Mission Moon Read online

  we’re ready?

  We’ve been

  training harder than

  ever before. Why?

  It’s simple:

  The world

  needs us.

  We’re as ready

  as we’ll ever be.

  Good night,

  team.

  There you are.

  Hi, old buddy.

  HELLO,

  BLANKET.

  There you are.

  Hi, old buddy.

  Ugh, must have

  dozed off.

  What time is it?

  5:28!

  I gotta get back

  and get some sleep!

  Blanket, what

  are you doing out

  of your bunk??

  I, uh…

  Nothing…

  What are you doing

  out of your bunk?

  Also

  nothing.

  Look, I won’t

  report you if you

  don’t report me.

  Deal!

  Good night,

  Blanket.

  Good night,

  Waffles.

  All right!

  Let’s go!

  C’mon, sleepies,

  the early cat

  gets the fish.

  Yawwwwn.

  Ughhhnnnn.

  Who’s ready for

  a nice landing?

  Ready to start

  splashdown test.

  Here we go!

  We’re coming

  in too sharp!

  Waffles, decrease

  angle to 50 degrees!

  Blanket, release the

  parachute!

  You two! I told

  you, I did not want

  to get wet! What is

  your deal?!

  HOW COULD THIS

  HAPPEN?! WE’RE

  SUPPOSED TO BE A TEAM,

  BUT YOU TWO ARE

  SLEEPING ON THE JOB!

  We’re sorry.

  Let’s run it

  again.

  We’ll get

  it right.

  I’ve just received word

  from the World’s Best

  Scientist. You’re all

  needed at the launchpad

  ASAP. Training is over.

  Well, CatStronauts,

  this was our only chance

  to practice, so no more

  messing around. Got it?

  It’s time for

  the real thing.

  CHAPTER 6

  Blanket, where

  do you want this?

  In the capsule’s

  storage locker,

  please.

  You got it.

  What?

  WHAT?!

  Major Meowser,

  about before,

  during training…

  It’s too late

  now, Waffles.

  Just make sure

  you’re awake

  for the mission.

  Do you think there’s time for

  a snack before we take off?

  You’ll have to wait.

  Once we start putting

  on the spacesuits, we’re

  better off not eating

  until we’re in orbit.

  Don’t worry. We’ll

  probably get up to space

  just in time for lunch.

  Oh. OK.

  Ears up, everyone!

  We’ve only got one chance

  to get this right.

  Let’s stay sharp

  and work together!

  Mission Control, we are

  strapped in and ready

  for takeoff.

  Mission Control, give

  me a Go/No Go

  for launch.

  Booster?

  Go.

  Retro?

  We are go.

  FIDO?

  Go.

  Guidance?

  Guidance

  is go.

  EECOM?

  Go, Flight.

  FAO?

  Go.

  CAPCOM?

  We’re go.

  CatStronauts,

  we are go for launch.

  Flight, I’m picking up

  an abnormal rumbling

  coming from the rocket.

  Don’t worry about

  that. Waffles is just

  hungry.

  Roger that.

  Prepare for

  launch.

  Prepare for lunch!

  3 – 2 – 1 –

  WE HAVE

  LIFTOFF!

  And the mission to

  solve the planet’s

  energy crisis

  is under way!

  The CatStronauts

  have begun

  their journey!

  Great.

  Well…Know any

  good jokes?

  What is a cat’s

  favorite type

  of show?

  A mew-sical.

  CHAPTER 7

  Prepare for

  rocket separation.

  Roger that.

  CatStronauts,

  you are in orbit around

  Earth. Proceed to lunar

  lander connection.

  Roger that,

  Waffles will take

  it from here.

  Steady…

  Steady…

  We’ve got it.

  Deploying

  solar panels.

  Initiate

  main engine

  burn.

  Next stop,

  the moon!

  Great launch,

  everyone!

  I like

  space!

  Waffles, is

  your stomach

  grumbling again?

  I lost all navigation!

  Mission Control, does

  anything still work

  on your end?

  That’s a negative,

  Pom Pom. We’ve got

  blank screens for

  navigation.

  We probably just

  flew through a

  little space junk.

  Mission Control, we’re

  going to have a look

  outside, see if we can’t

  discover the problem.

  Anybody see

  anything yet?

  I found it! It looks like

  the navigation antenna

  broke off. It’s not in

  very good shape.

  It doesn’t

  look like we

  can fix it.

  How did this

  yarn get here?

  All right, cats, no

  sense in staying

  out any longer.

  Copy that.

  Let’s head

  back inside.

  Uh, Major?

  I can’t get the

  hatch open.

  What do you

  mean, Waffles?

  WE’RE

  LOCKED

  OUTSIDE!

  GREAT!

  We’re stuck outside,

  flying through space at

  17,000 miles an hour,

  heading straight for

  the moon!

  It could be

  worse. We could

  be hungry.

  All right,

  let’s not

  panic.

  I think I

  know a way in.

  HELLO,

  BLANKET.

  Hello,

  Cat-Stro-Bot!

  Blanket, you were

  supposed to stop your robot

  experiment when we started

  training. And now this…

  I know,

  I just…

  Look here, everyone,

  we’ve had lots of close

  calls and we’re not even

  to the moon yet.

&
nbsp; I don’t know if

  you realize this,

  but this mission

  must not fail!

  If we don’t do our job,

  the world will have no

  power! That’s the end

  of the line for Earth

  as we know it!

  What’s the big deal?

  We’re back inside the ship.

  We wouldn’t be here if

  it weren’t for Blanket’s

  Cat-Stro-Bot.

  The big deal is that

  we’re supposed to be

  the CatStronauts.

  The best of the best.

  But we’re acting

  like a bunch of

  barn kittens.

  Not following the

  plan could literally

  ruin the world.

  Come in,

  CatStronauts. Is

  everyone all right?

  We haven’t heard

  anything in a bit.

  Enough chitchat.

  Let’s get back

  to work.

  Control, we’re back inside

  thanks to Blanket’s quick

  thinking. But there’s still

  no navigation.

  Without the

  navigation antenna,

  there’s no way to safely

  land on the moon.

  I’m sorry,

  CatStronauts,

  we’ll have to abort

  the mission.

  WAIT!

  We’re still pointed at

  the moon, so that means

  our ship’s heading has only shifted

  at most 5–18 degrees from

  the original course.

  If we can keep the moon in

  our sights as we fly toward it,

  we should be able to obtain a

  lunar orbit. The only problem

  would be the landing.

  I can hook up Cat-Stro-Bot

  to the main computer and

  use his ear sensor arrays as

  a backup navigation system.

  It will have a much shorter

  range than before, so it’s going

  to be pretty tricky, but

  Cat-Stro-Bot’s sensors should

  let us land on the moon.

  Are you sure

  you can handle it,

  Waffles?

  Of course I can

  handle it. I have

  cat-like reflexes.

  Now this is

  more like it!

  HOORAY.

  Pom Pom’s

  calculations

  check out.

  CatStronauts,

  the mission is

  still a go!

  Copy that.

  Resuming

  mission!

  CHAPTER 8

  After a harrowing

  journey, the CatStronauts

  are now entering the

  lunar orbit.

  Soon they will begin building

  the new power plant.

  The public shows

  their support, as

  thousands of cats

  gather together to

  watch mission

  updates.

  With only a few days left

  before energy blackouts

  fully cripple the world… all

  we can do is wait and hope.

  Mission Control,

  we have achieved

  a lunar orbit !

  Cat-Stro-Bot,

  I need you to stay

  in the capsule.

  Pick us up when

  we come back.

  AFFIRMATIVE.

  We are starting

  our descent to the

  moon’s surface.

  Copy that.

  Remember, you’ve got

  a tight deadline to

  complete the mission.

  You can

  count on us.

  Mission Control,

  we have

  lunar landi—

  CATSTRONAUTS?

  COME IN,

  CATSTRONAUTS?!

  Someone turn on

  the generator!

  CatStronauts,

  please respond!

  We just suffered

  a power failure.

  I read you loud

  and clear, Control.

  Great—but

  we’re running

  out of time!

  Just admiring

  the view.

  Let’s get

  to work!

  I think

  we’re finished.

  CatStronauts, the clock

  is getting pretty low.

  Initiate power plant

  power-up sequence.

  Here goes

  nothing.

  CatStronauts,

  what’s your

  status?

  It’s not

  working!

  Nothing’s

  turning on!

  Well, keep looking

  for the problem.

  Don’t give up!

  Come on, team,

  you heard her!

  Major, can I go

  get a snack? It’s

  hard to think on

  an empty stomach.

  No! You cannot get

  a snack! We have

  a crisis on our hands

  and I need your help

  to solve it.

  Your suit has an emergency

  energy bar in it. Eat that,

  but don’t stop looking!

  ENERGY BAR!

  Waffles! Where

  are you going?!

  Get back here!

  I know what’s

  wrong! I can

  fix it!

  I can fix it!

  Well, folks, it looks like this

  is the end of our modern

  way of life. This reporter

  hopes everyone practiced

  building fires.

  WAIT,

  WHAT’S THIS?!

  We’re at

  full power!

  THE CATSTRONAUTS

  HAVE DONE IT!

  Holy fish!!!

  We’re saved!

  They’ve done it

  The CatStronauts

  have done it!

  Way to go!

  You did it!

  Great job, team!

  Let’s pack up and

  head home.

  WELCOME

  BACK.

  Mission Control, we are

  connected to the capsule

  and are beginning our

  return trip.

  Copy that,

  CatStronauts.

  Get home safe.

  CHAPTER 9

  After saving the world from

  eternal darkness, the

  CatStronauts are returning

  to Earth.

  Mission Control, we

  have capsule separation.

  Prepare for splashdown

  reentry.

  I know we never mastered the

  splashdown during training, but

  regardless of how this goes, the

  mission has been a great success.

  Pom Pom, your quick

  calculations allowed us to

  reach the moon, even when

  we didn’t have any proper

  means to navigate.

  Blanket, you’ve proven that

  sometimes deviating from the

  plan is necessary for the

  good of the mission.

  Cat-Stro-Bot has become

  an invaluable team member.

  Without both of you, we

  wouldn’t be here now.

  Waffles, thanks to you, we have

  a fully powered home to come back

  to. You’re a fantastic pilot, and

  you’ve shown that you might have

  to use more than
your head to