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00:00Lots of little kids say they want to be an astronaut when they grow up, but I was one
00:04of the only ones who actually did it. Hi everyone, I'm Marisol from Dallas,
00:09please like and subscribe. Okay, so I wasn't technically an astronaut yet, but I was getting
00:14close. I've gone to space camp every summer since I was little. While the other kids were doing basic
00:19algebra, I was solving complex calculus equations just like the engineers at NASA. My heroes were
00:25Valentina Tereshkova and Sally Ride, two of the first women to go to space. I wanted to follow
00:31in her footsteps and inspire other girls one day. My parents thought I was strange for only eating
00:36freeze-dried space food, but I didn't care. Maybe I wasn't an astronaut yet, but no one could say I
00:41wasn't living the lifestyle. I had to hide the food though because my little brother was always chasing
00:47our cat around the house and squirting her with space ketchup. Rodrigo, that only works when there's
00:52no gravity. My dad didn't approve of my dream to go to space. He wanted me to aim for somewhere
00:57more practical, like a courthouse or a hospital. But being a lawyer or a doctor just wasn't my dream.
01:04One day at school, I saw some students gathering around the bulletin board. I pushed through to see
01:09what they were looking at. It was a flyer for space cadet tryouts. My heart leapt into my throat.
01:15This was exactly the opportunity I'd been searching for. The tryouts were this weekend at the Space
01:20Center in Houston. Now I just had to convince my dad to let me go. Absolutely not. It's out of the
01:26question. But dad, an opportunity like this might only come along once in a lifetime. You need to
01:32focus on your studies. I have straight A's. You have chores to do. So if I get all my chores done before
01:37the weekend, you'll let me go? I could tell my dad was trying to think of another reason to say no,
01:42but I didn't give him a chance. Thanks dad. I mowed the lawn, trimmed the hedges and vacuumed it, scrubbed the
01:47floors faster than I ever had before. The house was spotless. But every time I told dad I was
01:53finished, he just gave me a longer list of chores. Oh, so annoying. If he thought I was going to let
01:59a little housework stand in my way, he was sorely mistaken. Finally, I'd finished everything. My dad
02:06looked up from his newspaper and handed me another piece of paper. Dad, come on. I've done everything
02:12you've asked. This is getting ridiculous. Look at what you're holding. It was a bus ticket to
02:17Houston. This doesn't mean I approve, but a deal's a deal. Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.
02:22That Saturday, as the bus approached the space center, I watched the launch pad come into view
02:27on the horizon. It was incredible. A piece of history right in front of my eyes. And there was
02:33mission control. Once we got inside, I got into my uniform and glanced around at the other cadets.
02:39There were about a hundred of us. Most of them were boys. They looked tough,
02:43disciplined, almost like soldiers. But I was tough too, in my own way. I made my way towards one of
02:49the girls. Hey, is it okay if I sit here? Go for it. I'm Marisol, Jessa. This place is so cool.
02:56I can't believe I'm really here. No offense, but I'm not here to make friends. Sorry, I won't bug you
03:02anymore. Just then, an intimidating-looking officer approached and a hushed silence fell on the cadets.
03:08My name is Commander McClain. I'll be your training officer. Out of everyone in this room,
03:14only ten will make the cut for phase two of training. If you fail, you'll be leaving at noon.
03:19That made me a little nervous. It would be so embarrassing if I came all this way just to
03:24leave before lunchtime. Of the ten who make the cut, only one will be chosen for the mission.
03:29Here at NASA, we only take the best of the best. And before I knew it, we were completing an obstacle
03:36course. A lot of the cadets had an advantage over me because they were taller and stronger.
03:41But I was smarter. I noticed on the climbing wall that the ropes were frayed. Most of the cadets grabbed
03:47the ropes to scale the wall, but I used the handholds instead. While I climbed, I glanced back to see the
03:52ropes break and a bunch of cadets crashed to the mat below. A boy was climbing right beside me and he
03:58winked at me. Who did he think he was? If he thought that was going to distract me, he was wrong.
04:04I hit the ground running. The other cadets were coming up fast. Whoa, Jessa was way ahead of the
04:09rest of us. I pushed myself as hard as I could, and I finished right behind her. Congratulations.
04:15You just made it to phase two. I stopped myself from jumping and cheering loudly, but on the inside,
04:21I was throwing a party. I glanced around to check out who else made it to phase two. Some really tall
04:27and athletic cadets were still here, which wasn't surprising. And the boy who had winked at me. I was so
04:33excited and really wanted to chat with Jessa. Or someone, anyway. Here I was, in a room with nine
04:39other people who shared my passion for space exploration. But maybe Jessa was right. They
04:44were my competitors, and I needed to be serious if I was going to be the top performer. Forget about
04:49everyone else and just focus on training, Marisol. After lunch, the same boy winked at me again. I could
04:55feel myself blushing, but I was annoyed. I'm not here to make friends. Okay. Our next training exercises
05:03made the obstacle course look like a piece of cake. We had to master all kinds of skills,
05:07like working the life support systems, orbital mechanics, and space medicine. Thankfully,
05:12all my time practicing calculus equations gave me a huge leg up here. The next exercise was the one
05:18I'd been most excited to try. Zero gravity training. We floated around the chamber like it was a sea without
05:24water. It was amazing. Be aware, your bodies are not yet used to the effects of zero-g. Most of you
05:31will get space motion sickness. Sure enough, when I looked over at the boy who'd winked at me,
05:37his face turned green and he threw up. I didn't mean to, but it made me laugh. I caught the boy's eye,
05:43and he grinned at me. Jessa was floating around like this was just another walk in the park to her.
05:48She was the only one who didn't get sick. During our next break, I decided to explore the starship
05:54gallery. There were a bunch of spacecraft and even a real moon rock on display. I thought I was alone,
06:00but then I noticed the boy checking out the lunar module. It's incredible, isn't it? I'm Nick.
06:05It really is. I'm Marisol. It's so wild to actually be here. I've been dreaming of this since I was two.
06:12My bedroom is covered in planets and stars and model rockets. I'm embarrassing myself, aren't I?
06:19Your room sounds a lot like mine. I've been obsessed with space ever since my dad brought
06:24me my first telescope when I was little. I think he regrets it because all he talks about now is
06:29me becoming a lawyer or a doctor. He probably worries about you. This is a dangerous job.
06:34It's not that. He doesn't believe it's a realistic dream.
06:39Not for most people, maybe. But he didn't see how impressive you were in training earlier.
06:44It's nice to talk to someone who cares about space like I do.
06:47I felt Nick's fingertips touch mine. It gave me butterflies. Surrounded by all the spacecraft,
06:53in the dark with the little star lights on the wall, it was almost like we were really in space.
06:58Nick leaned in to kiss me, but at the last second I turned my head. I'm sorry. I really do want to,
07:04but I can't. This is my dream. I can't afford to get distracted. No, I totally get it. I was glad
07:11he took it so well. He really did seem like a great guy. Under different circumstances,
07:16I would have kissed him in a heartbeat. But this wasn't the time or place. You know this means I'm
07:21gonna do my best to beat you, right? I'd expect nothing less. Our break was over. Now it was time for
07:27something super cool. The space flight simulator. It was awesome at first. It was so realistic that
07:34it was easy to forget we were on the ground. But then, an emergency alarm started to beep.
07:39Mission Control, we have a problem. There was an explosion in the service module. It ruptured
07:44oxygen tank number two. I redirected power to our primary oxygen tank. But then, a second alarm
07:50started beeping. Red lights were flashing everywhere. There's a line ruptured in your primary oxygen tank.
07:56You're losing oxygen fast. I did my best not to panic. My hands were shaking. Wow, this was intense.
08:03All the cadets were scrambling to figure out how to solve the problem. Remember, only one of you will
08:08be chosen for the mission. But this is a group exercise. If you can't work together as a team,
08:14you won't survive. Jessa and I locked eyes. Marisol, can you calculate how much oxygen we have left?
08:20On it! Nick, I need you to shut down all non-critical systems to conserve energy. Copy that.
08:25At our current rate, we'll run out of oxygen in ten hours. That's not enough time to complete our
08:30mission. I'm gonna try and bring us in for an emergency landing. All of us got to work. Nervous
08:35and sweating. But we were in sync. It's too rocky. There's no safe place to land. You got this,
08:41Jessa. We believe in you. Even though it was just a simulator, I had to admit, it was scary. What if this
08:48happened on a real mission? That's what you're preparing for, Marisol. So if it does, you'll be ready.
08:54Suddenly, the emergency signals were silent. We all looked around at each other, breathless.
08:59Congratulations, cadets. You've just successfully executed an emergency landing.
09:04All of us cheered. I even gave Nick a hug. We really pulled together and overcame the odds.
09:10It made me stop seeing the other cadets as my competition. They were good people who wanted
09:14the same thing I did. And when one of us succeeded, we all did. Later, I was hanging out in the observation
09:20area overlooking the launch pad. The sun was setting outside, and it cast a beautiful glow
09:25on the shuttle. Mind if I join you? Of course not. I'm sorry if I was rude earlier. The truth is,
09:31I was afraid if I opened up, it would make me vulnerable. And it's already hard enough.
09:36Especially for girls. I know what you mean. You really had my back in the simulator.
09:41We're a team. When one of us succeeds, we all do. Friends? Friends. You know, I think you have a
09:47really good chance of being chosen. Really? But you're like the best pilot here. I can't do math
09:53like you can. Let's make a pact. No matter which of us wins, or if neither of us do, we'll still support
09:59each other. Deal. The next morning, it was time for the announcement. We gathered around and waited
10:05for Commander McClane. I think everyone was too nervous to chat. Finally, the commander approached.
10:10All of you did good work here. I want everyone to walk out those doors with their heads held high.
10:16But as I said, there can only be one. I tried so hard to keep it together,
10:21but I was dying to know who was chosen. Cadet Jessa, congratulations. You're our top performer,
10:26and you'll be joining our crew for our next mission. I felt all the wind go out of my sails.
10:32Don't get me wrong, I was happy for Jessa, but I'd wanted this all my life. I'd gotten so close,
10:38and now it was out of reach. Still, I told Jessa I'd support her, and I meant it. I gave her a big
10:44hug, and we promised to keep in touch. Nick and I exchanged numbers too. When I got home, I looked
10:50around my room. Maybe it was time to grow up. I took down my space stuff and put it in a box. Then I
10:56decided to take one last look through my telescope. Orion and the Big Dipper were shimmering in the
11:01sky. It was so hard to say goodbye. What are you doing? You were right. I should find something
11:07more realistic. Please don't say I told you so. Oh, Marisol, I wasn't right. You were. What?
11:14Maybe being an astronaut isn't the most realistic goal, but that doesn't mean it's not achievable.
11:20This world needs dreamers. If anyone can make it happen, it's you. From that moment on,
11:26I never doubted my path again. I was gonna give it my all, no matter what the odds were. And maybe,
11:32just maybe, one day, I would inspire a little kid, just like my heroes inspired me.