01x01 - Tour of the Solar System/Jet Cooks Dinner

[bunniefuu]

kids: Ready! Jet! Go!

man: ♪ 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! ♪

man: ♪ 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 ♪

man: ♪ And just to prove it was a fact ♪

♪ He flew them out to space and back ♪

♪ Jet Propulsion ♪

[spaceship whirring]

women: ♪ Jet Propulsion ♪

kids: Ready! Jet! Go!

man: ♪ 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!

- Okay, new Earth game--

I call it "Solar System"!

This is how I memorized all the different planets

that orbit around your awesome star,

the Sun!

I'll be the awesome star.

Hey, hi!

I'm the Sun.

And all of you can be my system.

Sunspot?

You'll be the first planet, Mercury.

Now, Mercury goes around the Sun really fast.

So you got to run around me, Sunspot.

Sydney, you'll be Venus.

- Venus? Why?

- She's the brightest planet in the sky.

- Awesome!

- Venus goes slower around the Sun than Mercury,

so you can walk.

Sean, you'll be the amazing planet Earth.

- Whoo-hoo!

Oceans, glaciers, jungles--

- Blue skies, breathable atmosphere--

- Plus millions of species!

- Yeah! Go Earth! Whoo!

- Okay, we're gonna need several more planets.

Any other Earthies around?

Hey, Mindy! You want to be Mars?

- Do I want to be what?

- Mars, the proud Red Planet.

- Okay.

What exactly do I have to do?

- Everyone orbits around me.

I'm the Sun.

We're playing a new game called "Solar System."

- What's a solar system?

- Well, "solar" means the Sun.

And the solar system is all the objects

that orbit-- that means go around--

our Sun!

- Like what objects?

- Like the planets, starting with Mercury.

Wait.

Where's Mercury?

- [giggles]

♪ ♪

- Um, Mercury is dancing around with Mars.

And Earth thinks that maybe this game isn't working.

- Hmm, maybe you're right.

I've run out of Earthies to be my planets.

[gasps] I know!

Maybe the best way to learn the planets

in the solar system is to go look at them!

- Um, aren't they pretty far away?

- Good thinking, Sydney.

We'll ask my parents to fly us out for a tour.

- Wait, fly us out? To the solar system?

- Exactly!

What are we waiting for?

Come on, Sydney!

- What?

- Commence live transmission to Bortron .

As you can see, I've got what Earthies

call a "cantaloupe."

I'm now going to attempt to open it very carefully.

[grunting]

- Carrot, Jet wants to take the kids on a tour

of the solar system.

Why don't I drive them?

It won't take long.

- Yeah, sure, Celery.

Dinner should be ready in an Earth half hour,

if I can figure out how to start it.

- Great!

I'll make it fast, then.

No stops, no bathroom breaks, come on!

- Wait, the entire solar system?

In half an hour?

- Don't forget, we've got interstellar overdrive.

- How could I forget?

- My mom says I can't go anywhere past Jet's yard.

Is the solar system farther than that?

- Afraid so, Mindy.

But we promise to come right back and tell you

all about it.

- Hey, Sunspot!

Car trip!

- [panting]

- Ready?

- Wait, isn't there a countdown or something?

A list of safety checks--

- ♪ Five, four, three, two, one ♪

♪ Doors are shut, engines on ♪

♪ Everybody in their place? ♪

♪ Let's go into outer space! ♪

- [yelling]

[tires squeal]

[engine blasts]

[adventurous music]

♪ ♪

- Um, if you don't mind me asking,

how come your names are Carrot and Celery?

- Ah, when we got here, we decided

we'd blend in better if we used typical Earth names.

- Yes, I guess those are typical Earth vegetable names.

- What are your names on Bortron ?

- Mine is... [buzzing and clanging]

And Carrot's is pronounced...

[elephant trumpeting]

- [giggles]

I guess "Carrot" and "Celery" are easier to say.

- Hey, we've arrived at the Sun!

- [stammers] We what?

- There it is, your Sun.

Of course, on our Bortronian maps,

it's a yellow dwarf star called Ignatz .

- I can't believe how huge the Sun is.

- Yeah, how big is it, actually?

- Excellent question!

Let's ask Face .

Hey, Face?

- Jet, let me guess.

You have a question.

- Here's one.

How much bigger than the Earth is the Sun?

- The Sun is roughly times bigger in diameter

than the Earth.

- Wow!

That means you could fit about...

,, Earths inside it!

- Hmm, let me double-check that...

,,... ......

Well, you're right, Jet.

- Yes!

- All right, enough calculating.

We've got a solar system to tour.

Starting from the Sun, the first planet is Mercury.

[jet engines revving]

- Did you know Mercury got its name from the Roman god?

He was a speedy messenger with wings on his feet.

- And you Earthies probably named it that

because Mercury has a very fast orbit.

It zips around the Sun in just Earth days.

- Wow, a year on Mercury is days?

That is speedy!

- Next stop, planet number two, Venus.

- [sighs]

It's so beautiful.

No wonder Venus is named after the Goddess of Love.

- Hmm, weird.

Even though Venus is further away from the Sun

than Mercury, its surface is even hotter.

- I wonder how that could be?

- Maybe the heat of the Sun gets trapped

in Venus' atmosphere?

- Correct!

Congratulations, Sean.

- All right. I'm good at this game.

What's next?

- The third rock from the Sun: Earth!

[all cheering]

- Earth, just the right distance from the Sun

to support all that amazing life.

What a cool planet.

[jet engines revving]

Hello, Mars!

Planet number four!

- Wow, it really is the Red Planet.

- Okay, we're halfway through the tour.

And the best is yet to come--

the four gas giant planets!

Hang on.

First, we've got to navigate the asteroid belt.

- Ooh! I love the asteroid belt!

Onward and upward!

both: Excelsior!

[upbeat music]

all: Whoa!

[all shouting, laughing]

- Um, Mrs. Propulsion, do we have to go

quite this fast?

- I'm gonna have to floor it if we're gonna

make it back in time for dinner.

We've still got a long way to go

till we get to Jupiter.

We have to "jam," as you Earthies say.

- That means there's time enough for a solar system song!

Ready, Sunspot?

♪ If you count the planets orbiting the Sun ♪

♪ There's something cool about every single one ♪

♪ So everybody gather round ♪

♪ And listen ♪

♪ While I sing a song ♪

♪ About our solar system ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Planet one is Mercury ♪

♪ It's tiny and it's speedy ♪

♪ Planet two is Venus ♪

♪ It's bright and super heaty ♪

♪ Planet three is Earth ♪

♪ The lovely, ocean-covered one ♪

♪ Planet four is Mars ♪

♪ It's cold because the air is mostly gone ♪

♪ Then you cross a belt of broken chunks of asteroids ♪

♪ Big and little comets, rocks, and baby planetoids ♪

♪ The next four planets spinning out here ♪

♪ Really, really fast ♪

♪ Are giants ♪

♪ And they're mostly made of gas ♪

- [gasps] Jupiter!

That is so cool!

- ♪ Planet five is Jupiter ♪

♪ The biggest of the lot ♪

♪ Big enough to fit three Earths ♪

♪ Inside that Great Red Spot ♪

♪ Planet six is Saturn ♪

♪ And it's especially nice ♪

♪ This ball of gas is wearing rings ♪

♪ And they're mostly made of ice ♪

both: Whoa, Saturn.

- ♪ Planet seven's Uranus ♪

♪ And here's the funny thing ♪

♪ It's tipped over on its side ♪

♪ Look at that skinny, sideways ring ♪

♪ Planet eight is Neptune ♪

♪ I'm afraid that that's the last ♪

♪ Blue Neptune's just a big ol' ball ♪

♪ Of cold hydrogen gas ♪

♪ That's our song, thanks a lot ♪

♪ For giving it a listen ♪

♪ Now take a bow for learning about ♪

♪ Our awesome solar system! ♪

[all cheering]

- Thanks, Mrs. Propulsion--

I mean, Celery.

This tour was great!

Maybe I'll write a story about it

and tell it to Mindy.

[beeping]

- Ooh, Carrot must have that dinner almost ready.

- This is amazing.

We zoomed out here in half an hour.

It would take the fastest Earth spaceship, like,

nine years to get to where we went today.

- Oh, I keep forgetting that you Earthies

are just beginning to travel in space.

It's the best.

Oh, the planets you'll go to,

the stars you'll see...

- Meanwhile, I'm glad we're

in a Bortronian ship today.

'Cause I'm hungry!

- Buckle up, Jet.

Let's hit it.

both: Excelsior!

♪ ♪

[brakes squealing]

- Phew, okay.

This is all worth it.

It's excellent training for when I

become an astronaut someday.

- You've just been to the edge

of the solar system and back.

And you didn't get sick.

- Yeah--well, not very sick, anyway.

- See? You're already an astronaut.

- Hey, you know, Sydney?

You're right.

- Did you go see the solar system?

- Oh, Mindy, did we ever!

It was the best.

I'll tell you all about it.

- Ooh, thanks, Sunspot.

- Ah, just in time for your Earth dinner.

Tonight, I've made solar system nachos.

The Sun is this bowl of guacamole,

and orbiting around the Sun are all the planets.

See, Venus is vanilla pudding.

Mars is marmalade.

- So the tortilla chips are the asteroid belt?

- You're a quick one, Sydney.

- Good! Let's eat.

- [munching]

[all laughing]

- Great. Thanks. Bye.

Hi, I'm astronomer Amy Mainzer.

And I've just taken a phone call on my cell phone.

Everybody does that.

But here in this special room,

we take phone calls from space.

I'm here with Jim McClure.

Jim, what's going on in this special room here?

- I'm the operations manager

of the Space Flight Operations Facility,

also known as Mission Control.

- They're talking to lots of spacecraft, aren't they?

- They are. From this room, we capture all data

from interplanetary space.

- These people here are actually driving our spacecraft?

- hours a day, days a week,

since .

- That is amazing.

It kind of looks like a video game almost, doesn't it?

- It does, and I'm sure some of these people

started that way.

- What does it take to talk to a spacecraft?

I'm guessing it's not a cell phone.

- You're right.

We use these very large antennae that we call

"The Deep Space Network."

We have them located in three locations around the world.

- Why do we need three locations around the world?

Isn't one good enough?

- The Earth rotates.

We need to see our spacecraft as that happens.

- So as the Earth turns, there's always an antenna

that can find a spacecraft wherever it might be.

- That's exactly correct.

- How big of an antenna do we need to have

to talk to some of these?

- Actually, we have one -meter antenna

in each of those three locations.

- meters? - meters in diameter.

- That's almost the size of a football field.

- It is.

- So what's with the peanuts going on in here?

- Well, years ago, we had some failures.

After a great success, the engineers looked

around the room and said, "Well, what did we do different?"

What they determined is one of our engineers

happened to be eating peanuts and sharing them

with the other engineers.

- Well, as scientists and engineers,

you know we're not big on superstitions.

- We call them "lucky peanuts."

But I'm not gonna say we're superstitious.

We always eat the peanuts.

- It's good to have some traditions.

- Mmm-mmm!

This Earth meal is tasty.

- This fish, called tuna, between two pieces

of cooked bread is interesting.

- And these chips of potatoes are delicious.

But, you know, it's not like our good ol'

Bortronian food.

[all sigh]

- Sometimes I miss it too.

Face, could we see that wonderful commercial

for our favorite classic three-part Bortronian meal?

- Of course, Celery. Here you go.

all: ♪ What to eat, oh, what to eat ♪

♪ Galaxy crackers or seven-ring meat ♪

♪ When I get hungry, you know how I feel ♪

♪ Like a classic three-part Bortronian meal ♪

♪ A hoagie, Figinnuz, exploding shake ♪

♪ What a fantastic deal ♪

- [sighs] I really miss that classic

three-part Bortronian meal.

- Yeah, the classic.

There's nothing like home cooking.

[alarm beeps]

Aha! That's for us.

Jet, we have to go on a quick ride

to do a travel report about ice shelves

in Antarctica.

We'll be back in six Bortronian months

or, let's see,

one Earth hour.

- Not to worry, son.

When we're away, you're covered.

We'll be in contact, and you'll have Face

and Sunspot for company.

- Parent and Parent -- I mean, Earth Mom and Dad--

that's great!

I can play with Sean and Sydney.

- [beeping]

- Oh, and Sunspot.

- Perfect, we're glad you've made such wonderful

Earth friends.

We'll see you soon.

Bye!

[horn honks]

- Sean! Sydney! Mindy!

I have a plan!

Come on over!

- So I'm thinking your plan is about food.

- Yes! How'd you guess?

My Earthie friends, I want to cook my parents

the classic three-part Bortronian meal.

You see, my mom and dad miss home.

So I thought if I made them their favorite Bortronian meal,

it would make them cheer!

- I think you mean "cheer them up."

- Exactly!

And nothing cheers them up like "the classic":

a Bortronian hoagie, Figinnuz,

and an exploding shake!

- Exploding shake?

- Yeah, they're a blast.

Oh, and I thought it'd be fun if the meal

was one of those that Mom and Dad don't know

about beforehand, but learned about

the second they walked into the house.

- That's called a "surprise."

- [laughs] What a funny Earth word!

So ready to make a surprise meal?

- I'm ready, and I'm very good at surprises.

- One question, Jet.

Do you have any idea how to cook?

- Not at all!

I've never cooked a thing.

But the good news is, there's always a first time.

- Then when do we start, Jet?

'Cause when I cook with my mom,

it takes a while.

- We'll start immediately

and probably have to try and fail,

try and fail, and try more and fail

a bunch of times.

- Jet, do these appliances work like our

Earth kitchen stuff?

- Of course! I think.

They're all from Bortron .

- Okay...

So, Jet, what ingredients do we need to make this meal?

Ingredients are the things you mix together to make a meal.

- [laughs] "Ingredients."

What a hilarious Earth word.

I'll just imagine how the Bortronian meal tastes,

and then I'll know what ingredients we need--

super easy.

- I'm not sure about "super easy,"

but I know how we can get this done

and organize the cooking process.

We can use the scientific method.

- The what method?

- Scientific, it's a set of rules that scientists

use to make sure they're doing their experiments right.

- Or we could just start cooking and making and baking.

Always remember, if at first you don't succeed,

fail a bunch more times until you do.

- [giggles] Yes, sounds good.

- Have you heard of Thomas Edison?

I think he said, "Our greatest weakness

"lies in giving up.

"The way to succeed is to always try

just one more time."

So about the scientific method--

- We need Asteroid Pickles, some blue Parsec Peppers,

gravity-free yeast,

and I'm sure we can find crater dust

from Bortron around here, right?

- Uh, that would be a "no."

- But maybe a "yes"?

Let's try and fail a bunch of times!

Okay, here's the list of the ingredients

we need to make the Bortronian meal.

I'll grow the blue Parsec Peppers.

Meet back here in Earth minutes, okay?

all: Yes!

- Okay, I think.

- [sighs]

Okay, Bortronian seeds and dirt...

All we need is red sunlight from our Bortronian

sun simulator lamp...

[whirring]

Ha! And that's how you grow--

Ooh, what's the word again?

Ingredients!

[both laughing]

- Sorry these aren't the Bortronian ingredients

you described, Jet.

- Perfect!

- Um, do you think your parents have a recipe

for the Bortronian meal?

- I'm not sure what "recipe" means,

but it's another hilarious Earth word.

I say we put ingredients together and just

see what happens!

♪ ♪

Do you have a small white or brown

oval-shaped item that's covered with a shell,

comes from a hen-like creature,

and often has a small yolk-like object inside?

- You mean an egg?

- Sounds like what I mean.

Thanks!

♪ ♪

Voilà!

all: Mmm...

- It's beyond yummy.

But this is ratatouille.

My mom makes it.

- Well, this hoo-tot-rootie

or whatever it's called is good.

It doesn't taste like the Bortronian meal

we're supposed to be making, though.

It's a delicious failure!

Ha! Time to try again.

all: Let's do it!

♪ ♪

- Mmm, yummy chiles rellenos!

- Another delicious failure.

- Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Yup, we're doing great!

- We are?

If only we could taste the Bortronian food

we're making.

- No problem.

Just use your finger on the screen

and taste the food.

- Mmm... - Very sweet.

- So we'll make it sweeter and look bluer.

Let's try again.

Excelsior!

♪ ♪

Our frostiest, bluest failure so far.

Sean, didn't your Chef Thomas Edison

say, "Failures will lead to success"?

- Yes, but actually, Thomas Edison

was a famous inventor.

And guess what.

He used the scientific method.

- Ha, Chef Edison sounds amazing.

- [sighs]

- Hey, I think Sean's idea's right.

We just need a plan to make this Bortronian meal.

Cooking's like a science experiment.

To come up with a recipe, we should use...

both: The scientific method!

- Which is what I've been saying all along.

- Ha! Brilliant!

Luckily, we have lots of time

before my parents come home.

[wrist phone blares] - Hey, Jet.

We're zipping through the atmosphere.

Be home in four minutes.

See you soon!

- All right, great news!

We hardly have any time!

This'll be fun.

- Fun?

Four minutes and we're making

a meal from another planet?

How?

- Sean, calm down.

Worrying is a waste of time.

We have to cook.

- All right, Sean.

What exactly is this scientific method?

- [clears throat]

♪ If you're trying to solve a problem ♪

♪ Let me be specific ♪

♪ You've got to use the method that's scientific ♪

all: ♪ Scientific method ♪

♪ The scientific method ♪

One!

- ♪ Ask a question ♪

♪ Based on observations ♪

♪ Observe, ask, look around ♪

♪ Accept no imitations ♪

all: Two!

- ♪ Make a prediction ♪

♪ An idea that you can test ♪

♪ That's your hypothesis ♪

♪ It's a kind of careful guess ♪

all: Three!

- ♪ Experiment! Experiment! ♪

♪ And never let it rest ♪

♪ See if your hypothesis can pass the test ♪

all: Four! - ♪ Observe what happens ♪

♪ And gather information ♪

♪ Look for any data ♪

♪ That could give an explanation ♪

♪ Accurately measure ♪

♪ With the tools you have around ♪

♪ Then get a pencil, make a list ♪

♪ Don't forget to write it down ♪

all: Five!

- ♪ Draw conclusions ♪

♪ About the things you saw ♪

♪ And see if a solution makes you say ♪

all: ♪ Aha! ♪

Six! - ♪ You got results ♪

♪ What did you discover? ♪

♪ Well, share your findings ♪

♪ And get the word to others ♪

♪ You solved your problem ♪

♪ In a way that's just terrific ♪

♪ You used the method that's scientific ♪

all: ♪ Scientific method ♪

- That's what I said!

all: ♪ The scientific method ♪

- You're paying attention.

all: ♪ The scientific method ♪

- Oh, yes.

all: ♪ The scientific method ♪

♪ ♪

- I guess step six means we should be sharing

the food we made with your mom and dad, Jet.

- [squeaking]

- Wow!

all: Wow!

[horn honks]

- Hide! Remember, it's a surprise.

- What?

The classic three-part Bortronian meal?

both: Hoagies, Figinnuz, exploding shakes?

- Amazing! How did this happen?

- It must have flown across the galaxy

right into our Earth window and onto our table.

kids: Surprise!

We cooked the meal for you!

- Thank you. Thank you! - Ooh, wow!

Oh, this--this is an unexpected Earth event

we did not know about till now.

- It's called a "surprise."

- [honking]

- Oh, I love our surprise!

Hey, there's enough for everyone.

Sit! Eat!

[expl*si*n booms]

[all laughing]

You even got the shake right!

- 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.

[laughs] 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. [laughs]

Okay, it's been about minutes.

Let's see what happens when we put it

close to this warm light.

And 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've been brought here by comets.

women: ♪ Jet Propulsion ♪

kids: Ready! Jet! Go!

women: ♪ Ooh ♪

♪ Ooh ♪

[funky music]

♪ ♪

- Jet Propulsion!

- Jet Propulsion!

- Jet Propulsion!

all: Ready! Jet! Go!