“January 1999: Rocket Summer”

Reading Check

1. A small town in Ohio, in January of 1999 (“January 1999: Rocket Summer”)

Short Answer

1. A rocket carrying the First Expedition of humans to Mars launches, sending waves of heat out into the cold day. (“January 1999: Rocket Summer”)

“February 1999: Ylla”

Reading Check

1. Captain Nathaniel York (“February 1999: Ylla”)

Short Answer

1. Yll and Ylla’s marriage has grown stale, and he is jealous when he realizes that Ylla’s dreams include her flirting with York. (“February 1999: Ylla”)

“August 1999: The Summer Night”

Reading Check

1. The Second Expedition (“August 1999: The Summer Night”)

Short Answer

1. The telepathic Martians are inundated with fragments of Earth songs, rhymes, and poems, causing them to helplessly repeat these bits of unfamiliar language. Women wake throughout the night, screaming, having dreamed that something terrible is about to happen. (“August 1999: The Summer Night”)

“August 1999: The Earth Men”

Reading Check

1. Mrs. Ttt (“August 1999: The Earth Men”)

Short Answer

1. The reader knows that the expedition is real, and Mr. Xxx does not. This dramatic irony means the reader appreciates the tragic misunderstanding that motivates Mr.