SpaceX Launches
In May of 2020, astronauts launched into orbit for the first time after nearly a decade. This was the very beginning of many more launches from SpaceX. Learn more about this momentous launch, as well as the incredible history of spaceflight that came before it in this Exploration Guide for students in grades 3-5!
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5 Reasons Why NASA’s SpaceX Launch Will be Historic | CBC Kids News
Sending astronauts into space has always been risky. Since John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962, NASA has launched a total of 164 spacecraft with astronauts into orbit. So why was SpaceX such a historic moment for NASA, and the nation? Check out this article to learn why this is such a big achievement! The original launch was scrubbed due to a lightning risk, but it was rescheduled and successfully took place on Saturday, May 30, 2020, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Did you watch the launch?
View 5 Reasons Why NASA’s SpaceX Launch Will be Historic | CBC Kids News -
SpaceX In-Flight Abort Test | NASA
Long before we send humans into space, engineers and scientists are working hard to think of every possible thing that could go wrong! They do test after test before it is safe enough for astronauts to launch in a spacecraft. Here’s a video of the test that took place six months before the May 2020 launch.
View SpaceX In-Flight Abort Test | NASA -
Launching Astronauts from American Soil: Why is it Important? | National Air and Space Museum
To understand where we are today with space exploration, you have to take a trip back in time to The Space Race, a long conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union (now Russia). This historical moment is also known as the Cold War and these two countries competed with different tools, including spaceflight, to become the most powerful nation in the world. What does it mean when a country can send people into space?
View Launching Astronauts from American Soil: Why is it Important? | National Air and Space Museum -
Flag Day 2020—One Small Flag’s Incredible Journey | NASA
Learn about the incredible journey of a small American flag that has lived on the International Space Station, waiting since 2011 to be visited again by the next crew launched from the US – the Crew Dragon Demo-2 crew! Rumor has it that this little flag’s next journey will be alongside the US crew that ventures outside earth’s orbit for the first time! When will that be?
View Flag Day 2020—One Small Flag’s Incredible Journey | NASA -
Build and Launch a Foam Rocket | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
If you have the materials on hand, follow these steps to make your own foam rocket right at home! Make sure you have an adult helper around first because astronauts always need a co-pilot!
View Build and Launch a Foam Rocket | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory -
Space History Timeline | Space Kids
Take a look at these important events in space history from 1942-2030, all of which were crucial in getting us to where we are today with SpaceX. Many of the astronauts that will be involved in these exciting missions are only children right now! If you were an astronaut, what would be the one thing you would want to explore most?
View Space History Timeline | Space Kids -
The Space Race
What burning questions do you have about space? Read through this e-book and launch into the exciting missions in the history of space travel!
Format: eBook
View The Space Race -
Space Shuttle | Britannica Library for Children
The space shuttle was the first reusable spacecraft, an idea that SpaceX is also using in their Falcon 9 Rocket. It was a program that lasted from 1981-2011, and there was a total of five shuttles including the Challenger and the Columbia, both missions that ended tragically. The space shuttle program was retired in 2011 because of the age of the shuttles and the high cost of flying them. Over the life of the program, the shuttles flew 135 missions.
View Space Shuttle | Britannica Library for Children -
STS-135: The Final Shuttle Mission | NASA
Step aboard the final shuttle mission back in 2011! How does the spacecraft look different from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2? How have the astronaut’s spacesuits changed? Remember that little American flag from above? This is the mission that brought it to the International Space Station!
View STS-135: The Final Shuttle Mission | NASA -
What is the Soyuz Spacecraft | NASA
Since the Space Shuttle program ended, NASA astronauts have had to make their way over to Kazakhstan to fly on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft which takes them to the International Space Station. Crew members from all over the world used the Soyuz to get to the ISS. Did you happen to notice what Russian crew members (astronauts) are called? Why do you think they are called that?
View What is the Soyuz Spacecraft | NASA