Bonnie’s Rocket Glossary

Air Pressure: The force applied by the weight of air, often measured by a handy tool called a barometer.

Blueprint: A technical design or drawing of spaceships, buildings, and more. The term was coined in the mid-1800s, when John Herschel discovered an easy way to make copies of designs using chemicals that turned the paper blue. Years later, we continue to use the term even though we no longer use Herschel’s copying technique. Nowadays, blueprints can come in any color!

Chemical Reaction: A process that changes one substance to different substance.

Compass: A technical drawing tool that helps create circles and arcs. Not to be confused with a navigational compass that indicates the cardinal directions, North, South, East, and West.

Humidity: The amount of water vapor in the air.

Lunar Module: The part of the spacecraft that carried the astronauts to the moon’s surface. For Apollo 11, the Lunar Module was named The Eagle.

Protractor: A tool in the shape of a semi-circle that is used to measure angles in degrees.

Orbit: The curved path of an object in space determined by the gravitational pull of a planet or star. During Apollo 7, astronauts successfully completed a “low Earth orbit,” going around the planet in a close, elliptical path 163 times.

Oxygen: The clear, odorless gas that humans need to breathe to live. There is no oxygen in space, so astronauts have to bring their own supply.

Space Suit: The full-body gear that astronauts wear in space to protect them from extreme temperatures and provide life support, including oxygen to breathe.

Temperature: The degree of heat, measured by a thermometer.

References and Learning Resources:

NASA Science Basics of Spaceflight Glossary: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/basics/glossary/

NASA Science “Space Place” Glossary: https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/glossary/en/

Merriam-Webster Dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/