Seesaw Into Space: Part 1

Have you ever seen a seesaw? Do you like to ride it high? Can you bounce and push so quickly that you almost start to fly? I would like to tell a story all about a seesaw race. 'Twas no ordinary seesaw for it launched me into space… My friend Jessica decided: "We are astronauts, you know. And this seesaw is a spaceship. Let us see where we can go." I pushed off and started soaring, but she said: "You call that flight?!" So she heaved and headed upwards going fast with all her might. "That is kids' stuff," came my challenge, as I sprang into the air. But she screamed: "I can do better! Watch me jump and then compare." So it went until I noticed that I was not coming down. I saw Jessica below me as I flew above our town. Then I rose above my country. Next I saw the continent. I beheld the Earth — our planet. Oh! It was magnificent! Very soon the Earth was tiny: just a distant bluish sphere. When I spied the planet Venus, I decided to come near. What I saw was clouds and darkness. It looked poisonous and hot. Venus was a pressure-cooker. Fit for living it was not. Then I left it far behind me, moving closer to the Sun. Soon appeared another planet. And I'll bet you know which one. It was Mercury — the smallest of the inner planet group. To observe its barren surface round it I performed a loop. I saw empty cratered highlands, and the Sun loomed large and wide. But I had to move on further and continued with my ride. I was getting hot and bothered, for the Sun was right next door. I could see its burning gases: as they blazed, they seemed to roar. It was big. It was enormous — full of energy and light. All the planets spun around it. Yes, the Sun was quite a sight! Cont'd in Seesaw into Space: Part 2