6
7
and also access all the knowledge we need to do 
our jobs. As none of you are yet 16, and so not 
adults, I’m afraid we can’t let you do that. So you 
will be using good, old fashioned smart phones. 
They will be working on a separate system to ours, 
so do not worry about interfering with anything or 
breaking stuff. Your group leader, Mr Jones, should 
have told you who you are with for day one – so 
your first task is to find your crew member. Good 
luck and have fun!”
Everyone stands up and the students and crew 
start to mingle, looking for each other. As each 
meets the right one, crew and student leave the 
room together. Commander Hopper walks straight 
up to Sasha and smiles. She holds out her hand to 
shake. 
“You’re Sasha, right? You’re with me today.”
Sasha swallows nervously and says “Hi. That’s 
great. Thank you.”
“Don’t worry. Mr Jones is just a call away, if you feel 
like you need some support. Come on.”
four people made history, we have had people of 
every race, every religion. We have had people of all 
genders and people with disabilities. But if we are 
to have a real colony, it also needs to be a place for 
children. That is why our first youth visitors to set 
foot on the Moon are here.”
Again there is more applause from the adults.
“There are six of you. From across the world, 
picked at random after entering the lunar lottery, 
you now make up the first class of the International 
Space Academy. You’ll spend your time here 
working with different crew members, to find 
out what working in space and on the Moon is 
like. However, there is one important difference 
between you and us…”
Commander Hopper comes out from behind her 
briefing podium and hands a rectangular slab to 
each of the students as she continues talking.
“Here in the moonbase, the crew have all chosen to 
have brain implant internet chips inside our heads, 
so that we can easily communicate with each other 

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