Human presence in space

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/human-presence-in-space

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 first human in space?Yuri Gagarin (Soviet Union) on April 12, 1961, completing one orbit
2. What is the international space station (ISS) continuous habitation?Since November 2, 2000
3. Why did the United States and Soviet Union send people to space?They were part of the Cold War Space Race, competing to show scientific and technological leadership.
4. How do astronauts live on the International Space Station?The ISS is about the size of a football field, launched in modules starting in 1998, and has been continuously inhabited since 2000, where astronauts conduct experiments and use life‑support systems.

Geopolitics: The study of the influence of geography on politics and international relations, particularly relevant to the Space Race.
Microgravity: A state where the effects of gravity are greatly reduced, leading to apparent weightlessness, crucial for many space experiments.
Technological Spin-offs: Technologies originally developed for space exploration that find practical applications in everyday life on Earth.
Multi-planetary Species: A species that has established populations on more than one planet, a long-term goal for humanity.