Earth & Space Science
You get to learn all about the technologies used in space exploration, from telescopes to rockets to shuttles. Design your own telescope and explore the technology found on a space station.
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After completing this tutorial, you will be able to complete the following:
What force must a spacecraft overcome to reach space?
~ To reach space, spacecrafts must overcome the force of gravity. For this reason, these spacecrafts must rely on high-powered rockets that are capable of overcoming the Earth's gravitational pull.
A rocket is usually composed of what two components?
~ A rocket is usually composed of a solid rocket booster and a main tank.
How does a rocket work?
~ In a typical rocket, oxygen is used to burn off the fuel contained in the tank. The burning of this fuel produces large amounts of very hot gas that provides the spacecraft with lift and velocity as it exits through a nozzle in the tail section.
What happens when a spacecraft's rocket boosters run out of fuel?
~ When a spacecraft's rocket boosters run out of fuel, they remove themselves from the spacecraft and fall back to Earth. This allows the spacecraft to shed unnecessary extra mass and make a smooth entry into space.
| Approximate Time | 2 Minutes |
| Pre-requisite Concepts | Students should have a general understanding of gravity, main tanks, and rockets. |
| Course | Earth & Space Science |
| Type of Tutorial | Animation |
| Key Vocabulary | gravity, main tank, rockets |
