International Space Station

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/international-space-station

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. How long is International Space Station?Approximately 109 meters (357 feet)
2. What is the location?Low Earth Orbit (LEO), approximately 400 km (250 mi) above Earth
3. What is the primary partner agencies?NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), CSA (Canada)
4. How big is the ISS?The station is about 109 meters long and weighs more than 450,000 kilograms.
5. When did people first live on the ISS?People have lived there continuously since November 2, 2000.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO): The region of space around Earth from an altitude of 160 to 2,000 kilometers (100 to 1,240 miles).
Atmospheric Drag: The resistance force caused by the friction of a spacecraft moving through Earth's atmosphere.
Deorbit: The process of maneuvering a spacecraft out of orbit so that it descends towards a planet's surface.