"The Star Bright AR"

The Star Bright AR

By: Haripriya

Authors Note: Just to let everyone who is reading this story know, the rocket, "Imperial SC" and the "Star Bright AR" are NOT real rockets. The events in this story have NEVER happened in real life. So please don't get confused!!

"As Imperial SC launches into the sky, only a slight bit of debris is left from its fuel. Now I'll hand it over to the Imperial SC operating crew to describe to the audience on how Imperial SC is journeying through its course..." said the news reporter from the T.V.

"I want to be in that rocket. I want to ride it. One day, I will be the next astronaut, exploring the entire solar system. Maybe I'll find more galaxies and planets!! Or... I will find a star and name it after me! Just the name Adria sounds so good for a star!" the little girl exclaimed.

Soon, she heard her mother, hollering her name across the hall. Adria quickly turned off the T.V. and rushed towards her mother.

"ADRIAAAAA!!" she hollered once more.

"I'm coming!" Adria screamed back.

"Hurry up! You need to eat your breakfast for school!" her mother told her a bit panicked.

"I know, I know. I am coming." Adria shook her head in annoyance but walked towards her mother like she said she would.

✩✩✩

On the same day in science class...

"Have you all thought about how engineers build rockets? I don't know if you have been listening to the news lately, but today is the day the Imperial SC just launched! So, I thought we could do a little project based on the inspiration of this magnificent rocket! I want you all to create a model of a rocket that you would want to fly in. I have given you all the materials you need. Just remember, it has to be your own model. If you want to research the parts of a rocket, then you are excused to go to the computer lab. I want you to have lots of fun creating this... now build!!" their science teacher exclaimed.

Adria in particular was over the moon when she heard this news. Today really was her lucky day! She can build her prototype, for when she is old enough to become an astronaut, she wants her rocket to be exactly like how she had visioned it to be.

"Now, if I want to make a rocket that can handle everyone's weight, and fly in space at the same time, it is going to need a lot of support. It needs to have a stable base, and it's weight needs to be balanced. If I cut some of this cardboard, and glue it on to the card stock, then it should stand pretty good." Adria murmured to herself.

She was brainstorming on what her plan was going to be. All the materials she needs to use. Everything had to go smoothly for her dream rocket to look the way she had always wanted. Unlike the others, Adria first started sketching her rocket. It was going to be much easier to build it that way. She could always refer to her sketch to make sure that she is executing each step properly.

"Now, I am done with the base and the body of the rocket. The final step is to build durable wings. Both sides need to have the same weight, so they can counterbalance the other. This way, the base also won't lean to either side." Adria continued planning.

Soon enough, she was done with her dream model. She had tested the rocket a lot of times, so presenting her rocket in front of the class was going to be a breeze. So far, she hadn't noticed any fault in her rocket. Adria had high hopes that her model was going to fly properly when she tests it. Just to make sure, Adria even counted the perfect angle in which she should position her rocket. When she pulls the attached string from the underside of the rocket, it should launch with no issues.

Adria stepped up in front of her class and presented her rocket.

"Hello everyone. Today, I will be presenting my rocket model which I made, called "The Star Bright AR".  If you are all wondering what the "AR" stands for, well I will tell you. The "A" stands for my first letter in my name, and the "R" stands for "Rocket". Now a bit more into the parts of this rocket which I have created. Here you see is the base I have created using..." Adria continued on.

Soon, just as she reached the end of her presentation, it was testing time for her rocket. Just like she had planned, she positioned it in the perfect degree and pulled the string. But to her surprise, the rocket flew, but into the trashcan.

✩✩✩

Everyone started teasing her. She had become the laughing stock of school now. Even after a week later, a few students kept reminding her of that incident. Adria couldn't handle all this teasing anymore. Just because some people were teasing her, she wasn't going to give up on her dream. Adria knew that she wanted to become an astronaut, flying the rocket she had always imagined. All she needed to do was find the error that she made while building it.

"Come on... think Adria, think! What could I have done which possibly went wrong when testing the rocket?" she questioned herself.

Adria took another close examination at her rocket, and soon enough, she found her mistake.

"Oh! I put too much weight in the body of the rocket! That's why it couldn't fly straight up! Instead it... well flew horizontally and landed right in the trash can. All I have to do is first... build another rocket because this one stinks from the stench in the garbage, and make sure not to put too much weight in the body of the rocket." Adria realized.

Another week later, she built another replica of the same rocket she built last time. Only it was much cleaner, smelled nice, and Adria concentrated to not put too much weight into the base. She had high hopes that this one was going to launch.

Adria really wanted to go outside and test it out, but she thought that if her rocket really worked, then it would go to space and she would lose her prototype. So, she decided to do it in her room. She placed the rocket facing the perfect angle and pulled the string. Fortunately, Adria's rocket, "The Star Bright AR" did launch perfectly and hit her wall. As expected, it fell down. But Adria's face lit up with glee. She jumped up and down because of her success.

✩✩✩

Many years later...

"Listen up students, for our special guest is right behind that door. She is an extraordinary figure in this history! She is an astronaut, and her rocket was the only one in the entire world to send many other robots to explore, not just the Earth and moon, but planets and galaxies light-years away from our home planet!! All these robots are collecting data and sending them to scientists who are working very hard to understand the atmosphere on these other planets and galaxies. She has received many awards, and medals for this great honor she has done. Students, give a round of applause to Adria!!" a science teacher welcomed her.

It was Adria's proud moment. She was beaming with happiness, and at the same time was very proud of herself for achieving her lifelong dream... to become an astronaut and being in her own spaceship she built, "The Star Bright AR".

"Please, Adria, we would all like to hear a few words from you." the science teacher told her.

"Thank you so much for inviting me here! It is such an honor to tell how I became the person I am today. It started with me, in my own science class, when I was about your age. That day, the "Imperial SC"  had just launched, and I had watched it on T.V. That same day, my science teacher told us to make our own rockets. I was beyond thrilled when I heard this. I started building and soon, made it. I thought that it was going to work because when I tested it out, it had launched perfectly. Unfortunately, when I tested it in front of the entire class, it flew horizontally and landed in the garbage can. From that day onward, I knew that I needed to figure out what went wrong. Though I was the laughing stock of the school, I didn't pay any attention to that. My mind was only on one thing: The Star Bright AR. Yup, it was the name I created back then because I thought it sounded so cool. I went home and found out that the base of my rocket had too much weight. So, I corrected it, and it launched perfectly the second time. That is how my dream of becoming an astronaut became true. What I want all of you to learn from my experience is to never give up. Don't lose hope because of a setback. Improve from your mistakes, and I assure you that you will achieve your dream." Adria spoke confidently.

~The End~