Grolier Online • Feature Showcase
Space Exploration Teacher’s Guide
Opening
Fifty years have passed since the Soviet Union
launched Sputnik 1 into orbit, thus starting the
“space race” between it and the United States. One
has to wonder why there was such an impetus to get
to space, and what it meant for the two
“superpowers.” During this lesson, students will
explore the space race and its effect on the
relationship between the Soviet Union and the
United States. What was considered a race by many
proved to be an important step toward cooperation
between the two divergent nations.
Objectives
Students will:
• Use vocabulary words
• Answer comprehension questions
• Develop interview questions for an astronaut
• Conduct research on the relationship between the United States’ and the Soviet Union’s
involvement in space exploration and either write a research paper on their findings or
make a Power Point presentation
• Conduct research on the first Apollo lunar landing and moonwalk and develop a video
documentary, a radio play, or a front-page news article
• Write to a prompt about traveling to space
Vocabulary
alien: extraterrestrial. Example: The astronauts thought they saw an alien outside their
spacecraft.
aloft: high up; far above the ground. Example: It wasn’t long before the shuttle was aloft.
astronomy: the science that deals with the material universe beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.
Example: I was eager to study astronomy in college as I had always been interested in the
stars and planets.
booster: the first stage of a multistage rocket, used as the principal source of thrust in
takeoff and early flight. Example: One of the booster rockets malfunctioned, making takeoff
impossible.
capsule or space capsule: a sealed cabin, container, or vehicle in which a person or animal
can ride in flight in space or at very high altitudes within the Earth’s atmosphere. Example:
The space capsule could accommodate two people.
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command: to have authority or power over. Example: Alan Shepard was placed in command
of the Apollo 14 mission.
commercial: suitable for a wide, popular market. Example: In 2004, the world learned that
space tourism could become a reality.
cosmonaut: Russian or Soviet astronaut. Example: Cosmonaut Tereshkova Nikolayeva was the
first woman in space.
debris: the remains of anything destroyed. Example: As the rocket launched from the pad, it
left falling debris.
exploration: the investigation of unknown regions. Example: At one time, people went on
explorations to discover new lands on the Earth. Now, they are going on explorations to
discover regions far beyond the Earth.
landmark: a significant or historic event, junction, achievement, etc. Example: The time line
shows landmarks in the exploration of space.
launch: to send forth, catapult, or release. Example: The spacecraft was set to launch the next
morning if the sky was clear.
lunar: of or pertaining to the moon. Example: It would be exciting to watch a lunar orbit.
module: any of the self-contained segments of a spacecraft, designed for a particular task.
Example: Neil Armstrong descended from the lunar landing module and stood on the moon.
observatory: a place or building used for making observations of astronomical or other
natural phenomena, especially a place equipped with a powerful telescope for observing the
planets and stars. Example: Our school had an observatory where the astronomy classes met
on a regular basis.
orbit: the curved path, usually elliptical, of a planet, satellite, spaceship, etc., around a
celestial body. Example: The Soviets sent Sputnik 1 into orbit 50 years ago.
piloted: led or guided. Example: Eileen Collins piloted the Discovery.
probe: any slender device inserted into something in order to explore, test, or examine.
Example: They used a space probe to test the moon’s surface.
rendezvous: a meeting of two or more spacecraft in outer space. Example: The Discovery was
the first U.S. spacecraft to have a rendezvous with a Russian spacecraft.
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rover: a vehicle for exploring the surface of an extraterrestrial body (as the moon or Mars).
Example: The astronauts set out in the rover in the hopes of finding water on the moon.
ruptured: broken or burst. Example: The rocket ruptured upon being launched.
satellite: a device designed to be launched into orbit around the Earth, another planet, the
sun, etc. Example: Sputnik 1 was an artificial satellite.
tether: rope or chain used for fastening. Example: The astronauts used a tether to keep
themselves attached to the spacecraft.
transport: to carry, move, or convey from one place to another. Example: The space shuttle
was so badly damaged that it couldn’t transport the crew back to Earth.
Warm-up Discussion Questions & Activities
Use these discussion questions and activities before students view the Space Exploration showcase.
• Ask students what they know about space exploration.
• Explain to students that 50 years ago the Soviet Union launched its satellite Sputnik 1 into
space and that this event started the space race between the Soviet Union and the United
States. Ask why they think the space race was important.
• Have students brainstorm how and why people will continue to venture into space.
Comprehension Check
Students may answer all or some of these questions either during or after viewing the Space
Exploration showcase.
1. What started the space race?
2. What countries competed in the space race?
3. Who was the first American to travel into space?
4. What president had the goal of landing a man on the moon?
5. What was significant about the U.S. spacecraft Gemini 3?
6. Who was the first person to go on a spacewalk?
7. What happened to the U.S. spacecraft Apollo 1?
8. Who was the first person to set foot on the moon?
9. What was the world’s first space station?
10. What were two important features of space stations?
11. What important event took place on July 17, 1975?
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12. What ability made the Columbia and other space shuttles different from earlier spacecraft?
13. What U.S. space shuttle exploded shortly after takeoff in 1986?
14. What was the name of the space telescope that was sent into space on April 25, 1990?
15. What were the names of the twin space rovers that landed on Mars?
16. What country became the third nation to put a human in space?
17. What was SpaceShipOne?
18. Who was the first American to orbit the Earth?
19. What was the main accomplishment of the Mercury program?
20. What was Edward H. White’s famous “first”?
21. Who said “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”?
22. Who was the youngest astronaut in space?
23. Who was the first African American in space?
24. What is Eileen Collins best known for?
25. Besides being an astronaut, what other profession did Barbara Morgan pursue?
Activities
The Space Race: Forty years ago, during the space race between the United States and the Soviet
Union, no one could imagine that in the 1990’s Russians and Americans would be collaborating on a
space station. Have students work in small groups to research the history of the space age, focusing
on the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. Be sure that students discuss
the role of competition by addressing the following questions: In what ways did this competition
improve space technology? How did the competition interfere with progress? Give students the
option of writing a research paper on their findings or making a Power Point presentation to the
class.
Inquiry Extension: Have students ask their parents and/or grandparents about their
recollection of the space race and how it affected their perception of the relationship between the
United States and the Soviet Union. Ask students to share their findings with the class.
One Giant Leap: Have students research newspaper and magazine archives for articles about the first
Apollo lunar landing and moonwalk. Challenge them to reenact this exciting world event by
creating a video documentary, a radio play, or a front-page news article.
Inquiry Extension: Follow up this activity with a discussion comparing today’s space missions
with the missions of nearly 40 years ago.
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Interview with an Astronaut: Have students work in small groups to develop a set of questions
based on their research that they would pose to an astronaut during an interview. To help them
develop their questions, students may wish to visit Grolier Online as well as the NASA Web site
(www.nasa.gov) to learn what it takes to become an astronaut. Have students share their questions
with the class. Maintain a list of the most popular questions on the board for continued instruction.
Inquiry Extension: Invite an astronaut to either visit the class or communicate with the class
via e-mail or a webcast. Have one student volunteer to pose the most popular questions to the
astronaut, while the others listen. As a follow-up, discuss with students how relevant they felt their
questions were and what they learned during the interview process.
Life on Another Planet: Tell students to imagine they are investigating the possibility of human life
existing elsewhere in our solar system. Divide the class into small groups and assign each a planet to
investigate. Tell them they will be trying to answer the question: "Could life exist on your planet?"
To do this, they will need to conduct research using Grolier Online and other media such as videos
and text to learn about their planet. After completing their research, each group will present an oral
report summarizing what they found regarding their planet’s habitability as well as a fully labeled
illustration of their planet.
Inquiry Extension: Have students share their reports with other classes and encourage them
to have other students respond to the prompt. This could be an appropriate lead-in to a debate.
Space Travel: After students have completed the astronaut-interview activity as well as some
research on their own about space exploration, provide students with the following prompt: What if
you had an opportunity to travel to space? Ask students to explain why or why they wouldn’t want
to travel into space and how it could affect their lives. Tell students that this opportunity is becoming
more realistic as people journey to planets such as Mars to assess whether it would be possible for
humans to survive there.
Inquiry Extension: Have students choose an astronaut and read about his or her experience
in space. Have them share their astronaut’s experience either through an oral report to the class or a
brief paper.
Adaptations
• Provide students with the vocabulary a few days prior to the lesson.
• Use large index cards to write relevant vocabulary words and post them in the classroom.
• Use photos or illustrations to accompany the new vocabulary words.
• Allow students to answer the comprehension questions orally.
• Direct Spanish-speaking students to La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre, at Grolier Online.
Links and Key Words
Student research can be conducted at Grolier Online: http://go-kids.Grolier.com or http://gopassport.Grolier.com/.
The following is a list of some of the key words that students can use to guide their inquiry:
space exploration, moon, Apollo missions, “space race,” Sputnik 1, NASA, Vostok 1, Vostok 6,
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Gemini 3, American or U.S. astronauts, Soviet or Russian astronauts, Salyut 1, Skylab,
Columbia, Challenger, Mir, Hubble Space Telescope, Discovery, International Space Station
(ISS), Spirit and Opportunity, New Horizons, Alan Shephard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong.
National Curriculum Standards
Science and Technology
E2. Understanding about science and technology:
• Scientific inquiry and technological design have similarities and differences.
• Many different people in different cultures have made and continue to make contributions
to science and technology.
• Science and technology are reciprocal.
• Perfectly designed solutions do not exist.
• Technological designs have constraints.
• Technological solutions have intended benefits and unintended consequences.
F5. Science and technology in society
Science
G1. Science as a human endeavor:
• Women and men of various social and ethnic backgrounds engage in the activities of
science, engineering, and related fields.
• Science requires different abilities.
G3. History of science:
• Many individuals have contributed to the traditions of science.
• In historical perspective, science has been practiced by different individuals in different
cultures.
• Tracing the history of science can show how difficult it was for scientific innovators to
break through the accepted ideas of their time to reach the conclusions that we currently
take for granted.
Language Arts
Standard 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing
process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
Standard 7: Students conduct research on issues and issues by generating ideas and questions, and by
posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and
non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose
and audience.
Standard 8: Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries,
databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and
communicate knowledge.
Standard 12: Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes
(e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
Social Studies
Global Connections
• b. analyze examples of conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among groups, societies,
and nations
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• c. describe and analyze the effects of changing technologies on the global community
• e. describe and explain the relationships and tensions between national sovereignty and
global interests, in such matters as territory, natural resources, trade, use of technology, and
welfare of people
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The Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1
The Soviet Union and the United States
American astronaut Alan Shepard
John F. Kennedy
It was the first spacecraft with a two-person crew.
Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov
A fire broke out in the capsule during a launch demonstration, killing the crew.
American astronaut Neil Armstrong
The Soviet Union’s Salyut 1
They provided sufficient space for people to spend longer periods of time in space
than was previously possible, and they served as bases for experiments and observation.
The United States and the Soviet Union launched their first joint mission in space.
They were “reusable”; they were able to return to Earth.
The Challenger
The Hubble Space Telescope
Spirit and Opportunity
China
It was the rocket plane that made the first manned commercial spaceflight in history.
American astronaut John Glenn
It proved that the United States could place astronauts in orbit and have them return to
Earth safely.
He was the first American to walk in space.
American astronaut Neil Armstrong
Sally Ride. She was 31 when she made her trip on the Challenger in June of 1983.
Guion Bluford
She is known for being the first woman to pilot a space shuttle.
She was a teacher.
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