The Digglers

Ronny was a brand new shiny rocket and he lived in a factory near a launch site. How grand he looked. He was as tall as a factory chimney and as shiny as a new pin and Ronny thought he was the grandest rocket ever built.

Now some rockets carry satellites into space but Ronny was special. He was to take two astronauts to the moon and he thought he was better than the other rockets and he couldn't wait for his journey to begin. The other rockets that lived with him were fed-up of all his boasting and they were quite glad when the day arrived for Ronny to get ready for his journey.

There were lots of things to be done before he was taken to the launch pad. All his instruments and his huge computer had to be checked, but at last he was ready and he was wheeled out and taken to the launch pad. Last of all, the two astronauts wearing silver space suits climbed aboard.

There was great excitement as the final countdown began. Ronny could hear the man at mission control calling out the final seconds to lift-off! He could feel the heat from his enormous rocket motors as his engines were activated!
Then the final seconds,
ten,
nine,
eight,
seven,
six,
five,
four,
three,
two,
one,
zero
and LIFT-OFF!

At first, Ronny left the launch pad very slowly but then he began to gather speed and soon he was soaring high into the sky. People, who were on the ground watching, clapped and cheered.

After a while, Ronny looked down. He could see the Earth far below him. Fantastic!
'This is what a rocket should be doing,' he said to himself, 'not stuck in a dull old factory!'
Now he would show everyone just how clever he was! He didn't need to astronauts to fly him and tell him where to go! He could do that all by himself. When the astronauts told him to turn right, he went to the left! When they wanted him to go up, he went down! When they wanted him to go left, he went right! He was so happy he spun round and round, making the astronauts quite dizzy!

The astronauts were worried about Ronny and his tricks. At last, Ronny calmed down and looked to see where he was going. He saw the moon, his destination but that looked so small.
'What was that over there?' He could see an enormous yellow star.
'What a whopper!' shrieked, Ronny. 'A clever rocket like me deserves to go somewhere like that!' he shouted and he changed course and headed for the big yellow star!

Now Ronny, didn't know anything about the Sun, but the astronauts certainly did and they were terrified! They tried to get the rocket to go back but Ronny would not go back! They radioed to mission control to see if they could alter their course but even their computers couldn't help. The astronauts had to let Ronny take them hurtling through space towards the Sun.

The nearer they got to the Sun, the hotter it became. At first, the astronauts could control the heat inside the rocket but the closer they became, there was little they could do about it. Ronny also notice that he was getting hotter and he couldn't understand why.
'Perhaps it's something to do with that star,' he thought. 'If I turn away from it, it might get cooler,' he decided.
He tried to change course but nothing happened. It was so hot that all his controls had melted and he was flying faster and faster heading straight for the Sun.
'I'm a stupid rocket,' he sobbed as he realised what he had done. 'If only I hadn't been so clever! What will happen to me now? I'll be fried to a crisp!'

Floating in space and heading towards him was a giant meteorite and he heard Ronny crying.
'What's the matter, little rocket?' he asked.
Ronny looked at the meteorite and explained what had happened.
'Perhaps I can help you,' he said. 'I'll float towards you and maybe if I hit you, it might turn you round.'
'No!' yelled Ronny. 'I shall crash into you and be killed!' Then he thought that crashing into the meteorite was far better than being burned by that giant star!

Ronny closed his eyes as he headed for the meteorite. There was a loud bang and Ronny suddenly felt dizzy. When he opened his eyes, things appeared to be flying around. He gave himself a shake. He was still in one piece and when he looked for the big yellow star, he found it was behind him and it was getting cooler.

'Thank you very much,' he shouted at the meteorite he had now floated past.
'It's a pleasure, little rocket,' he called back. 'Have a safe journey home!'

The two astronauts who were in a state of shock, called mission control to tell them that they were now flying away from the sun and heading for Earth. Everyone cheered.

Ronny was so badly damaged that a rescue rocket had to be sent to help him get back to Earth.

How relieved he was when he felt the cool water of the sea as he splashed down. How foolish he felt when he was taken back to the factory near the launching pad. It took a long time to repair Ronny and he was never again used to take astronauts into space. Instead, he was used to put satellites into space. He had learnt his lesson. Never again would he try to be too clever!

The End