Julia could not believe it She was at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT with her team They watched a giant TV screen It showed three flying robots the size of volleyballs The robots called SPHERES were on the International Space Station ISS Julia and her team were in a contest with teams from all around the world The robots spun and flew through the low-gravity bay in the ISS They followed commands that Julia and the United States team had written 4
Long-term Stay SPHERES have been on the ISS for more than ten years 6
Julia and her team watched the robots excitedly Their program was working perfectly The SPHERES flew together in a line and then broke apart to form a triangle Little jets on each robot shot out carbon dioxide as they changed direction Teams from Italy Spain and Russia took their turns after Julia’s team finished When the challenge was over Italy’s team won But Julia didn’t care She had flown a robot in space SPHERES Zero Robotics challenge 7
