Fun Easy English - Kids English lessons, classes, activities - NRO

What is on this page?

You can launch the space shuttle and try to move it safely though the space in the clouds.

How do I play this game?

Make sure the SOUND on your computer is turned on
Click the red button to begin
Use the arrows on your keyboard to move the space shuttle left and right
Press the spacebar on your keyboard to make the space shuttle move faster

More cool stuff

Most rockets sit on a launch pad until they blast off. But one special little rocket needs no launch pad at all. This rocket, called Pegasus, recently put NASA's new GALEX space telescope into Earth orbit.

Pegasus rockets are very small and can carry only a small spacecraft that weighs less than 450 kilograms (1000 pounds). GALEX weighs only 280 kilograms (about 617 pounds).

Pegasus works by hitching a ride (with the spacecraft inside) under the belly of an L-1011 jumbo jet named Stargazer. Stargazer takes the Pegasus up to about 12 kilometers (40,000 feet). This is about as high as this plane can fly. Then, the plane lets go of Pegasus. For a few seconds Pegasus falls freely, waiting for the plane to get out of the way. Then Pegasus fires its first stage engine and heads for space, ferrying the spacecraft the rest of the way to Earth orbit.

It is much less expensive to launch a small spacecraft using Pegasus than using a larger rocket that pushes off from the ground.

Source: National Reconnaissance Office

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