Imaginations will soar when kids read through this fascinating list of facts all about rocket ships. Little ones who dream of exploring outer space will be fascinated to learn more about the technology built into these amazing machines. The history behind the very first rocket to take man to the moon is explored along with other incredible trivia. Both the history of rockets as well as current projects underway give children a sneak peak at the lives of space engineers and astronauts.
Spaceship History, Technology, and Other Trivia
Kids who are fascinated with space exploration have so many resources at their fingertips to learn about missions that have resulted in incredible discoveries. Children's books about rockets bring all the excitement of a blast off into outer space right through the incredible illustrations. Powerful telescopes can be credited with some amazing findings, but it's the technology built into spaceships that is truly responsible for delivering images from faraway places in space that were never before discovered. Here are some pretty amazing facts about rocket ships, and the astronauts who ride them, for kids who are curious about how they work.
(1) In order for a rocket to escape the gravity of earth and make it into outer space, the ship needs to travel at a speed exceeding 7 miles per second.
(2) The fastest rockets can reach speeds of 15,000 miles per hour within a period of 8 minutes.
(3) On July 16, 1969, the first rocket sent a human, astronaut Neil Armstrong, to the moon. The name of the rocket was Saturn V SA-506.
(4) Fireworks are technically the very first rockets. They were developed in the second century BC by the ancient Chinese.
(5) Rockets are launched from the ground by exhaust thrust, which is bigger than the weight of the rocket on Earth.
(6) Fuel that reaches hot temperatures is responsible for powering the rocket. Most rockets use solid fuel to create the fire, but the biggest rockets rely on liquid fuel which gets even hotter. Liquid fuel is more expensive and much more dangerous to handle.
(7) The materials used to build rockets and the cargo all need to be as light as possible to make launch easier. At the same time, all of these materials need to be incredibly strong to survive the thrust.
(8) When rockets return back to earth, enormous parachutes are utilized to slow down the speed of descent.
(9) SpaceX is the first company to develop a reusable rocket and launch system. The ultimate goal is to make travel to space more affordable, frequent, and accessible.
(10) A total of six space shuttles were commissioned by NASA, but only five of them were equipped for travel. Several of them are on display at various sites around the country. The shuttle names are Challenger, Enterprise, Columbia, Discover, Atlantis, and Endeavour.
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