1. Space Travel!

2. To travel through space, the first thing
you would need is a spaceship!
*it has to be able to hold passengers,
fuel, air, and supplies
*it has to be able to withstand the
burning heat of the thermosphere
*it has to have enough push to break
free of gravity

3. The first spaceships
were more like
rockets!
They would push gas out the back
like our balloon rockets.

4. Later, multistage rockets were built.
By dropping off fuel
sections, they lighten
the weight of the ship
and get an extra boost
from the ignition.

5. The nose cone held the passengers, and
landed by parachuting into the ocean.

6. The first re-useable space shuttle
launched in 1981.
The fuel cells still break off, but the
ship has wheels and can land, which is
the same design we still use today!

7. What is it like living in space?

8. With no gravity, simple tasks are much
harder...
Food and drinks would float away if
not properly sealed...

9. You have to strap yourself in to bed so
you don’t float off in your sleep...

10. and going to the bathroom would be very
messy without special suction equipment!

11. The zero gravity also effects our ability
to properly use our muscles...
and makes our brains bounce in our
skulls, which can cause brain damage!

12. Even on the international space station,
astronauts are rotated out every few
months so they don’t go crazy!

13. And, of course, there are other risks...
Challenger explodes on
liftoff, 1986
Columbia explodes on
re-entry, 2003