L. Afanasyev - Journey to Mars

Head: teacher of Russian language and literature Alena Aleksandrovna Tropina,

Kind and cheerful Martians

One day I read on the Internet that the cosmodrome had announced a call for people willing to fly to the fourth planet of the solar system - Mars. I really wanted to go to space, and even more to another planet. I read a lot about this interesting planet and its two moons. Of course, I couldn’t miss the chance to visit there...

I signed up to volunteer and was invited to take part in the tests. They tested us in every possible way: they spun us in a centrifuge, lowered us into a swimming pool in a spacesuit, locked us in a small compartment for several days, and then we had to pass a psychological test. And now, finally, the day when they will announce who will fly to Mars has arrived! And, lo and behold, you won’t believe it, they call my name! Hurray, I'm flying to Mars!

Preparations have begun. The three of us were supposed to fly: me, Dasha and Masha. We were prepared for the flight for two weeks, and then the long-awaited day came when we had to fly to Mars. Our rocket was called “Buran-Dream”, and it was the most powerful and smartest rocket on Earth. We said goodbye to our relatives, changed into space suits, took our places in the rocket and flew towards adventure.

It took a long time to fly. But time passed unnoticed. We looked out the window at the red, yellow and blue stars, performed experiments, photographed space objects and talked with the girls about what awaits us on Mars. And then one morning we saw that we were getting closer to our dream. The on-board computer warned of an imminent landing, and we buckled up. The landing was surprisingly soft. We put on special suits and left the ship.

The landscape was like a desert, only the soil was red. A huge volcano could be seen in the distance. I took the first step and flew six meters. I barely managed to keep from falling. The girls laughed merrily: “Well, did you experience the Martian attraction?” And they jumped after me. It was so much fun that we didn’t notice how we jumped to the volcano. As soon as we approached it, a huge gate immediately opened, and we found ourselves in some kind of Martian city. Orange asphalt on the streets, red houses made of unusual materials, large pink glass windows everywhere. Burgundy saucers flew across the sky and landed directly on the yellow roofs of houses. “That’s why Mars is called the red planet,” I thought. And the Martians themselves were green, some were dressed in silver suits. We were immediately noticed and surrounded. We were terribly scared and tried to talk to the Martians, but they did not understand us.

But then a huge plate flew in, and a Martian came out of it with some object that looked like a flashlight. He clicked this device, and suddenly I began to realize that I understood what they were asking me. What a wonderful device! The important gentleman, it turns out, was the mayor of this city, and the city was called Zantertaum, which means “kindness.” He invited us to his place and asked us for a long time about what planet we had come from, for what purpose and how we got there. Then we were fed some wonderful fruits, and we were able to breathe Martian air. What amazed me most was that both plants and animals on the planet could also speak. And everyone lived in harmony, without quarreling. We also attended the City Festival. All the residents gathered at the largest purple building of the city administration and had fun. They sang songs and danced. The music was so cheerful that we happily danced along with the Martians. I told the girls: “But they are the same as us, though they look strange, but that’s okay, you can get used to it.” My friends nodded at me cheerfully. The day passed unnoticed.

It's time to return home. The whole city came out to see us off. Everyone wished us a good trip and invited us to visit again. They gave us many wonderful and unusual gifts and asked us to bring our friends, favorite fruits and interesting animals. We also invited the Martians to visit us and took pictures together as a souvenir. Then they talked for a long time about this and that. Everyone had a lot of questions and wanted to know a lot. We were convinced that all the inhabitants of this city were cheerful and kind, tsentertaum in the Martian way. I really didn't want to fly away. But they were waiting for us on Earth. They were waiting for our reports and scientific conclusions.

See you again, Martians! – we shouted out the porthole. And the mayor of the city waved goodbye to us.

L. B. Afanasyev

Journey to Mars

Nikolai Aleksandrovich Krasnov jumped out of bed at night as if stung and immediately lit the lamp: he had finally solved his problem. For three whole years this damned integral tormented him, not yielding to any of his efforts; but Nikolai Alexandrovich was convinced that this was achievable. The mathematics students to whom he asked to solve the problem, after fruitless attempts, all categorically told him that the integral could not be taken in its final form; the best mathematics professor at the local university confirmed the same to maintain his dignity, since all his attempts to solve the problem led to nothing. But Krasnov did not believe them: neither the students nor the professor knew what great application this integral would have if it could be taken; everyone thought that this was just an artificially selected function for exercises in integral calculus, and when the task seemed to them too difficult, they calmly abandoned it. How wrong they were! Yes, Krasnov strictly kept his secret and for the time being did not trust it even to his friend, student Shvedov. Krasnov’s integral was the product of his many years of work in mechanics: it alone slowed down his discovery, a great, world-wide discovery, not amenable to any combinations and calculations, and thereby covered up a mysterious truth, amazing in its significance.

With fear, Krasnov took a sheet of paper and began to check the decision that had dawned on him in bed. Will this again turn out to be self-deception, and the integral will slip away again, and at the same time his wonderful invention will not come true? But, no, the calculations are quite consistent with his thoughts: the integral, as Krasnov thought, breaks up into three parts, and each of them struggles in the most natural way. He checks his calculations once, twice, three times, and there is no error found. There is no end to his delight: he will realize his idea, which he has been working on for seven whole years. The problem is finally solved and he is the ruler of the world. Yes, a ruler, as powerful as the fairy-tale heroes of Jules Verne, who perform miracles with the help of their inventions! But now before him is not a fantastic hero; he himself, no one else but Nikolai Aleksandrovich Krasnov, is the culprit of the discovery, which will be higher than the discovery of Stephenson and Edison. Theoretically, the issue has been finally resolved, but practically implementing its idea is a mere trifle. The government will spare no expense, realizing the benefits it will gain here. Yes, he will certainly submit his work to the government; he is not a dry egoist, so that, like Captain Nemo, he will plunge his Nautilus into the sea waves, but will give his work for the benefit of humanity, leaving for himself only the honor of the invention!..

But what if he made a mistake again, and the integral still cannot be taken? Doubt overcomes him, and he again checks all the calculations from beginning to end. No, everything is true, but the anxiety is still growing and growing. Finally, anxiety overcame Krasnov to the point that he hurriedly got dressed and, taking his hat, left the room. The clock struck three in the morning.

Where are you going, Kolya? - asked the old mother.

Mother! I took my integral! - Krasnov shouted, slamming the door and almost running out into the street.

Poor! “He will go crazy very soon,” said the old woman and soon fell asleep again.

Krasnov was a remarkable mathematician, although he not only did not receive a higher education, but did not even complete a gymnasium course. He served as a small official in one institution and thereby supported his and his mother’s existence. But he devoted all his free hours to science. He had no acquaintances. Colleagues considered him touched, mathematics students, with whom Krasnov would not mind getting along, considered him a pedant.

There was only one person who loved and understood Krasnov, this was the student Shvedov; but this was also a man who was not entirely normal according to the opinions of his acquaintances. Shvedov was a very capable young man, to whom the faculty unanimously predicted an early professorship. He, like all scientists, was so immersed in his studies that he completely forgot about other people. Krasnov was in awe of Shvedov.

After half an hour of brisk walking, Krasnov turned into the courtyard of a house and climbed the back stairs to the fourth floor. The long corridor was dimly lit by a lantern. Krasnov walked up to one of the doors, on which was nailed a business card with the inscription: “Petr Petrovich Shvedov, mathematics student,” and knocked. Alarmed by the knock, Shvedov ran to the door in his underwear.

Who's there?

It’s me, Pyotr Petrovich, I, Krasnov. Open it.

What did the devil bring you with at night? - said the student, opening the door.

Wonderful thing! Light the lamp quickly.

While Shvedov was making fire, Krasnov undressed and laid out his papers.

Look here. Is this integral taken in its final form?

Yes, after all, you and I tried to take it a hundred times, and nothing worked!

Oh, come on, watch me more closely to see if I’m making mistakes.

And Krasnov began to quickly make calculations. Shvedov watched them closely.

But, in fact, it turns out! Let me try.

He took the paper and began to calculate himself. There was no mistake.

Do you know, Pyotr Petrovich, why I was so interested in this integral?

Give me your word not to reveal to anyone the secret that I will now reveal to you.

I give my word of honor. You can trust me.

I believe. Well, listen.

Krasnov began to explain his discovery. With every word he said, Shvedov became more and more interested. He jumped up from his chair, sat down on the table and did not know how to express his delight and surprise. Finally Krasnov finished.

Yes, you are George Stephenson, Nikolai Alexandrovich! More than that, you are Newton, the real Newton!..

Krasnov smiled smugly.

What will you do now with your discovery?

Krasnov began to outline to Shvedov his plan for providing the discovery to the government. Shvedov listened gloomily, without taking his eyes off the paper with calculations. Krasnov asked:

So, do you approve of my intentions?

Shvedov did not answer immediately. Finally he said, as if to himself:

If I were you, I wouldn't do that under any circumstances.

So what should we do?

What to do? It's a shame, really! An adult, a great geometer, mechanic and astronomer, asks like a child what he should do with his brilliant discovery! Don’t you understand that you are ruining your own business, which may either completely die out in the hands of bureaucrats or, what is even more annoying, fall into the hands of some speculators! No, you do not have the moral right to do this! You must follow through. Possessing your powerful means, you must make discoveries after discoveries, and only when you die, make Russia the heir to your scientific treasures. If you need an assistant, then I am ready to drop everything and follow you to the ends of the earth.

Meanwhile, Viktor Pavlovich was gradually recovering. When he regained consciousness, his first question was where Mary was. Since neither Shvedov, nor Krasnov and Lessing knew anything about her, Rusakov, in a voice broken from excitement, told his friends about his escape with Mary from the city of Bliss and about the mysterious abduction of his companion in the forest. The professor's story excited his friends. Shvedov immediately went to the king and, telling him about the kidnapping of his wife, asked to be allowed to form a detachment of a hundred people and go in search of Mary, to which the king readily agreed. A few days later, Shvedov sent his friends a note in which he said that so far his search had not led to anything, but that he would not stop until he had examined every bush in the forest.

Having recovered from his illness, Viktor Pavlovich completely withdrawn into himself. Despite all Lessing’s attempts to challenge Rusakov to an argument, to engage him in a scientific conversation and generally to stir him up in some way, he was unable to do so: Viktor Pavlovich was apathetic about everything and tried to get rid of Lessing with monosyllabic answers. The only thing that now still interested Rusakov was Krasnov’s work on equipping the ship for the return flight to earth; he looked forward to the day when he could leave “this idiotic planet inhabited by short-legged scoundrels,” as he put it. Viktor Pavlovich most diligently and accurately carried out all the calculations necessary for Krasnov, was constantly present at all his work, and besides this, did not want to see anything else on Mars, being filled with indignation against the inhabitants of the planet.

Krasnov's work moved forward very successfully. The time was not far off when brave earthly travelers would be able to make a second interplanetary flight. Lessing, in contrast to Rusakov, diligently studied the new world and valued every opportunity to learn something new from the life of the Martians, their inclinations and aspirations.

The trip to Mars proved to Lessing that human nature is the same everywhere, and that vanity, greed, envy, selfishness and all other human shortcomings depend not so much on the greater or lesser depravity of a person, but on the favorable or unfavorable circumstances that have developed for him. The Martians, compared to the inhabitants of the Earth, had these disadvantages to a lesser extent, but this depended mainly on the fact that living conditions on Mars were almost the same for everyone, that there was no need to fight with each other, since the interests of one did not interfere with the interests of the other. As the earthly civilization, planted by Lessing, developed on Mars, the morals of the inhabitants began to noticeably deteriorate. As soon as the competition of the Martians manifested itself in anything, at the same time the desire of each to advance himself and prevent the other from doing so was revealed. In the same way, Mary, whom fate threw to the rebellious Martian women, saw that on Mars, as on Earth, there were many women, all of whose thoughts were directed towards spending their lives in idleness and pleasure, and that Mars was still higher Land in this regard only because there was less freedom for such women.

Mars until recently was a happy planet in comparison with the Earth, and, as Lsssing observed, the root cause of this happiness was that the population of Mars led a lifestyle that on Earth would now be called primitive, since it approached the lifestyle of the former, prehistoric earthly humanity. The population of Mars was small for the vast expanse of the planet, and there was enough space for everyone, so there was no need to wage quarrels and wars over an extra piece of field or forest. Luxurious vegetation and rich soil generously endowed farmers. The pleasant, even climate of most of the inhabited places on the planet had a beneficial effect on the health of the inhabitants. Martians rarely got sick. Various typhus and fevers, and especially cholera, which claim thousands of victims on Earth, were completely unknown on Mars. The excesses, luxury and comfort generated by civilization on Earth did not exist on Mars. On this planet, for example, it would never occur to anyone to eat indigestible dishes, so beloved by earthly gastronomes, in which it is even difficult to make out what they are prepared from. The food of the dwarfs of Mars was the simplest, without special seasonings.

There were no large factories or factories on Mars, and, therefore, there were no capitalists or proletarians. The economic condition of all the inhabitants of the planet was almost the same; Mars knew neither poverty nor wealth. Poverty on the planet was impossible, because rich nature gave the needy everything they needed - food, clothing, and housing; wealth on Mars had no meaning. There was no need to accumulate and preserve treasures where they did not bring any benefit: the basic necessities were available to everyone on the planet, and comfort and pleasure were so modest and cheap that there was no need to have wealth to use them. Of course, the incomes of all dwarfs were not completely equal, but this depended mainly on the person’s greater or lesser desire to work. Material security, limited desires, low development of technical knowledge, simple lifestyle and the absence of sharp differences in the mental development of individuals were the reasons for the peace and harmony that reigned between the dwarfs. The Martians' entertainments were the most modest, and they drew their highest joys from quiet family life. The family was the main pillar of social life, and the dwarfs vigilantly guarded it.

With the development of railways, with the construction of factories and factories, with the growth of industry and the exchange of goods, struggle and rivalry began to noticeably develop between individual citizens before the eyes of Professor Lessing. One wanted to get ahead of the other and distinguish himself, and many simply felt the charm of earthly comfort and the benefits of earthly civilization, which began to take root so easily on the planet. Rivalry turned recent friends into enemies, cunning and mistrust, previously unknown among the dwarfs, appeared, intrigues arose - and Lessing became convinced that he, along with good, brought enormous moral evil to Mars. The happy Arcadia of ordinary people disappeared and was replaced by the struggle of enlightened egoists. This movement began so quickly and developed so strongly that it could no longer be expected to stop. Fascinated by the successes of technology, the Martians rushed to them with all their passion. The period of primitive life of dwarfs ended forever. It was replaced by a period of machine labor and the dominance of technology. Lessing already saw in the future the struggle of different property classes and the capitalist system.

Municipal educational institution

"Kirishi Secondary School No. 6"

Story

The work was carried out by Borisova V.A., grade 11 A, school No. 6

2012 - 2013 academic year year

"My Journey to Planet Mars"

A tense silence hung in the office.

You're probably wondering why I called you, Captain Borisov?

The reason was really interesting to me, and at the same time it scared me. It’s not so often that the authorities, especially in the person of the Colonel General himself, call to see him. And it’s not clear whether they’re going to praise me or scold me...?

“I have an important task for you,” the general’s voice became a little harsher. It was clear that he himself did not believe that he said this. However, there was silence again. This is already starting to stress me out...

-
Read,” the major general handed me one of the documents from his desk, still unable to gather his courage.

Order No. 451 of 2178

I order to send crew No. 3 represented by... (the names were listed below), as well as the research engineer of the Space Forces Borisov V.A. (that's me) to the planet Mars to study anomalous atmospheric phenomena.

06/22/2178 Slesarenko L.V.

This can't be true.

Why me?

Of all the research scientists at our headquarters, only you are suitable in terms of preparedness and health. You have a perfect cardiogram and vision like an eagle.

I sighed. But an order is an order.

“I serve the Fatherland,” I reported briefly, and, to the Major General’s nod of agreement, I left the office.

So, a week later the intergalactic expedition was assembled. The departure was scheduled for the same day on the most powerful ship of our time - the T-35. Especially for me, a whole compartment was built inside this huge building for a special laboratory. I had a team of trained cosmonauts under my command, aces in their field. Each of them was one and a half times healthier than me, and some of them were even twice as healthy. Nevertheless, they were all under my command. The essence of our entire expedition boiled down to one single goal - to find out why bright flares began to appear on Mars, which slightly changed the Earth’s magnetic fields. Our goal was to find out whether this circumstance is dangerous for humanity.

The entire flight went smoothly. The team was restrained and silent, and coldly followed my orders. Landing was no different from the flight itself.

Further life on Mars was also similar to the day of arrival - no emotions, no complaints, just work. The team of astronauts had the task of collecting samples and making samples, and I had the task of studying these same samples and drawing conclusions. I must say that the team tried very hard. I was not without work - while they were looking for or measuring one thing, I was processing the substances found earlier...

During my stay on Mars, I established and confirmed a lot. It seems that the experiments I conducted did not differ from those conducted earlier by other astronauts. No new substances were found, and no one from the team saw any outbreaks.

We have established thatTemperatures on the planet range from −153at the pole in winter and up to more than +20 °C atequatorat noon. The average temperature is −50 °C.

The atmosphere of Mars, consisting mainly ofcarbon dioxide, as well as argon and nitrogen, is very rarefied. Pressure at the surface of Mars it is 160 times less than on Earth - 6.1 mbarat average surface level. Due to the large difference in altitude on Mars, the pressure at the surface varies greatly. The approximate thickness of the atmosphere is 110 km.

With the help of devices, I also installed andAcceleration of gravity - at the equator it was equal to 3.711 m/s² (0.378 Earth);I also calculatedfirst escape velocity- sheis 3.6 km/s,second- 5.027 km/s.

Several times our team witnessed dust devils. These are air vortices that arise near the surface of the planet and lift large amounts of sand and dust into the air. It was quite scary to watch, but this misfortune passed us by.

Mars was recorded to have a weaka magnetic field. The magnetic field of Mars is extremely unstable; at different points on the planet its strength can differ from 1.5 to 2 times, and the magnetic poles do not coincide with the physical ones.

In one of the experiments on processing samples taken from the surface, I obtained both water vapor and methane. By the way, Scientific hypotheses about the existence of life on Mars have existed for a long time, and precisely due to the presence of methane. Based on observations from Earth in the atmosphere of Mars methane detected . Under Mars conditions, this gas decomposes quite quickly, so there must be a constant source of replenishment. Such a source could be either geological activity (but no active volcanoes have been discovered on Mars), or life activity bacteria.

Our telescopic studies of Mars have also confirmed such features as seasonal changes in its surface. This primarily applies to the “white polar caps,” which begin to increase with the onset of autumn (in the corresponding hemisphere), and in the spring they “melt” quite noticeably, with “warming waves” spreading from the poles.

A significant part of the surface of Mars consists of lighter areas (“continents”) that have a reddish-orange color; about 25% of the surface are darker “seas” of gray-green color, the level of which is lower than that of the “continents”. The elevation differences are very significant and amount to approximately 14-16 km in the equatorial region, but there are also peaks that rise much higher, these include Arsia and Olympus. In addition, we discovered clear traces of volcanism and tectonic activity - faults, gorges with branching canyons, some of them are almost hundreds of kilometers long, dozens of them wide and several kilometers deep. There are also volcanoes on the surface of Mars. Volcanic craters reach enormous sizes. The largest of them - Arsia, Acreus, Pavonis and Olympus - reach about 500-600 km at the base and more than two dozen kilometers in height.

During the time I spent on this planet, our team did a lot of work, but they didn’t even see a hint of the phenomenon for which we were sent here... That’s why I started conducting my own experiments on the synthesis and reaction of various chemicals.

That day I was in the laboratory. There was practically no work left, most of the materials were checked, and even more than once. I tinkered with my own experiments, moving the “Martian” fences further away in order to avoid unwanted and even dangerous reactions.

Closer to noon, my peace was disturbed. One of our team members appeared on the threshold of the laboratory and silently handed me a test tube made of heat-absorbing glass with a red-brown cloudy liquid similar to tomato juice. I also silently nodded to him and took the test tube, placing it on the table for experiments. If I knew how dangerous it is...

Having secured the test tube on a stand, I began to prepare for the analysis of the substance. After performing several simple operations, I understood the main thing. Judging by the reaction, the temperature of this liquid is very high... Too high for Mars. Strange? Is that really why we are here?!...

Suddenly our ship shook slightly, and overboard I heard the shouts of the crew. “A meteorite crashed into the surface near the ship!” - a thought flashed through my mind. At that very second I felt incredibly painful. Some of the liquid from the test tube splashed onto the index finger of the left hand.

Oh, oh, ahhh! – I screamed. Seeing nothing in front of me, I left the laboratory and went to the medical compartment. The skin on my arm was slowly slipping and becoming covered with terrible scars.

Suddenly I heard a crash and the clinking of glass from the laboratory. In fear, I rushed back... And there... Oh, horror! On the table there were fragments of a test tube and a mercury barometer... and on the table itself... Red liquid quickly flowed towards dark balls of mercury. Too late I realized how dangerous it was... There was an explosion...

I suddenly opened my eyes. An ordinary bus, everything as usual. "Mom mom! My balloon burst!!!” - a little boy is crying loudly in front of me. So much for your trip to Mars... Suddenly my left arm suddenly began to hurt. Stop! What is this? There was a huge burn on my hand! So is this a dream or...?

Used Books:

- Astronomy website author Maksimenko A.V.

- astronomical site "Galaxy"

Astronomy (encyclopedia for children. Volume 8) -M.: Avanta +, 1997. - 688 p.

All about planets and constellations. Atlas-directory. Leskov I.A. - St. Petersburg: 2007. - 208 s.

Stars and planets. Atlas of the starry sky. Ridpat Y. - M.: 2004. - 400 p.

Astronomy for dummies. Stephen Maran - M.: Dialectics, 2004. - 256 p.