Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39

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/kennedy-space-center-launch-complex-39

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 location?Merrit Island, Florida, USA
2. What is the primary construction period?Early 1960s
3. What is Launch Complex 39?Launch Complex 39 is a special launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida where giant rockets have taken off into space. It was built in the 1960s to help NASA send astronauts to the Moon and later to launch the Space Shuttle.
4. Why does Launch Complex 39 have two launchpads, 39A and 39B?The two launchpads were made so the huge Saturn V rockets could be launched safely. Each pad has big flame trenches and special towers to support the rocket before it lifts off.

Saturn V: A super heavy-lift expendable rocket developed by NASA for the Apollo program.
Space Shuttle Program: A program that operated reusable spacecraft for orbital missions from 1981 to 2011.
Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB): The massive structure at Kennedy Space Center used for assembling rockets vertically.
Crawler-Transporter: A tracked vehicle designed to transport assembled rockets and spacecraft to the launchpad.