Baikonur Cosmodrome

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

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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/baikonur-cosmodrome

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. When was Baikonur Cosmodrome built?June 6, 1955
2. How big is Baikonur Cosmodrome?Approximately 6,717 square kilometers (2,593 square miles)
3. What is the location?Kyzylorda Region, Kazakhstan
4. What is the leased by?Russia (Roscosmos) from Kazakhstan
5. Why was Baikonur chosen for rocket launches?It was chosen because it is in a remote area with very few people, making it safer for rocket launches.
6. When did the first satellite launch from Baikonur?The first satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched from Baikonur in October 1957.

Geopolitical: Relating to politics, especially international relations, as influenced by geographical factors.
Space Age: The period of history beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, characterized by rapid advances in space exploration and technology.
Interplanetary Probe: An unmanned spacecraft sent to explore planets or other bodies in the solar system.
Cold War: A period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, lasting from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s.