release dates: September 11-17
37-1 (10)
© 2010 Universal Uclick
Approaching the End of an Era
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Shuttle Program Winds Down
Space Shuttle Discovery
lifts off from the launch
pad. The last flight for
Discovery is scheduled
for Nov. 1, 2010. The last
flight for Space Shuttle
Endeavour is scheduled
for Feb. 26, 2011. Space
Shuttle Atlantis’ last
scheduled flight landed
safely on Earth on May 26,
2010.
NASA’s space shuttle program is
coming to an end. At this time, only
two more missions are scheduled, in
November and February.
The Mini Page talked with an
expert from NASA to learn more about
this important space program.
Even as men were flying to the
moon in the 1960s and ’70s, people
were already planning the next
stage of space exploration. Scientists
believed building a station in space
was the smart next step.
But if we were going to build a
permanent station out in space, we
had to have a way to get people and
construction materials out there. We
needed a vehicle that could fly into
space and return safely to Earth again
and again. We needed a shuttle.
Astronaut
Rick
Mastracchio
helps move a
1,700-pound
ammonia
tank from
Space
Shuttle
Discovery
to the space
station.
photos courtesy NASA
The shuttle and the
space station
Finishing the space station
During the last two shuttle missions,
astronauts will complete the construction
of the International Space Station, or
ISS. The shuttles will bring as many
spare parts to the ISS as possible.
There are several storage
compartments on the outside of
the ISS. Stored parts range from a
gyroscope* to computer boxes.
*A gyroscope (JIE-ruh-skope) is an instrument
used to help hold the station’s position in space.
The storage areas are bolted to the
ISS and protected from dangers such
as cold. If the crew needs parts, they
can do a space walk to the storage areas.
The shuttles share space station
transportation duties with other
countries, including Russia, Japan,
Canada, and countries in the
European Space Agency, or ESA.
After the shuttle program ends, ISS
crews will depend on Russia’s Soyuz
spacecraft to transport astronauts
and cosmonauts back and forth. Many
countries in the partnership will help
bring cargo to the ISS.
A Soyuz
spacecraft
flies in front
of the shuttle
Discovery
docked at ISS.
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37-2 (10); release dates: September 11-17
photo courtesy NASA Johnson Space Center
Dangerous Missions
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
The Hubble and the shuttle
Going into space can be dangerous.
There have been two tragic accidents
in the shuttle program.
In 1986, the Challenger broke
apart right after launch. It killed all
seven people onboard, including the
Teacher in Space, Sharon Christa
McAuliffe.
In 2003, the Columbia was destroyed
after re-entering Earth’s atmosphere,
just minutes from landing on Earth.
All seven crew members were killed.
Astronauts know they could be in
danger. But like other explorers, they
think the gains are worth the risk.
One of the most important shuttle
missions was to launch the Hubble
Space Telescope. Shuttle crews also
returned five times to service the
Hubble and add new instruments.
Although the Hubble was
scheduled for launch in 1986, all
shuttle missions were delayed after
the Challenger accident.
The space shuttle finally carried
the Hubble into space in 1990.
The last
Challenger
crew: Back
row (left
to right):
Ellison
Onizuka,
Sharon
Christa
McAuliffe,
Greg Jarvis, Judy Resnik; front row: Mike
Smith, Dick Scobee and Ron McNair.
photos courtesy NASA
Brave explorers
The last Columbia crew (left to right):
David Brown, Rick Husband, Laurel Clark,
Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson,
William McCool and Ilan Ramon.
Changing the mission
One of the first jobs of the shuttle
was to carry satellites into space.
After the Challenger accident, NASA
decided not to use the shuttle to
launch satellites.
Private companies now launch
satellites. Except for special
satellites, such as the Hubble Space
Telescope, that were designed to be
launched by the shuttle, the shuttle
was then used only for trips to the
Russian Mir space station and the
ISS.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Ready Resources
The Mini Page provides ideas for websites,
books or other resources that will help you learn
more about this week’s topics.
On the Web:
• www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/
• www.nasa.gov/shuttle
• www.nasa.gov/station
• www.youtube.com/user/ReelNASA
At the library:
• “Onboard the Space Shuttle” by Ray Spangenburg, Kit
Moser and Diane Moser
• “Shuttle to Space Station” by Brian Knapp
The Hubble clears the cargo bay of
the shuttle Discovery in 1990.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Brown
Bassetews
try ’n
The N d’s
find
Houn
Words that remind us of the space shuttle are hidden in the block below.
Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you can find:
ATLANTIS, BAY, CARGO, DISCOVERY, EARTH, END, ENDEAVOUR,
ERA, EXPLORATION, FLY, HUBBLE, JOB, LAND, LAUNCH, LOW,
MISSION, NASA, ORBIT, PAD, SAFELY, SPACECRAFT, STATION,
VEHICLE.
L O H Y A B Y R E V O C S I D
TM
I’ll be
shuttling off
to space!
Shuttle Program
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Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
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®
37-3 (10); release dates: September 11-17
Mini Spy . . .
TM
TM
Mini Spy and her friends are eager to go on a space shuttle
mission. See if you can find: • question mark • olive
• lipstick • chicken • squirrel
• ladder
• football • bandage • marshmallow • word MINI
• duck
• number 6 • heart
• number 3
• bell
• saw
• pencil
• toothbrush
• elephant • arrow
• lips
• caterpillar
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Easy Guacamole
You’ll need:
• 2 medium to large avocados
• juice from half of small lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup bottled salsa
What to do:
1. Peel, then mash avocados in medium-size bowl.
2. Stir in lemon juice, garlic powder and salsa. Mix well.
3. Chill for a few hours to blend flavors.
4. Serve with tortilla chips.
You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Meet Lucas Cruikshank
photo © 2010 Viacom International Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Lucas Cruikshank stars as Fred
Figglehorn in the Nickelodeon TV movie
“Fred: The Movie,” which will air on Sept.
17. Lucas is the creator of the YouTube
series “Fred.” He is also the producer,
writer and director. He performs all the
main characters in the YouTube shows,
except for the neighborhood animals.
Lucas, 17, was born in Columbus, Neb.
He has seven siblings. He has taken music
and dance lessons for years. When he was 13, his parents gave him
a video camera for his birthday. He used that gift to create “Fred.”
Lucas, performing as Fred, will release a musical album in
September. He has appeared on the TV shows “iCarly” and
“Hannah Montana.”
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
!
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EW
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Conveniently spiral-bound for ease of use, this invaluable
resource contains A-to-Z facts about each state, along
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from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
TM
All the following jokes have something in common.
Can you guess the common theme or category?
Spencer: How is a wrench used on the space
shuttle?
Shamus: To tighten the astro-nuts!
Serena: Where can the space shuttle be
parked?
Susan: At a parking meteor!
Sara: How do you prepare for a space shuttle
flight?
Seth: Plan-et carefully!
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
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37-4 (10); release dates: September 11-17
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
The Shuttle and Beyond
The space shuttle was designed
to operate in low Earth orbit. Low
Earth orbit ranges from right above
the ground to about 1,000 miles
above the Earth.
This is a region where vehicles
carrying humans can operate. The
space station, for example, orbits
about 220 miles above the Earth.
This is about the distance from
Washington, D.C., to New York City.
In contrast, communications
satellites orbit at about 22,000 miles
above the Earth. The moon is about
239,000 miles above Earth.
The Hubble orbits about 320 miles
above the Earth. The shuttle was not
designed to fly much higher.
The crew of the space station
photographed Space Shuttle Endeavour
as it circled the Earth in 2001. There is a
large cloud cover over Earth.
The Mini Page thanks Kyle Herring, Space
Shuttle Program, NASA, for help with this
issue.
Look through your newspaper for stories
and pictures about space or the space
program.
Next week, The Mini Page is about hope in
treating types of blindness.
photos courtesy NASA
Low Earth orbit
Space Shuttle Atlantis
approaches the runway
at the end of its last
scheduled mission in
May 2010. The crew had
delivered a Russian-built
research module to the
International Space Station.
The Atlantis has flown
about 120 million miles in
its 25-year history.
The space shuttle is the
only vehicle that can fly
into space and then return
to Earth to land like an
airplane does.
Some shuttle facts
Where do we go from here?
• The space shuttle flies about
17,500 miles per hour. Because of
the Earth’s gravity, the shuttle is
constantly falling toward Earth. But
it is traveling so fast that it actually
travels around the Earth instead.
• The shuttle’s
normal orbit
ranges from about
190 miles to 330
miles above sea
level.
• The first space shuttle was the
Enterprise. It never flew above the
Earth’s atmosphere, but was used to
test shuttle landings.
• The Enterprise was first
named the Constitution, but after
enthusiastic pleas from “Star Trek”
fans, NASA changed the name.
• The Endeavour was the last
shuttle to be built, in 1992. It was
built to replace Challenger.
The future of human space flight is
up in the air. Money is tight for space
exploration. No one knows where in
space humans might go next. NASA
is developing a new capsule called
Orion that could deliver astronauts
to the space station.
Private companies are working to
make space flight possible for private
citizens.
No matter what programs are
launched, space exploration will need
all types of scientists and astronauts.
The kids of today will be the
explorers
of
tomorrow,
going on
our next
journeys
into space.
The Mini Page Staff
Betty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist
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