April's autograph book. After the complete tour April gave him of all the facilities and living areas on New Terra, Ben decided to move there. In fact, April and he became really goods friends for the rest of their lives.

Dear Diary,

Boy, I guess people don't treat us kids any differently up here in space than they do on Earth. I got detention from the virtual teacher!

I really love it on New Terra, but sometimes I wonder what it's like on Earth. My mom and dad told me we can go back to Earth when it is summer down there. My dad and mom both grew up in the same place so they were hoping to go back to their hometown of Detroit, Michigan. I can't wait.

Today in gym class we got to go outside with our space suits and practice weightlessness. It was really fun. I also enjoyed science class. Our whole class made crystal necklaces and got to keep them. I made mine to look like blue saphire.