← Back to the article

Reading level

Small Whale · Reading worksheet

Space Tracking and Surveillance System

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/space-tracking-and-surveillance-system

Step 2 · Questions

1. What is the program initiation year?
2. What is the transferring agency?
3. What is the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS)?
4. Why do satellites help detect rockets better than ground radar?

Step 3 · Words to know

Write what each word means, using the article.

Boost Phase
Infrared Sensors
Space Situational Awareness (SSA)

Step 4 · Two facts in your own words

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

1.

2.

Answer key (teacher copy)

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the program initiation year?2001
2. What is the transferring agency?United States Air Force to Missile Defense Agency
3. What is the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS)?STSS is a U.S. program that uses satellites to watch for fast‑flying rockets from space.
4. Why do satellites help detect rockets better than ground radar?Satellites can look at the whole sky from high above, so they can spot a rocket’s hot engines earlier than ground radar.

Boost Phase: The initial stage of a missile's flight powered by its engines.
Infrared Sensors: Devices that detect heat energy, often used for surveillance.
Space Situational Awareness (SSA): Knowledge of objects and activities in Earth orbit.