ibrary or contact:
The Information Services Center (ISC) at
Johnson Space Center
Email: jsc-infoserc@mail.nasa.gov
Phone: (281) 483-8693
Fax: (281) 483-4559
Space Center Houston is an educational,
entertainment complex serving as the public
window on the worlds most exciting
scientific initiative... The American Space
Program. Thanks to a magical mix of
interactive exhibits, films, tours, and live
presentations, learning about space, science
and technology is effortless.
A Special Thanks to
Lockheed Martin
for their generous contribution which
made this book possible.
Brought to you by: In the beginning, there were only seven
astronauts-- the Mercury 7. The first
capsule you see is called Faith 7. It was
used on the last Mercury flight. The pilot's
name was ____________ and he made
________ orbits around the earth all alone.
Look up to see the real Gemini 5
capsule. The pilots last names
were ____________and____________.
Who was the first
American to perform
a space-walk?
_________________
What is the name of the rocket that took the Apollo
astronauts to the Moon? _________
How many men have walked on the Moon? ___
What was the last Apollo mission? ________
Copyright 2008 Space Center Houston
All Rights Reserved
1
Figure A
2
.
Calculate the length of time the astronaut experienced
microgravity during one parabolic maneuver. Substitute
9,144 into the quadratic equation and use the quadratic
formula to solve for
t
.
y
=4.9
t
2
+87.21
t
+9144

10
Copyright 2008 Space Center Houston
All Rights Reserved 9
Copyright 2008 Space Center Houston
All Rights Reserved
The C-9 jet is one of the tools utilized by NASA to simu-
late the gravity, or reduced gravity, astronauts feel once
they leave Earth The C-9 jet flies a special parabolic pat-
tern that creates several brief periods of reduced gravity.
A typical NASA C-9 flight goes out over the Gulf of Mex-
ico, lasts about two hours, and completes between 40
and 60 parabolas. These reduced gravity flights are per-
formed so astronauts, as well as researchers and their
experiments, can experience the gravitational forces of
the Moon and Mars and the microgravity of space.

Figure A shows the movement of the plane during a typi-
cal flight. The parabolic maneuver, where microgravity is
felt, is highlighted. This is the part of the flight that you
will focus on for the following questions. The function
yt
=4.9
2
+87.21
t
+9144 describes the altitude (
y
), in me-
ters (m), of the plane in relation to the time (
t
), in sec-
onds (s), after it started the parabolic maneuver. You will
use this function to analyze the parabolic flight of the C-
9.
1. Using the defined function, at what altitude did the
astronaut start to feel microgravity?


Skylab was the first American
Space Station.
What was Skylab designed for?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

The Skylab Program began in what year? _____
And ended in what year? _____

How many total astronauts lived on board
Skylab? _____

The ______________ on the ATM generated
almost half of Skylabs electricity. What is the
ATM used for?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Copyright 2008 Space Center Houston
All Rights Reserved
2 How long is the Saturn V rocket
in feet ? _______________




If the Command Module has 210
cubic feet of space for three
astronauts, how many cubic feet
is allowed for each astronaut?
______________________
______________________
Label the five main parts of
the Saturn V rocket.
Copyright 2008 Space Center Houston
All Rights Reserved
3
Table 1: Vertical Cross-Section Area Data
Figure
Area Formula
Area Formula with
Values
Area (m
2
)
Trapezoid
A=1/2 (b
1
+b
2
)h

Rectangle
A=lw



Triangle
A=1/2 bh


Total Area

Figure 4: Largest vertical cross-section of the Orion crew module

Copyright 2008
Space Center Houston
All Rights Reserved
8 Objectives
You will decompose a larger geometric shape into smaller parts.
You will apply the proper area formulas for various geometric shapes.
You will estimate the area of a complex geometric shape using decomposition
methods.
Problem

The Orion spacecraft will replace the space shuttle as NASAs spacecraft for hu-
man space exploration. The vehicle is designed to accommodate four to six astro-
nauts traveling into space. This activity focuses on the Orion crew module. You
will find the areas of the largest vertical and horizontal cross-sections.

To get a sense of the room inside the crew module, find the area, in square
meters (m2), for the largest vertical cross-section (Figure 3; Figure 4). Show
how you would decompose, or break the figure into smaller parts, to estimate
the total vertical area. You may use a calculator. Record your information in
the table provided (Table 1).












Figure 3: Vertical cross-section of the Orion crew module (NASA Concept)



Copyright 2008 Space Center Houston
All Rights Reserved
7
What is the current space station mission?
_____________________________________________

How many crew members are on the International
Space Station? ____

What is the current space shuttle mission?
_________________________________________


What orbiter will be used on this mission?
_________________________________________
Grab your pencils and get ready to pay attention!
During the Blast OFF Briefing, your Mission
Briefing Officer will answer the questions below.
Pay attention and keep your ears open! Please hold
Copyright 2008 Space Center Houston
All Rights Reserved
4 Copyright 2008 Space Center Houston
All Rights Reserved
5
Name the launch
vehicle that will carry
the crew to the Moon?
_______________________

Name the launch
vehicle that will carry
the cargo to the Moon?
_______________________
What year will the first
missions of Ares I take
Astronauts to the
Moon?_________

What year will the first
missions of Ares I take
Astronauts to the
Space Station? ______
Copyright 2008 Space Center Houston
All Rights Reserved
How many Astronauts can the new Orion
capsule fit for Moon missions? ____

How many Astronauts can the new
Orion capsule fit for Space Station
missions? ____
List the 3 main reasons why NASA plans to
return to the Moon.
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

How many stages will the Ares I launch
vehicle be? _______

Where will the crew launch on the new Ares
vehicle? __________________________________

Where will the crew land in the Orion
capsule? ________________________________
6 Page 1

1. Gordon Cooper; 22

3. Ed White

2. Cooper; Conrad

4. Saturn V; 12 men; Apollo 17
Page 2

1. To teach about living and working in space for long periods of time. It

also added important information about how the human body adapts

to extended weightlessness.

2. May 14, 1973 and July 11,1979
3.
9

4. 4 Solar Arrays; The Apollo Telescope Mount was the first observatory

designed to be operated by humans flying above Earths atmosphere.
Page 3

1. Apollo capsule, SLA, S-IVB, S-II, S-IC

2. 363 ft.

3. 70 cubic feet
Page 4

1.4. Please visit http://spaceflight.nasa.gov for current mission

information
5.
Constellation Program includes Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle, Ares V Cargo

Launch Vehicle, Orion Crew Capsule, Altair lunar lander.

Page 5
1.
Ares
I
3.
2020first
Moon
mission
2.
Ares
V
4.
2014first
Space
Station
mission
Page 6
1.
3 Main reasons NASA plans to return to the Moonscientific purposes,

economic benefits, and long-tern benefits to the United States and humanity

as a whole.

2. 2 stages

3. Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida

4. Compass Rose site at Edwards Air Force Base, California

5. 4 Astronauts for Moon missions

6. 6 Astronauts for Space Station missions.

Page 7-8

Total Area=Area of Trapezoid + Area of Rectangle + Area of Triangle

A= 11.265m
2


Page 9-10

1. At
t=0, which would be 9,144 meters.

2. y
=4.9
t
2
+87.21
t
+9144

9144=4.9
2
+87.21
t
+9144

0=4.9
t
2
+87.21
t

0=
t
(4.9
t
+87.21)


t
=0s,17.8s


The plane starts the parabolic maneuver at 0 seconds and ends at 17.8
seconds, thus the astronaut feels 17.8 seconds of weightlessness on
each parabola.

Figure
Area Formula
Area Formula w/ values
Area (m
2
)

Trapezoid A=1/2
(b
1
+b
2
)h A=1/2x[(2x2.475)+
(2x0.912)]x2.454
A= 8.312
Rectangle A=lw
A=(2x2.475)x0.367
A=1.817
Triangle A=1/2
bh
A=1/2x(2x2.362)x0.481
A=1.136