Oklahomans and Space
Glossary
administrator: A person who is in a position of authority, or who manages people, practices, and policies
aeronautics: The science or practice of traveling through the air
altitude: The height of an object in relation to sea or ground level
astronaut: A person who is trained to travel into space
atmosphere: The gases that are held close to the surface of a planet by the force of gravity
capsule: A space vehicle, usually with a flattened cone shape, that carries explorers to space and back to Earth
Cold War: The state of political hostility that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies
cosmonaut: The word used by the Soviet Union and Russia for a person who is trained to travel into space
engineer: A person who designs and builds complex products, machines, systems, or structures
extravehicular activity (EVA): Any time an astronaut gets out of a vehicle in space, usually to perform experiments or repairs. Also referred to as a spacewalk
International Space Station (ISS): A large modular space station in Earth’s orbit that was constructed cooperatively by many nations and acts as a long-term scientific laboratory and home for astronauts around the world
Mission Control: A facility that manages and communicates with space flights from the ground, usually located at or near the launch site
module: A self-contained unit of a spacecraft
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): The United States government agency that directs all public exploration and travel in space
orbit: A repeating path that one object in space takes around another
propulsion: To push or drive an object forwards or upwards
rocket: A manmade craft capable of leaving Earth
satellite: A small object that orbits around larger objects in space, and can be either natural or manmade
solar system: A set that includes a star and all of the matter that orbits it, including planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and other objects
space race: The race between the United States and the Soviet Union to be the first nation to reach Earth’s moon
space shuttle: A spacecraft designed to transport people and cargo between Earth and space that can be used repeatedly
space station: A large spacecraft that is used as a long-term base for humans to live and work
spacewalk: Any time an astronaut gets out of a vehicle in space, usually to perform experiments or repairs. It is also referred to as extravehicular activity (EVA).
suborbital: A flight that does not reach a high enough altitude to pull into Earth’s orbit
