Clayton Anderson - A is for Astronaut: Blasting Through the Alphabet

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Written by Astronaut Clayton Anderson and Illustrated by Scott Brundage

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With the formation of the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA) in 1958, the seven men

designated as the Mercury astronauts

would be the first Americans ever

selected to venture into the unknown

of outer space. Described by NASA

simply as Group 1, they were also

known as the Mercury 7 or the

Original 7.

These military fighter-pilots-turned-

astronauts (M. Scott Carpenter,

Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr.,

Gus Grissom, Wally M. Schirra Jr.,

Deke Slayton, and Alan B. Shepard)

became instant American heroes.

Since that first group of astronauts,

approximately 350 astronaut

candidates, making up 22 different

groups, have been selected to be

United States astronauts. All astronaut

groups are given nicknames, like

Penguins, 8-Balls, Turtles, and Bugs!

A is for Astronaut,

the bravest of souls .

They fly into space

and assume many roles .

They pilot , they spacewalk ,

and they even cut hair .

But seeing Earth from our orbit

that will cause them to stare !

The launch of the space shuttle was

an amazing sight to see. The shuttle,

powered by two solid rocket motors

and three space shuttle main

engines, generated nearly 7 million

pounds of thrust at liftoff!

The shuttle stack (the shuttle,

its boosters, and orange fuel tank)

traveled at more than120 miles an

hour by the time it cleared the

launch pad. The blastoff is simply

a well-controlled explosion.

Just six minutes after liftoff, the

shuttle is moving so fast that every-

thing on board will weigh nearly

three times more than it did on

Earth. Then, 2.5 minutes later, when

the main engines cut off, everything

will be floating. Welcome to outer

space! Please enjoy the view!

B is for Blastoff , a powerful thing !

When those engines are fired , it ll make your ears ring .

There is smoke and vibration as we launch into space .

And we do it with flair , with excitement and grace !

Early space capsules were very small

and compact. The Mercury program

capsule could carry a single astronaut,

and Alan Shepard was the first

American to launch into space.

Later, Project Geminis capsule took

two astronauts. For the Apollo moon

missions, the capsule was large enough

for three space fliers, and the space

shuttles could carry a crew of seven.

Today NASA hopes to send humans

back to the moon and then on to Mars.

To do that, they are building a huge

rocket called the Space Launch System

(SLS) and a space capsule called the

Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle.

Orion, shaped like a big gumdrop, is

designed to carry a crew of two to six

astronauts to space.

The Capsules important, and it starts with a C .

Its a tiny compartment, much too crowded for me .

Our heroes will live there , through all of their flight .

Theyll eat , sleep , and work in a space thats quite tight!

Every time we send satellites, probes,

or humans into space, we are trying to

learn. Valuable information is gathered

and later reviewed by talented scientists

and engineers. This data helps us gain

new understanding, leading to updated

concepts and better equipment,

expanding our knowledge of the universe.

Spaceships gather enormous amounts of

data using their computers. From things

like vehicle speeds and temperatures to

heart rates of astronauts and pictures of

Earth, every single piece of information is

reviewed and studied.

Many useful products have resulted

from information gathered by our space

program. For example, our smartphones

are possible because of satellites and

updated computer technology. Portable

tools powered by rechargeable batteries

were born during the Apollo program

when astronauts used similar tools to

collect moon rocks. Invisible braces used

to straighten teeth, sunglasses, Super

Soaker squirt guns, and foam gliders are

just a few examples of things that came

from our study of space.

For engineers and scientists , knowledge is key .

And

D stands for Data , information we need .

Be it numbers or symbols, we must send it to Earth ,

for its there that trained people will determine its worth .

Launching rockets and living in outer

space take tremendous amounts of

power and energy. The energy needed

to launch a rocket comes from mixing

liquid hydrogen (called fuel) and liquid

oxygen (called oxidizer). When these

two liquids come together they react

by exploding. Special chambers in the

spaceships engines are designed to

control this explosion, sending it out

as thrust from the rockets nozzles.

When astronauts live in a space

station or space vehicle orbiting the

Earth or flying through space, we

need electricity just like our houses

do on Earth. Since we are high above

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