He sat in his seat, strapped in nice and tight
As he and his team prepared for his flight.
His ship was brand new, it was big and bright green
And for its first trip it was sparkling clean.
It shined and it glowed in the bright, morning sun,
The team checked the engines, the tests were all run.
The ship was all set, everything seemed just right-
Then the engineers started the countdown for the flight.
He could hear them so clearly-Ten, nine, eight they said
While the astronaut’s thoughts ran around in his head-
Today is the day I launch up to the stars
And in nine quick months, I’ll be landing on Mars!
They continued to count-Three, two, one he heard
And then felt his ship start to shudder and whir.
It shook and it rocked as up, up he went
In every part of his being he could feel his ascent.
The sky did grow darker as he began to break free
Of the Earth’s strong pull, the Earth’s gravity.
All seemed well, it was just as they planned it-
As he started his journey towards the red planet.
For nine months the astronaut went over his plans
Making sure everything needed was close at hand.
Floating in low gravity, over the floor,
He couldn’t wait to get out and explore.
What will he find? What will there be?
As the first person on Mars, who’d know what he’d see?
He’d have to wait to step into Mars’ thin air
To see what secrets the red planet would share.
The time flew by and as the journey’s end neared,
Out the ship’s window, Mars began to appear.
Bigger and bigger the planet did grow,
His thrusters turned on and the air started to glow.
The ship started to slow and the descent had begun,
His heart started to race and the sweat started to run.
He felt nervous, excited, a small bit of fear-
He had waited nine months for this day to get here!
The rocket quivered and trembled, it came down on hard ground,
He had landed on Mars! Time to look all around!
He put on his space suit, made sure it’s on right-
That nothing was forgotten and all was airtight.
The door slowly opened, quietly with no sound.
He was the first human on Mars to step onto its ground.
This alone was amazing--he never felt so proud
He walked out as quickly as his spacesuit allowed.
He looked all around him, at this rocky new landscape-
His eyes super wide, and his mouth quite agape.
I’m so excited to be here, he thought in his mind-
It was time to start working, what would he find?