Fact or Fiction?

**Fact or Fiction?** is the second half of the fifty-second episode of *Ready Jet Go!*.

## Synopsis

When Mindy tells Jet that clouds are made of cotton balls, and defends this idea because she heard a friend say so, Sean and Sydney set out to show her how to separate fact from fiction through research! Celery takes them up into the clouds to see for themselves.

## Plot

At the start of the episode, Jet and Sunspot are looking at clouds. They find a cloud shaped like a dog bone, a cloud shaped like Sean's hamster Pedro, and a cloud that's shaped like Jet's hair. With this, Jet wonders what Earth clouds are made of, and not even Sunspot has a clue. Nearby, Mindy is playing in the sandbox, and yells that she knows what clouds are made of. She states that they are made of cotton balls, and that Lillian told her so.

Jet marvels at the idea of clouds being made of cotton balls, and amuses that he might go up to take a nap on one. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Carrot is stirring some batter for pickle-caramel cookies. But when he tastes it, he thinks it's disgusting. He doesn't mind though, recalling the "try and try again" adage that Bortronians like to say....to themselves.

Near the treehouse, Sean is showing off his newest Space Scouts badge to Sydney. He had to identify 24 constellations to get it. Jet flies in with his hover scooter, and compliments Sean's badge. Jet proudly proclaims that he learned that clouds are made out of cotton balls. Sydney and Sean are in disbelief at this. Sydney tries to explain that clouds aren't made out of cotton balls, but Jet says that it's true since Mindy told him, and she's an Earthie. Sean jealously protests that he's also an Earthie. Mindy tries to back up her claim by saying that clouds strongly resemble cotton balls. Sydney and Sean say that clouds are made of water. Mindy tries to manipulate their way of thinking by comparing cotton balls to water, and asking which one looks more like a cloud. Before Sean can answer, the kids leave on their hover scooters to go find Lillian.

As Lillian as walking down the street, the kids catch up to her and greet her. Lillian came to see if they wanted to have a tea party. Sean thanks Lillian for the invitation, but says that they have to ask her something. Sean asks her about the "cotton balls = clouds" situation. Lillian says that clouds are obviously not made of cotton balls, but of cotton *candy*. Mindy remarks that clouds being made of cotton candy is even better than clouds being made of cotton balls. Jet ditches his napping plans for snacking plans. When Sydney asks her why she thinks clouds are made of cotton candy, Lillian says that she heard it from a kid at school. Jet compares Sean's claim to Lillian's claim, and wonders which is right. Sunspot brings up some cotton candy and a glass of water for comparison purposes. Mindy thinks that cotton candy looks like a cloud. Sean still insists that clouds are made of water. Sydney adds to this by saying that just because something looks the same doesn't mean it is the same.

Lillian still doesn't believe them, and brings up her reasoning. Clouds each have different flavors: white clouds are marshmallow, pink clouds are strawberry, yellow clouds are lemon, and orange clouds are orange. Jet can't wait to taste some clouds, so he goes to get his saucer. Sydney and Sean groan. Back in the kitchen, Carrot tastes some of his cookies, but they taste even worse than the last batch. Carrot realizes he should make caramel-pickle cookies instead of pickle-caramel cookies. In the yard, the kids have set up a court trial. Sean presents his case: clouds are made of water, since it has never rained cotton candy. Lillian asks how that can be. Since clouds are white and water is clear, Lillian thinks that the water would be white too. Jet, the judge, remarks that they both make good points. Jet asks Sean, Lillian and the jury (Mindy, Sunspot, Sydney and Fluffy Bear) to vote on whether clouds are made of cotton candy or water. Sydney and Sean vote for water, and Mindy and Lillian vote for cotton candy, resulting in a tie. Jet breaks the tie by being biased and voting for cotton candy. Jet officially decides that clouds are made of cotton candy.

Sean is mad at this. He keeps protesting that clouds are made of water, and bangs his head on his desk. Lillian has to go, since she has some pretend cookies in the oven. After Lillian leaves, Sean exclaims that just because a lot of people believe something, doesn't mean it's true. Jet is shocked at this. Sydney says that it has to be a fact - something that can be proven. Otherwise, it's just a made-up story, or an opinion. Mindy asks what an opinion is. Sydney explains that an opinion is something you think or feel, but may or may not be true. Sydney gives an example by asking which ice cream flavor is the best. Mindy says strawberry, Sean says chocolate, but Jet says none of the above since he hates ice cream. Sydney says that's an opinion, since there's no one right answer - everyone has a different favorite.

Jet asks how to know if something is a fact. Sydney and Sean take him to the DSA to see Dr. Rafferty and Dr. Skelley. Sean asks what clouds are made of. Dr. Skelley answers this by saying that clouds are made of tiny water droplets. They know because scientists have been up there in airplanes and weather balloons. She then shows a picture example. Sean is glad that he was right all along, but Mindy is disappointed that she's wrong. Jet is also disappointed, since he can't nap or snack on clouds. But at least they make rain puddles for jumping in. Sydney asks how scientists know if something is true or not. Dr. Rafferty responds that the kids already know one method - the Scientific Method. All the characters then sing the Scientific Method.

After the song finishes, Dr. Skelley explains how the Scientific Method can be applied to fact-checking. Dr. Rafferty explains that if other scientists can get the same results, it is considered evidence that the fact is true. Jet thinks evidence is like a dance, and starts dancing randomly. Dr. Skelley explains that evidence is something that supports an idea. Dr. Rafferty follows that up by saying that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. She advises the kids not to take somebody else's word for it. The best way to check is to do and see for themselves.

At the yard, Mindy asks Jet if his mom can take them to see the clouds for themselves. Celery appears with the minivan. Sean asks how she always does that. Celery attributes it to "mother's intuition" and excellent hearing on the part of Bortronians. Sean is about to ask a nervous question, but gets interrupted by the takeoff song, and the saucer blasts off. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the batter is mysteriously bubbling. Carrot tries to add just a pinch of Bortronian baking powder, but the batter bowl starts moving and shaking, startling Carrot and causing him to run away.

The kids decide to take a walk in the clouds just to be sure. They observe that clouds are cold and hard to see through. Jet pretends to be a cowboy, and Mindy remarks that the clouds taste like nothing. The gang then decides to go home and see what Carrot has cooked up. When they get home, they explain to Carrot what they did and learned about that day. Carrot tries to hide something in the fridge. Carrot explains how he applied research and fact-checking to his cooking project. After his cookies didn't work out, he found a recipe from a famous Earthie chef and whipped up cotton candy for the kids.

Suddenly, the Bortronian cookie dough bursts out of the fridge, and it is alive. The characters all get scared and run away. The cookie dough falls over, and the characters peek back into the kitchen. Jet picks it up, and the cookie dough hugs him. The characters all say "Aww!" and the episode ends.

## Characters

* Jet Propulsion
* Sunspot Propulsion
* Sydney Skelley
* Sean Rafferty
* Mindy Melendez
* Lillian
* Celery Propulsion
* Carrot Propulsion
* Amy Skelley
* Dr. Rafferty

## Songs

* The Scientific Method
* Takeoff!

## Trivia

* Some people actually do think that clouds are made out of cotton candy.
* The baking powder that Carrot uses is a reference to Arm & Hammer.
* This is the second time that Celery mentions that Bortronians have excellent hearing, the first time being in *Just the Right Distance From the Sun*.