WEB QUEST
(Answers for Grades 4 and 5)
ASSIGNMENT:
PART 1: THE DAWN OF THE SPACE
AGE
1. A step-rocket that separated into two parts
after being launched
2.
The transistorized descendents of this machine would in later years
guide spacecraft to the moon, the planets, and the vast emptiness of space
beyond our solar system.
3.
The Soviet Union launched the first man-made Earth satellite, Sputnik
I. As a result, politicians, scientists,
and educators called for a major U.S. initiative to regain superiority in
missile development and space technology.
4.
The invention of the first digital computer, UNIVAC, made space exploration
possible.
5.
The Space Race began.
6.
The United States and the Soviet Union participated in the Space Race.
7.
Three months and twenty-seven days passed between the launch of Sputnik
and when America launched its first satellite.
8.
Explorer I was the name of the first satellite launched by the United
States.
9.
The Soviet Union put the first man into space. His name was Yuri Gargarin.
10.
The first American to orbit Earth was Lt.
Colonel John Glenn.
11.
Mercury Capsule Friendship 7 was the name
of the spacecraft used by John Glenn to orbit the Earth.
12.
How much time passed between when the first Russian and the first American
orbited Earth? (Calculate this yourself.)
13.
The Soviet Union made the each step first and the United States followed
soon afterwards. This shows that the United States was very competitive with
the Soviet Union. It also shows that the United States was already planning
each step even though the Russians did each step first. They would never have
been able to follow so closely to the Russians if they weren’t already working
on it.
14. The name of the first space
program started by NASA was Project Mercury.
15. It accomplished six successful manned space
flights.
16.
Its purpose was exploration of the moon
and the operation of Skylab--the first American space station.
17. The event that ended the “Space Race” was when
the United States put a man on the moon before the Russians did.
18. The Lunar Module Eagle landed on the Moon in
the Sea of Tranquility.
PART 2: BEYOND THE MOON
1.
Mariner 2 was the first U.S. spacecraft to fly past Venus and enter
a solar orbit.
2.
December 14, 1962
3.
The first U.S. spacecraft to fly by Mars was the Mariner 4. It reached
Mars on July 14, 1965.
4.
We learned that Mars has a thin atmosphere composed of CO2
in the range of 5-10 mbar and has a small intrinsic magnetic field.
5.
The fist U.S. spacecraft to enter into an orbit around a planet other
than the Moon was Mariner 9.
6.
It sent back the first hi-resolution images of the moon Phobos and
Deimos. The images showed river and channel-like features on the surface of
the planet.
7.
The Viking One's lander was the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the
Mars' surface.
8.
Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager, Voyager 2, Ulysses, and Galileo
9.
It sent information concerning the atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s
moon, Titan.
10.
Voyager 2 flew by Uranus on January 24, 1986 ad Neptune on August 24,
1989.
11.
We are presently using the Space Shuttle and the International Space
Station to do work in space.
12.
The X-33 and the X-34 have been designed
to eventually replace the space shuttles.
13.
Student Opinion. Possible answers include: missions to Mars, space
travel by people other than astronauts
14.
Answers may vary. A possible answer is: the Space Race spurred both
countries to work harder to invent new technology so they could be better
than the other country. Without this competitive drive, it would have been
longer before new technology was invented and the exploration of space would
not have reached the levels it did as quickly.
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