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Handout
Other

Visual Satellite Observer: Mir Space Station's 15 Years in Space Ends

For Students 9th - 10th
Details of Mir's re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere after 15 years in space. Includes information on Mir's mission, configuration, and history.
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Website
Other

The Space Race

For Students 9th - 10th
Although the space race was originally a competition between two Cold War foes,it ultimately resulted in many benefits for the people of the Earth. Find information on the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, and Soviet space programs,...
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Website
NASA

Nasa: Shuttle Missions

For Students 9th - 10th
This site has links to information on each Space Shuttle mission with the missions grouped by year. Detailed information on each of the Shuttle is provided.
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: How Landing the First Man on the Moon Cost Dozens of Lives

For Students 9th - 10th
NASA was preparing feverishly for a moon landing in a race against the former Soviet Union to honor slain president John F. Kennedy's 1961 pledge for the country to land a spacecraft on the moon (and return safely) before the end of the...
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Website
NASA

Nasa: History of Shuttle Mir

For Students 9th - 10th
This site has links to many NASA resources about the Shuttle-Mir program. Detailed information on each of the Shuttle-Mir missions as well as a large number of images are available from this site.
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Website
Other

Florida International University: History of Rockets

For Students 9th - 10th
A comprehensive site devoted to the history of rockets, with excellent illustrations interspersed throughout.
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Website
NASA

Nasa, Human Space Flight: Apollo 11 Mission

For Students 3rd - 8th
The story of the Apollo 11 lunar landing is told with dramatic details, pictures, and mission highlights.
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Lesson Plan
Discovery Education

Discovery Education: Liftoff Into Space

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students learn about the history of space exploration and what is happening in the current space program.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

National Park Service: America's Space Program Exploring a New Frontier

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This site includes a lesson for teachers to use when teaching about America's space program. Also included is the history of the space program, maps, readings, images of the space program, and benefits that resulted from space research.
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Handout
Ducksters

Ducksters: Astronomy for Kids: Space Exploration Timeline

For Students 1st - 9th
Kids learn about the timeline of the history of space exploration including early astronomy, astronauts, spacecraft, planets, and the Moon.
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: The Apollo Mission That Nearly Ended With a Mutiny in Space

For Students 9th - 10th
There were arguments over food, helmets and spacesuits that required 30 minutes for astronauts to use the bathroom. By 1968, America's space program was on the brink. A launchpad fire at Cape Canaveral killed three astronauts as they...
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: Remembering the Apollo 1 Tragedy

For Students 9th - 10th
When NASA's first fatal spacecraft accident occurred 50 years ago, it happened not in deep space but right on the launch pad. The three men set to blast off on Apollo 1 -- rookie astronaut Roger Chaffee and veterans Virgil "Gus" Grissom...
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Website
NASA

Jpl: Voyager: The Interstellar Mission

For Students 9th - 10th
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at NASA provides a detailed history of the Voyager Project, including a description of the spacecraft and Voyager's planetary tour.
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Website
Other

Historic Wings: John Glenn Friendship 7

For Students 9th - 10th
The story of America's first astronaut to orbit the earth during the Mercury Space program. After launching the program click on continue or on the numbers to learn about the story of the Mercury program and the first American to orbit...
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Article
FOX News

Fox News: Timeline: u.s. Space Program History

For Students 9th - 10th
An interesting timeline of the history of the U.S. space program from 1961 to 2003. (Published February 1, 2003)
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Website
PBS

Pbs: Nova: Hunting the Edge of Space

For Students 9th - 10th
Hour One of Hunting the Edge of Space, "The Mystery of the Milky Way," includes information on the Milky Way and chronicles the history of telescopes from Galileo's time to today's planet-searching telescopes. Hour Two, "The...
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Website
NASA

Nasa: Lunar History

For Students 9th - 10th
A current history of our exploration and general facts about the Moon.
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Website
NASA

Nasa Space Science Data Archive: Clementine Mission

For Students 9th - 10th
Contains the official record of the Clementine mission's survey of the moon, with links to more detailed information about the spacecraft and its mission. Includes images of the mission and planets.
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Handout
NASA

Nasa Space Science Data Archive: Lunar Exploration Timeline

For Students 9th - 10th
Available in both HTML and Shockwave formats, this site is a visual timeline of US, Soviet, and Japanese Lunar exploration. Each point of the timeline links to text information about that spacecraft and mission.
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Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Destination Outer Space

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students acquire a basic understanding of the science and engineering of space travel as well as a brief history of space exploration. They learn about the scientists and engineers who made space travel possible and briefly examine some...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: A Closer Look at Mars

For Students 3rd - 8th
If you look up at the sky on a clear night, you may see a red dot among the stars. This dot is Mars, named in ancient times after the Roman god of war. Although no one has ever visited this red planet, we know a lot about it. This site...
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Website
PBS

Nova: To the Moon

For Students 9th - 10th
This companion website of a NOVA program that aired in 1999 features extensive information that focuses on moon research and includes a history of the Apollo missions as well as the science of the moon's origins.
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Primary
NASA

Nasa: An American in Orbit

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from NASA provides a detailed description of the first manned American orbital flight of a Mercury spacecraft.
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Website
NASA

Nasa: Buildup for the Space Offensive

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from NASA provides a detailed description of the events immediately preceding the first American in orbit mission of the Mercury spacecraft Friendship 7.