1 Living in Space

Living in space

Earth and space. The Earth is a big round planet. This is what it looks like from space. Astronauts travel into space to live and work. The word astronaut means "star sailor".

Space school. To become an astronaut, you have to go to space school and learn how to live in space. On Earth when things jump they go up and then down. An invisible force called gravity pulls them down. In space there is very little gravity so everything floats. Astronauts need lots of training to know what to do when they float in space.

At space school, astronauts learn how to work while floating in water. It feels like working in space. Astronauts also try out emergency escapes. They slide down a pole onto a soft mat.

Preparing to go Astronauts fly to space in a space shuttle. The shuttle leaves from a launch pad. The shuttle looks like a plane with a big fuel tank and two white rockets.

The astronauts put on special orange suits. They travel to the shuttle in an elevator. Then they cross a bridge into the shuttle. The astronauts lie in the nose of the shuttle and wait until it's time to go.