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Episode
One: Skating the Dish
Mike
Masters and his father, Tony, arrive at Kaputa after having been away
for 8 years. The dish is parked as it cools down to operating temperature
and so Mike decides to put on his roller blades and skate the dish. Against
Nikki's advice, Maggie joins Mike on the dish taking Polaroid's. Unexpectedly,
the dish begins to move putting Maggie and Mike in danger. Nikki saves
the situation. Tony discovers the Polaroid's and dresses down his son.
Mike doesn't care. "Science sucks". Nikki is furious with Mike.
Episode
Two: Meteor Rights
Visiting
Wright Foundation student Susan Cooper arrives to study a meteor shower.
They photograph the shower at night and track one meteorite that has hit
the earth. Another student, Bruce, and his gang decide to find the meteorite
as well, planning to sell it for money. The meteorite is eventually found
in the middle of Mullins, a scrap metal yard, and a chase ensues between
our kids and Bruce and his gang. Mullins, the owner of the scrap yard,
decides that if it landed on his property, it must be his. A deal is finally
struck. The meteorite is donated to the museum and exhibited along with
advertising material for Mullins scrap yard.
Episode
Three: The Beast
Mike
convinces his father, Tony, that it's time to buy a horse. But when Mike
goes for a ride, the horse throws him, and Tony decides it's too dangerous.
Mike swears that something scared the horse. To prove his point, the kids
lay bait containing a transmitter. Using radio telemetry, the animal is
tracked. It turns out to be a feral cat. Mike eventually buys the horse
and names it Hendrix in honour of Mike's guitar hero, Jimi Hendrix.
Episode
Four: Tell Someone Who Cares
Tony
asks Mike to go camping with him. Mike declines. Tony camps near where
he and his late wife used to collect gemstones. Tony's vehicle gets bogged
and his mobile phone is out of range so he is unable to contact Mike.
Mike gets worried, fearing his father is not going to come back just like
the day his mother didn't come back. Mike steals a 4-wheel drive and goes
in search of his father. Nikki helps Mike locate Tony using GPS satellite
navigation and stereoscopic map reading.
Episode
Five: The Big Skip
Maggie,
while listening into CB radio, hears a distress call from a child. But
no one believes her. Nikki thinks Maggie's doing it for attention. Maggie
has given a Valentine Card to Mike. But Mike has presumed it came from
Nikki and so Mike's reciprocated with a Valentine card to Nikki. The distress
call is heard again and a satellite link is established with a low orbiting
satellite that has a CB band. The distress call is pinpointed and the
child is rescued.
Episode
Six: Goddess of the Dawn
Visiting
Wright Foundation student Romy arrives to study an atmospheric phenomenon
called The Southern Lights. Mike decides its time to try for the first
kiss with Nikki. The kids observe sun spot activity and estimations made
as to how many days before The Southern Lights will appear. A bet is made
with Frank Giles who doesn't think they'll see the lights at all. On the
third night of sky watching for The Southern Lights, they finally appear....
just as Mike and Nikki are leaning in for the their first kiss. Giles
is forced to pay up on the bet he made.
Episode
Seven: Dead Ducks
The
local legend of 'The Sundowner', a turn-of-the-century bushranger, sparks
Mike's interest in looking for the bushranger's hideout. Dead ducks are
discovered in a lake and an autopsy reveals that lead poisoning was the
cause of death. Small traces of gold are also found in the duck's gullet.
Using remote sensing, Mike and Nikki discover the exact location of The
Sundowner's hideout, now covered by the lake. They search underwater and
locate the submerged cave, but Bruce and his gang arrive to collect the
spoils themselves. Much to their disgust, no gold is found. However, plenty
of antique bottles are found and Mike and Nikki end up selling the antique
bottles to a local dealer.
Episode
Eight: Is There Life On Earth?
Shane,
a visiting student, is doing a project on the Search for Extra Terrestrial
Intelligence (SETI). Mike gets jealous that Nikki and Shane are spending
so much time together and hatches a plan to fool Shane into believing
that radio signals are being sent from space. But Nikki and Shane uncover
the plan, and make it backfire on Mike. When the radio signals are decoded,
an image of Jimi Hendrix appears, and Mike becomes the brunt of his own
joke.
Episode
Nine: Letting Go
Items
that Tony's late wife Ellen had with her on her final, fatal flight wash
up in a lake. Mike wants to find out more, but Tony doesn't. Tony thinks
that he's dealt with the issue of Ellen's death and doesn't want to open
up old wounds. But Mike is insistent. Using remote sensing and by tracing
the tidal patterns of the lake, the wreck of the plane is discovered.
Tony and Mike re-enact Ellen's last flight in a flight simulator and both
father and son finally say their goodbyes to Ellen at the edge of the
lake.
Episode
Ten: To Tell or Not to Tell
The
magnetic field of Jupiter is a project that Zoe is supposedly studying
as a Wright Foundation student. Unfortunately, it's Nikki's project as
well. Zoe is not interested in science; her domineering mother has forced
her into it. Zoe steals Nikki's research and presents it as her own at
a conference. Maggie forgoes her part in the school play to go with Nikki
and confront Zoe, only to find out that the same information was published
in a science journal more than 20 years ago. Mike's father Tony also finds
out that he will be going on the next shuttle mission. Mike gets angry
when he finds out about this news from some one else.
Episode
Eleven: Kiss the Sky
Nikki
needs software to help her complete drawings for her project on Mars,
but she can't afford the software. Nikki sets about making enough money
to buy the software. Meanwhile, she is asked to teach a local girl Lynne
how to use a word processor. Lynne and Nikki have a falling out but finally
become friends when Nikki discovers that Lynne is good at drawing illustrations.
Instead of buying software, Nikki employs Lynne to illustrate her project.
Mike and Nikki kiss for the first time.
Episode
Twelve: Can't Buy Me Love
Marie's
old boyfriend offers her a position with RGM Research, a private research
organization based in Sydney. Nikki doesn't want to leave Mike and live
in Sydney. With Tony's help, Nikki finds out more about the company using
a computer bulletin board. She discovers that RGM is involved in a variety
of bioengineering projects involving viruses. Paul is non-committal when
asked if the research is going to be sold to the military. He doesn't
know and certainly isn't interested in finding out. Marie eventually decides
not to take up the new job.
Episode
Thirteen: Rocket To Me
An
inter-school competition sees the local school pitted against other schools
to build the best rocket. During rocket testing, Mike discovers that his
friend Brad is being bashed by his father. And Nikki and Mike's parents
are concerned that their children are staying out too late at night. Nikki
and Mike's families have a peace conference, dealing with family responsibilities.
It's the day of the rocket competition and Brad doesn't arrive. Mike and
Nikki find him having an argument with his father. Eventually, Mike, Nikki
and Brad launch their rocket and it's a success.
Episode
Fourteen: Aliens
Nikki,
Mike and Maggie see lights in the sky one night. They wonder if it's a
UFO. Giles seems to be acting strangely and Maggie thinks Giles might
be an alien. Mike and Nikki discover that Giles is interested in UFO's:
a friend of Giles disappeared while investigating a UFO sighting. Mike,
Nikki and Maggie hide in the back of Giles' vehicle as he goes out one
night to investigate the cause of the weird lights. The lights appear
and everyone is stunned. Whilst not admitting that there could be visitors
from another planet, Giles does concede that "there are more things
in heaven and earth than we could ever dream of".
Episode
Fifteen: Trees A Crowd
Maggie's
favourite tree is under threat, about to be cut down by a bureaucrat Mr.
Carver to make way for a new building. Maggie and Tim and a visiting Wright
Foundation student band together to save the tree. They stage a sit-in
up the tree, which then becomes a focal point for everyone's protest.
Nikki climbs up to protest and is joined by Mike. Then Maggie's mother
climbs up to protest and so does Giles. Eventually, Mr. Carver joins the
protest himself and finally the tree is saved.
Episode
Sixteen: Ice Balls
As
Tony is preparing to leave for America and the shuttle mission, Nikki
discovers a comet. To verify her discovery, she needs to use the optical
scope at a nearby observatory. Whilst at school, Nikki and Mike fight
because word leaks among the other students about their relationship.
Mike farewells his father sullenly while Nikki gets a ride to the observatory.
Nikki farewells Tony, who jokes that if he sees the comet whilst he's
in the shuttle, he'll bring it back for Nikki. Nikki finally verifies
her comet's existence at the observatory.
Episode
Seventeen: Long Distance Call
Tony
is launched into space aboard the shuttle. Nikki and Mike make up after
their argument and the two hurry back from school to speak with Tony in
space. The space shuttle is hit by space junk and communication is lost
for a few hours. There is also a chance that the damaged shuttle may break
up during re-entry into earth's atmosphere. Mike and his father have an
emotional conversation just prior to re-entry. The shuttle eventually
returns safely to earth.
Episode
Eighteen: Star Time
Tony
returns to Australia a hero after his scientific experiments in space.
Coral Lee, a television producer who wants him to become a celebrity on
U.S. television, accompanies him. Tony leaves the decision about going
to America up to Mike. Mike and Nikki fight about getting more serious
in their relationship. It seems that Mike is going to leave Australia.
Tony's Pluto probe, Vespucci, looses communication, much to Tony's consternation.
But it's revealed that it's a hoax perpetrated by everyone at Kaputa in
an attempt to convince Tony not to go back to America. Mike and Tony decide
together not to leave.
Episode
Nineteen: Secrets
Wright Foundation student Simon comes to Kaputa to use remote sensing
to locate ancient aboriginal sites. Simon uses both intuition and science
to help him locate an ancient cave. Mike doesn't believe in intuition.
A new road being built threatens Simon's discovery and the kids chain
themselves to a bulldozer to protest. Finally, the roadworks are stopped.
Mike learns that everyone has intuition, not just Simon.
Episode
Twenty: The Wish Star
Maggie
and Nikki's father Robert arrives from France to do a story on Dr. Tony
Masters. Maggie thinks she sees a new star in the sky, but when Nikki
looks it's no longer there. Meanwhile, Tony is trying to build up the
courage to ask Marie to a dance. Mike tries to give his father some tips
on dating. Robert raises the possibility of the children going back to
live with him in France. Tony helps Maggie find her "wish star"
which turns out to a variable star. Tony also finally plucks up the courage
to ask Marie to the dance.
Episode
Twenty One: Origins
Cleo,
a Wright Foundation student, makes a major discovery. She detects a mass
of hydrogen far out in space but when it's suggested she and her parents
have their photo taken for a newspaper, she declines. Cleo has just discovered
that she's adopted and with the help of Mike and Nikki, she tracks down
her real mother. Cleo watches her mother from a distance, but decides
not to make contact with her. Nikki and Maggie decide not to return to
France with their father.
Episode
Twenty Two: Penguin Point
Tony
and Marie and their children go on a holiday together. Nikki discovers
what looks like an oil slick on the ocean and the discovery of an oil-soaked
penguin confirms the children's fear. Mike and Nikki race against time
to tell their parents, who are just beginning a romance. The tanker responsible
for the oil slick is tracked down and the spill is cleaned up.
Episode
Twenty Three: The Black Prince
Nikki
is accepted into Space Camp. In her view, this is the first step towards
her life long dream of being the first woman on Mars. Meanwhile, Elfie
is doing a study on the local wallaby population. Mike and Nikki argue
and Nikki thinks that Mike is jealous. Mike says he's going to get out
into space before Nikki. Mike wires up his amplifier and guitar into the
dish and transmits a volley of Hendrix guitar rifts into space, much to
Gile's anger. A wallaby becomes trapped and is threatened by an eagle
during Elfie's study and Maggie fends off an eagle and saves the wallaby.
Episode Twenty Four: Wow
Nikki
is making a video on the Search for Extra Terrestrials (SETI) which Tony
is researching. But Tony seems like he is losing his enthusiasm for science,
until a real signal momentarily appears. But the signal doesn't reappear
the next night. However, Tony's fire and enthusiasm for science is rekindled
and by the end of the episode, Tony proposes to Marie.
Episode
Twenty Five: Precious Days
Against
the backdrop of Tony and Marie's impending marriage, Wright Foundation
student Jake attempts to complete the `final experiment'. At the point
of his own death, he aims to transmit his energy through the dish and
into space. Nikki and Mike save the situation at the last moment. They
begin to investigate the meaning of life and convince Jake that it life
is worth living. Jake finally changes his mind, but not before Mike and
Nikki have discovered many differing views of the meaning of existence.
Tony and Marie are finally married, with Marie in one part of Australia
and Tony still at Kaputa. Giles organizes a satellite link and the wedding
is completed via television.
Episode
Twenty Six: Do or Die
Tony,
Marie, Nikki, Maggie and Mike fly to Melbourne where Nikki is attending
Space Camp. During the flight Nikki gets motion sickness. This worries
Nikki who fears that the exercises at Space Camp will cause further bouts
of motion sickness. As the new family books into the hotel, Maggie thinks
that she sees a movie star, but no one believes her. Mike inveigles his
way into Space Camp with Nikki, much to her disgust. During the final
exercise at Space Camp, Nikki feels motion sickness and Mike helps her
overcome it. Maggie eventually tracks down the elusive movie star and
has her photo taken with him.
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