What Astronauts Do
Know that astronauts are people who travel to space in rockets, that humans have walked on the Moon (Apollo missions), and that astronauts today live and work on the International Space Station
What a learner can do afterwards
- Define an astronaut as a person who travels to space
- State that humans landed on the Moon during the Apollo missions
- Describe the International Space Station as a place where astronauts live and work in orbit around Earth
1 · Read
An astronaut is a person who travels to space. Astronauts ride inside a rocket to get there.
In 1969, astronauts flew all the way to the Moon. This trip was called an Apollo mission. They were the first people to walk on the Moon.
Today, astronauts live on the International Space Station. It flies high above Earth, going around and around.
On the space station, astronauts float. There is almost no gravity, so things drift instead of falling.
Astronauts travel to space, walked on the Moon, and live on the space station today.
More to read
Peanuts and NASA: Snoopy in Space
Astronauts are people who train for years to travel to space in rockets. They wear special suits that give them air to breathe and protect them from extreme heat and cold. The first astronauts went to space in the 1960s. In 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon. Today, astronauts live and work on the International Space Station, a huge laboratory that orbits Earth every 90 minutes. They do science experiments, fix equipment, and exercise to keep their muscles strong in zero gravity.
Why go to Mars?
Space agencies are planning to send astronauts to Mars. The trip takes about seven months each way. Mars has no breathable air, and it is very cold. Astronauts would need to bring or make their own air, water, and food. They would live in habitats that shield them from radiation. Robots like the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers are already there, studying the rocks and looking for signs of past life. Human astronauts could do more complex science and explore farther than robots can.
How to Contact the International Space Station (ISS)
The ISS flies over your head about 15 times a day. Sometimes you can see it as a bright moving star just after sunset or before sunrise. With a ham radio license, you can talk to astronauts on board when they pass overhead. They answer questions about life in space. NASA also streams live video from the station. You can watch astronauts working, eating, and looking down at Earth through the cupola windows.
2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
Optional connections
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.