01x18 - Comet Fever/Asteroid Patrol

[bunniefuu]

[together] Ready! Jet! Go!

- ♪ Jet Propulsion ♪

♪ That's his name ♪

♪ Jet Propulsion ♪

♪ He'll rocket to fame ♪

♪ When he arrived, he created a buzz ♪

♪ 'Cause there was no house ♪

♪ And then there was, he said ♪

- ♪ People of Earth! You ain't seen nothing yet! ♪

♪ I'm from Bortron , and my name is Jet! ♪

- ♪ Jet Propulsion ♪

♪ That's his name ♪

♪ He looks like us ♪

♪ But he isn't the same ♪

- ♪ I'm a space tripper and a galaxy crosser ♪

♪ My parents brought me here in a flying saucer ♪

- ♪ And just to prove it was a fact ♪

♪ He flew them out to space and back ♪

♪ Jet Propulsion ♪

[spaceship whirring]

- ♪ Jet Propulsion ♪

[together] Ready! Jet! Go!

- ♪ He showed up, and now it's a blast ♪

♪ Looks like the future really got here fast ♪

- ♪ Nice to meet you, human race ♪

♪ Tell me all about the place ♪

- Jet Propulsion!

- Jet Propulsion!

- Jet Propulsion!

all: Ready! Jet! Go!

[dreamy music]

♪ ♪

[indistinct murmuring]

♪ ♪

- Did you find a good spot

for looking at the stars, Sean?

- Not yet. The clouds are still too heavy.

- Maybe if we wait for a bit? - It figures.

We finally have a star-gazing party,

and we can't see the stars. [sighs]

- Guess we'll have to wait.

Nothing to see yet.

- Say, has anyone seen Sunspot lately?

all: Nope.

- He said he was bringing pie.

- [barks]

[cats meowing]

[upbeat music]

- Well, he's not missing anything with these clouds.

- I still want to look at the sky.

Maybe I'll find some stars.

- Okay, Mindy, let us know if you see anything.

We're gonna get more cookies.

- Hey, kids, isn't this stargazing party fun?

I found a whole bunch of yummy stars.

And they taste just like cookies.

- Mm-hmm. Mmm! Mmm!

Thanks, Mr. Propulsion.

These star cookies are delicious.

both: Mmm!

- How do you kids like the party?

- The cookies are really good, but when do you think

we'll be able to see some stars?

- Hmm, there's still lots of clouds.

Maybe it's time to pack up and go home for a while?

- Hm. Maybe so. - Hey! Everybody!

I think I see something!

- Great! What?

- I'm not really sure what it is.

- What does it look like? - Yes.

Mindy, can you describe it?

- Is it an exploding star?

Or a galaxy?

- I don't know.

It looks kind of like a fuzzy blob.

- A fuzzy space blob.

Cool!

- It does look like a blob.

Could this be a star?

- Hm, let's take a look.

That--that can't be what I think it is.

- That depends.

Do you think it's a fuzzy blob?

- Hm. Uh...

Mindy, we think you may have found--

- A comet! - I did?

I mean, I did.

Wow!

[laughing]

- Amazing, Mindy. - That's huge news.

- Yes, it really is.

Mindy, you didn't just maybe find a comet.

You may have discovered a new one.

- I did?

I mean, I did.

- Oh, hey, uh, what's all the hubbub?

Huh, did Mindy find a new comet?

- Actually, it wouldn't be "new,"

since some of these comets are as old as the solar system,

about / billion years old.

- Is that more than a hundred?

- [laughs] A lot more, Mindy.

- Then that's old.

- Oh, you have fun, kids.

We're going back to the DSA lab

to look through stronger telescopes

and see if Mindy's discovery

really is a new comet!

Wow! - And also, to get more coffee.

- That looks like enough coffee for an army.

- An army of one, my friends. An army of one.

- Huh, I wonder:

what does a comet look like up close?

When it's not just a fuzzy blob?

- Ooh-hoo-hoo, I think I can answer that one.

Come with me, kids.

We're going on an adventure.

all: Whoo-hoo!

- Sorry you can't come with us, Mindy.

I wish you could go see the comet up close.

- That's okay--when I'm five,

I'll bet I'll get to go everywhere.

- We'll tell you all about the comet when we get back.

- Ah, that's okay, guys.

Mindy and I might just have

a surprise for you ourselves

when you get back.

- We might? - Yeah.

We're gonna make our own comet,

right here at home.

- We are? I mean, sure we are.

- Sounds great, guys. Can't wait to see it.

- Yeah, me too.

- Zoom! Zoom, zoom, zoom!

- Hey, Sunspot! Car trip!

[drum roll]

- Um, any chance we can just see the comet from Earth?

- ♪ Five, four, three, two, one ♪

♪ Doors are shut, engines on ♪

♪ Everybody in their place ♪

♪ Let's go into outer space ♪

all: Ready, Jet, go!

[jet engines whooshing]

[adventurous music]

[jet engines whirring]

- Ooh, this is going to be so great.

Best homemade comet ever!

- So do we have everything we need

to make a comet now, Mr. Jet's Dad?

- Mindy, here's an interesting fact:

I've never made a comet before. - What?

I thought you said we were making a comet here tonight.

- Yeah, we are. As soon as I figure out how.

- Oh.

Are those the instructions?

- [mumbling]

Yeah, yeah, they were the instructions,

but I like to just experiment.

How about we figure it out

by trying it again and again?

- I like the way you think, Mr. Propulsion.

[tuning Bortronian guitar]

- ♪ If you try and you make a mess ♪

♪ Who cares if it's not a success? ♪

♪ Try again till you've tried enough ♪

♪ Then we can make that comet out of some stuff ♪

Ooh!

[defeated musical slowdown]

♪ ♪

- Well, now we know that water and dirt make mud.

- That we do, Mindy.

And you know what they say:

if at first you don't succeed...

- Ask Face ?

- We're getting close to the comet.

You'll be able to see it...

[gasps] Now.

all: Wow!

- Mrs. Propulsion?

What's that stuff coming out of the comet?

- That's a comet tail. - Is that smoke?

- Or...dust? - Yes.

As the comet gets closer to the sun,

the icy center gets warmed up and starts to melt.

Some of the ice and the dust gets dragged away

from the comet's surface and forms the tail

that streams out behind it.

- Wow. How long does it last?

- Yeah, do comets ever die out?

- Ooh-hoo-hoo! Sure, they do!

There was a comet called Shoemaker-Levy

that crashed into Jupiter.

- W-was it a big crash? - Mm-hmm.

So big, people could see it from Earth with a telescope.

- [moaning]

- Neato! Like fireworks!

[comet whooshing]

- All right, I think we're ready--ready?

- Ready. - Ready.

Let the comet cooking show begin.

[clears throat] The first thing to do

when making a comet at home

is to gather your ingredients.

Liquid water.

- Liquid water. Check.

- Next, we have corn syrup,

ammonia, and dry ice.

- Corn syrup? What is that for?

- The corn syrup is to represent

all the matter that scientists find in comets.

- I like it.

- I've got ammonia. Ooh. [sniffs]

Which is some stinky stuff found in comets.

Also in window cleaner, by the way.

And there's the dry ice.

- Remember, don't try this without a grown-up.

- Um, but I am a grown-up.

Aren't I?

- I think he means me. - Oh!

- We've got everything now.

- You should have everything now.

- Yes, let's just be very careful

with some of these ingredients.

- You're going to want to be very careful

with some of these ingredients.

- It's like he can read our minds.

- Yeah, it kind of seems that way, huh?

- And, of course, before you mix it all together,

don't forget, you'll need dirt.

- Dirt. Check. Ready to go.

- Make sure not to accidentally put your hand

down on the side of the bowl of dirt

so that it flips up and lands on your--

- Huh? Whoop! Hup!

[crashing] Ow!

- Head. - [laughs]

- I guess he really can read our minds.

- [sighs] Let's rewind just one step.

[comet whooshing]

- [gasps] That comet was so cool!

I wish we could see another. Don't you, Sunspot?

- Uh, Sunspot?

- [gasps] There he is!

[laughing]

all: It's "Comet Sunspot"!

- With a tail!

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

- Whoo!

♪ ♪

both: Oh!

- Whoa, vapor's coming off of it.

Will you look at that?

We actually made a comet.

- Will you look at that?

You actually made a comet.

- We did! We actually did!

[space ship whirring]

- Well, we should probably get back to Earth.

- Yeah, let's see how Dad and Mindy's comet turned out.

[grandiose music]

♪ ♪

- [barks]

- Sunspot! [giggling]

- You won't believe what we saw.

- It was a real comet, Mindy.

Want to see pictures of it?

- This is the comet up close...

- And this is the tail...

- And what's that?

- That's Comet Sunspot!

[barking]

- [laughing]

I love Comet Sunspot!

Hey, everybody, Mr. Carrot and I

have something for you too.

- Cool! Let's see.

- Ta-da! It's Comet Mindy and Carrot.

- Wow, Mindy. You made that?

- It looks just like the comet did in space.

- Yeah, that's because it's the same thing.

Whether it's a big ball of ice and dirt in space,

or a little bitty one here in Boxwood Terrace.

- Oh, that's so amazing.

A comet is just like a dirty snowball.

- Or a snowy dirtball.

- You know what else is like a snowball?

- What? - This!

[grunting]

[laughter]

- Where did these come from?

- Ha, we made some regular old

Earth snowballs too.

[laughs] Huh!

[shouting]

- Hi, I'm astronomer Amy Mainzer.

You might wonder: what's an astronomer doing

in all this dirt?

To answer that question,

we have to go back in time,

/ billion years ago,

right after our solar system was formed.

There were also these icy and rocky leftovers

called asteroids and comets.

They range in size from mountains

down to as small as pebbles.

Today, we're gonna make our own comet.

We're gonna need dirt, water,

corn syrup, and ammonia.

Mix it all together...

It kind of looks like stinky chocolate cake batter.

Wow--oh, boy. [laughing]

It really stinks.

It's time to add the final ingredient:

dry ice.

Now, this stuff is really cold,

so you need to wear safety glasses and special gloves.

Don't try this without a grown-up.

Now we're really cooking.

We're gonna put it back in the freezer and wait.

Oh, wow.

Okay, it's been about minutes.

Let's see what happens when we put it

close to this warm light.

Just like a real comet approaching the sun,

the dry ice and the water ice

that's frozen inside of this thing

is starting to evaporate.

This is just like what happens with a real comet

as it approaches the sun.

You can imagine, if it spends too long close to the sun,

it might actually just evaporate completely away.

% of the Earth's surface is covered with water.

Scientists think that the Earth's oceans

might have been brought here by comets.

So the next time you're out in the yard,

making mud pies, the water and

maybe even some of the dirt

could have been brought here by comets.

[laid-back music]

♪ ♪

- Did we find Sunspot yet?

- Nope. Still looking.

- Huh? Where'd Sunspot go, anyway?

- Hm. We're not sure.

He's been disappearing every afternoon.

- So we're taking turns looking for him--want to help?

- Thanks, but I want to keep looking for asteroids.

- Why do you want to look for asteroids, Sean?

- Because if I find one, maybe I can be

a DSA scientist, just like my mom.

- Why is it important to find them?

- [sighs] Well, an asteroid is a piece of rock

that's floating around up in space.

And sometimes, they come close to Earth.

- Really? - Close enough to see?

- Yup, in fact, about once a year,

a piece of space rock as big as a car

burns up in Earth's atmosphere.

- Wow.

What would you do if you saw one?

- [sighs] I don't know.

But if I see any asteroids getting too close,

I'm gonna tell my mom and the other scientists at the DSA.

They'll know what to do. - Can they just blast them away?

[imitating laser g*n]

- Yeah, like Sunspot's "Astro-Tracker" game?

- Actually, Mom says they're working on

a way to do just that.

- Wait, guys-- speaking of Sunspot,

I think I see him.

[curious music]

[barking]

- Sunspot, where have you been?

- And what's that behind your back?

- Let me see the other hand.

- Both hands.

- Aha!

- It's find if you want to eat ice cream, Sunspot.

As long as I don't have to.

You know I can't stand the stuff.

- Ha, that looks yummy.

- Yeah, you should try some ice cream, Jet.

Think of it as a... scientific experiment.

- I don't know.

- Jet, you've never had ice cream?

Watch, I'll show you how yummy it is.

I love chocolate ice cream.

Blech! Oh.

What is this? [spitting]

It tastes like meatloaf.

- [barks]

- Meatloaf ice cream?

- Okay, not all ice cream flavors are yummy.

- Back to asteroid hunting? - Sure.

I just don't want to miss one.

- Hey, Sean, what if we could all

help you watch for asteroids?

- Yeah, then we could take turns

so you could get a break.

- I know--we could have a sleepover

and stay up here in the tree house with you.

- Yup, my mom can check in on us.

- I have to get home to my own bed,

but I'll keep watching for asteroids

from my window.

- I guess we could all be Astro-Trackers.

Thanks, guys.

all: Yeah!

- Yuck.

- Did you find any asteroids yet, Sean?

- Eh, no.

I really don't think this telescope is strong enough.

- [gasps] That reminds me.

This happened to Commander Cressida,

and I know how to fix it.

- Wow, that's a lucky coincidence.

- Exactly--the telescope uses the tube

to focus the image from the first lens

to a second lens, here.

- So if we make the tube longer,

we should be able to see it better.

- Exactly.

[clattering] - [gasps]

Jet, what are you doing?

- Don't worry, Sean.

I've got this figured out.

Stand back.

[frenetic music]

♪ ♪

Ta-da! Your new, improved telescope.

Take a look.

- Wow. Thanks, Jet. It looks fancy.

It's still not very clear.

Maybe if I adjust it...

What is this?

Jet, you made an ice cream machine.

Thanks...I think.

- This new telescope is delicious.

- [laughs] Can you believe it?

I finally invented a great machine,

and it makes food I don't even like.

- But we still have to make the telescope stronger

to see asteroids.

- Oh, oh, and we're gonna

use the scientific method?

Could you remind me what that is again?

- I thought you'd never ask. Ahem.

all: One! - ♪ Ask a question ♪

all: ♪ Based on observations ♪

Two! - ♪ Make a prediction ♪

all: ♪ That's your hypothesis ♪

Three! - ♪ Experiment ♪

all: ♪ Test your hypothesis! ♪

Four! - ♪ Observe what happens ♪

all: ♪ And gather information ♪

Five! - ♪ Draw conclusions ♪

all: ♪ About what you discovered ♪

Six! - ♪ Share your findings ♪

all: ♪ Get the word to others ♪

♪ The scientific method ♪

♪ It's the scientific method ♪

Yeah!

- I think the stronger telescopes have a longer tube.

- Right, I think I have

something like that back at home.

- Got it. Be right back.

- Do you want me to go? - Nope.

I took the telescope apart, and I'll make sure

we fix it even better.

- Great--then we can surprise my mom

with an asteroid discovery.

[upbeat music]

- [panting]

- Oh, hello, Jet. How's the sleepover going?

- Hello, Dr. Sean's Mom. It's going great.

I was just looking for something.

- Oh, did Sean forget something?

- Uh, nope. Just this tube.

- Why does Sean need that?

- It's to fix up his telescope

and make it strong enough to find an asteroid.

Or was that part supposed to be a surprise?

- [laughs] Do you need any help?

- Nope, we're figuring this out for ourselves.

Kids rule! Nothing can stop us!

Excelsio--whoa!

- Good for you.

I'll come by to check on everyone in a while.

- Okay. See you, Dr. Sean's Mom.

[barking]

- Oh, Sunspot. Hey.

I didn't see you there. What are you doing?

Ah, and now I'm talking to a pet.

Who just gave me an ice cream cone.

- Let's see. That should go there.

- [panting] Here you go, Sean.

A tube to make the telescope see better.

- Hmm, looks like it's a little too big.

- So what we want to do is-- - Look for a better lens?

- Well, I was gonna say-- - Great! Be right back!

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

Uh, hello again, Dr. Sean's Mom.

- Jet. You're back.

Still working on that telescope?

I mean, the surprise?

- Uh, we sure are. - I see.

Well, let me know if you need anything.

- Uh, this should do it.

[drum roll]

- Yum.

- [panting]

Here's a piece of plastic to make another lens

for the telescope.

Maybe that will work.

- Jet, this is a lens from a pair of sunglasses.

Good try, but what we really need is--

- Oh, okay. I got it. I'll be right back. Again.

[panting]

Hi, Dr. Sean's Mo-- - Whoa, whoa, whoa.

All right, what's happening with the telescope, Jet?

And why does your pet keep handing me ice cream cones?

- Uh, I can only answer the first question.

- Mm-hmm. I'm listening.

- Well, you see, it's kind of hard to explain,

but I think Sean really wants to find an asteroid

so he can be like you and work at the DSA one day.

So we wanted to watch the skies,

but then we thought we needed a stronger telescope...

[really deep breath]

- Make a stronger telescope, huh?

Hm. Let's do it.

- Wow, you did it, Jet.

The telescope works.

- Wow, there's a lot of sky to watch.

- How's the asteroid hunt going, kids?

- Mom?

- I heard you want to spot some asteroids, Sean.

- Well, it was supposed to be a surprise,

but...yeah.

I wanted to be like you, Mom.

- [laughs] That's exactly what we do at work.

Hey, what if I show you some super telescopes

at the DSA tomorrow?

all: Yeah!

- Wow, those are huge telescopes.

- Yup--now, let's take a look

at what the telescopes see.

- Bergs, I brought Sean and Sydney.

And you remember their friend, Jet?

- Oh, sure. Hi, kids. Come on in.

- Here's where we look for asteroids

or other Near-Earth Objects

that are out there in our solar system.

- Wow, cool.

- In fact, you can do this at home too,

in your tree house.

- Just like the DSA scientists here?

- That's right, you can make

many observations in the nighttime sky,

and who knows, one day you might even

find an asteroid.

- Uh, which button do you use

to blast them, like in the video game?

[laughter]

- Well, it's not that simple, Jet.

You see-- Is this it?

[struggling]

I'm not touching it!

- It's okay. Go ahead and try it.

You have my permission.

[machinery clacking]

- Eh--coffee? Neato.

- Thank you, I'm working on one

that pours milk into the coffee.

- Uh, this one?

- Yep. Try it.

Ah! Ah!

I guess I still need to make some minor adjustments.

[laughter]

- Sunspot, were you working on the telescope?

- [barks]

- Huh, I can't imagine when you did this,

but thanks.

- Oh, great job, Sunspot.

- Wow, what a clear night.

Check it out, guys.

- Whoa, it seems like we can see forever now.

- Let's keep watching all night.

[birds chirping]

- Did you guys find any asteroids?

- Not yet, but tonight's another chance.

Mom?

What are you and Bergs doing here?

- Well...Bergs?

- We came to designate this tree house

as an official observation station.

all: Really? Cool!

- [laughs] That's right.

You can look for asteroids from here in the tree house,

and report on what you find to us DSA scientists.

- Well, we already watched last night,

and we didn't find an asteroid yet.

- But we'll keep looking and looking,

and never stop trying.

all: Excelsior!

- [laughs] Now you're thinking like a scientist.

- [barks]

- Hm? Oh, uh...

You want me to push this red button?

- [barks]

- Hm. Okay.

[machinery clacking]

[laughs] Ah.

- [whines]

- Heh, oops.

We're still working on that one.

[laughter]

- You might think that something's clean

because you can't see any dirt with your eyes.

But that doesn't mean it's not there.

Hi, I'm astronomer Amy Mainzer.

You've probably been told to clean up your room.

And when you hear that, you probably think

of picking up your toys,

or putting your clothes away.

But here at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,

we've got a whole new definition

of the word "clean."

When NASA builds spacecraft

and launches them into space,

we can't really send a cleaning crew up

to scrub 'em off once they're up there.

We've got to make sure that they're perfectly clean

before they're launched.

Even a single piece of dust

or even an eyelash

could mean that a spacecraft

is not able to do its job.

We sometimes have to use microscopes

to inspect spacecraft for tiny pieces of dust

that are so small you can't even see them with your eyes.

To do that, we have a special room that we've built

right here, which we call the "clean room."

A clean room is a place where we can build spacecraft

and equipment in a way that keeps dust and dirt out

and keeps it off of the spacecraft.

What would you think the single biggest source

of dust and dirt in a clean room is?

Right here. Us.

People bring in all kinds of dirt.

We've got dust and lint on our shirts and clothes,

we've got hair-- we're a mess.

So to keep all of that stuff under control,

we have to wear a special suit

before we can go into the clean room.

We call this a "bunny suit."

Okay, now we're ready to go in the clean room.

This is the height of fashion.

So the next time you get told to clean up your room,

just be glad you don't have to get it this clean.

- ♪ Jet Propulsion ♪

[together] Ready! Jet! Go!

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

- Jet Propulsion! - Jet Propulsion!

- Jet Propulsion!

[together] Ready! Jet! Go!