Unit 6: Shoot for the Stars Theme 12: Explorers in Space

challenge- a test of someone’s abilities Runners give themselves a challenge to run farther and faster.

pressure- the amount of force, or power, being used in a certain area Air pressure is the force of the air.

immense- something that is very big The size of the approaching hurricane is immense.

occupation- the work that someone does regularly to earn a living A person’s occupation is his or her job.

astronaut- someone who is trained to travel in space Mae Jemison was the first African American female astronaut to travel in space.

avoid- to stay away from something You can avoid getting sunburned by applying sunscreen on your skin.

launch- to send an object into the air or into space Many space shuttles are launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

process- a series of actions or steps taken to complete a task The process of baking a cake is fun and easy.

atmosphere- the mixture of gases that surround a planet Meteorologists study Earth's atmosphere to predict weather conditions.

astronomy- the science of the universe People who work in the field of astronomy study how different planets and objects move and appear in space.