Development of the Commercial Crew Program

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/development-of-the-commercial-crew-program

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 program initiation year?2010
2. What is the primary commercial partners selected?SpaceX and Boeing
3. What is NASA's Commercial Crew Program?It is a partnership where NASA works with private companies to send astronauts to space. The program started after the Space Shuttle ended in 2011.
4. Why did NASA need the Commercial Crew Program?After the Space Shuttle retired, the U.S. had to use Russia's Soyuz spacecraft, which was expensive and less secure. The program was created to bring back independent space travel.

Public-Private Partnership: Collaboration between government agencies and private companies to achieve common goals.
Low Earth Orbit (LEO): The region of space extending from 160 to 2,000 kilometers (100 to 1,240 miles) above Earth's surface.
Certification: The process of verifying that a spacecraft meets all safety and performance requirements for human flight.