AS-101

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/as-101

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the rocket designation?AS-101 (SA-1)
2. What is the program?Saturn I program
3. What was the AS-101 rocket and why was it important?AS-101 was the first test flight of the Saturn I rocket. It checked the engines and structure, helping NASA build the rockets that later sent astronauts to the Moon.
4. When did the AS-101 launch and what happened during the flight?It launched on October 27, 1961. The flight tested the engines and gathered data, but it did not carry a payload into orbit.

Saturn I: An early NASA rocket in the Saturn program, designed as a stepping stone to lunar missions.
Telemetry: The process of recording and transmitting the readings of an instrument.
Thrust Vector Control: The ability to change the direction of a rocket's thrust to steer it.
Propellant: A substance used to produce thrust in a rocket engine, typically a fuel and an oxidizer.