NASA space-flown Gemini and Apollo medallions

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/nasa-space-flown-gemini-and-apollo-medallions

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 astronaut association?Carried by astronauts as personal mementos and mission commemoratives
2. What is the material and craftsmanship?Typically crafted from precious metals like silver, often gold-plated, with detailed engravings
3. Why did astronauts put medallions on their spacecraft?The medallions were a personal way to remember the mission. They were a link to the astronauts' families and to the people on Earth. They also helped tell the story of the mission.
4. How were the medallions made?Special jewelers and engravers designed them with mission patches, crew names, and dates. They used high‑quality silver and other materials to make the discs strong and pretty.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA): Any activity done by an astronaut outside a spacecraft beyond the Earth's appreciable atmosphere.
Lunar Regolith: The layer of loose, heterogeneous superficial deposits covering solid rock, including dust, soil, broken rock, and other related materials on the Moon.
Translunar Coast: The phase of a space mission trajectory from leaving Earth orbit to entering lunar orbit.