NASA X-38

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

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-x-38

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 development and testing base?NASA's Johnson Space Center (design) and Dryden Flight Research Center (testing)
2. What is the program status?Canceled in 2004 due to budget limitations and shifting program priorities
3. How does the X-38 get back to Earth?It is carried up by a big airplane, like a B‑52, and then released at high altitude. After it falls, it glides through the air and lands on a runway.
4. How many astronauts can the X-38 carry?The X‑38 could carry up to seven astronauts at one time.

Lifting Body: An aircraft or spacecraft design where the body itself generates aerodynamic lift, reducing the need for traditional wings.
Indigenous Crew Return Capability: A nation's or agency's own system for returning astronauts to Earth, independent of other countries' spacecraft.
Ballistic Re-entry: A type of atmospheric re-entry where the spacecraft follows a largely unpowered, parabolic trajectory, experiencing high deceleration forces.