1. Cosmonaut Yuri likes to keep the temperature of the ISS at 25° C. 

If the thermostat on the ISS reads in Fahrenheit, what is the temperature?

2. An experiment on the ISS requires the astronauts to measure out 

45 cm of string. How many inches is this?

3. Astronaut Eileen weighs 120 pounds. How much does she weigh in 

kilograms? 

4. Cosmonaut Alexander is 1.8 meters tall. Convert his height to feet.5. Astronaut Ed wants to take a picture of his crew mate Cosmonaut Yuri. 

The camera he’s using says that he must be at least 152 centimeters away from Yuri to get a good picture. How far is this in feet?

6. The ISS travels at 17,500 miles per hour. How fast is this in kilometers 

per hour? 

7. Crews onboard the ISS have consumed more than 6,804 kilograms of 

food in the past three years. Convert this weight to pounds.

8. Astronaut Katherine likes to keep her space suit temperature at 76° F 

when she’s doing a space walk. Cosmonaut Sergei likes his suit to be at 24° C. Whose space suit is warmer?

9. Astronaut Jeremy is 67 inches tall, and cosmonaut Nikolai is 

175 centimeters tall. Who is taller?

10. Astronaut Michael weighs 140 pounds, and cosmonaut Mikhail 

weighs 65 kilograms. Who weighs more in space?

Related ResourcesAutomatic Conversions—Convert Almost Anythinghttp://www.onlineconversion.com/U.S./Metric Conversion Tables—AllMath.comhttp://www.allmath.comNASAexplores Article: The Language of Spacehttp://nasaexplores.comLesson Source and Answer KeyNASAexplores Article: Foreign Measurementshttp://www.nasaexplores.com

Can you think of any job more exciting than being an astronaut? Any 

astronaut will tell you that the work is long and hard, but it is defi nitely 

exciting and rewarding.

Have you ever thought about who the astronauts are? Is there 

something special that makes someone “astronaut material”? NASA has gathered information about astronauts and, perhaps, the most amazing thing about the astronauts is their different traits.

NASA has over 300 current and former astronauts. NASA’s astronauts 

come from nearly every state in the United States, and 23 other countries. The fi rst astronaut group was selected in 1959. Since then, there have been many fi rsts, lasts, and other notable achievements, including:

• The fi rst person to fl y in space was a Russian Cosmonaut named Yuri 

Gagarin. The fi rst American was Alan Shepard in 1961.

• The fi rst American in orbit was John Glenn. He orbited Earth three 

times in 1962.

• The fi rst astronaut to become a teacher was Neil Armstrong.• The fi rst woman to fl y in space was a Russian Cosmonaunt named 

Valentina Tereshkova in 1963. America’s fi rst female astronaut to fl y in 

space was Sally Ride in 1983.

• The fi rst man on the moon was Neil Armstrong who landed with Apollo 

11 in 1969. The last man on the moon (so far) was Gene Cernan in 1972.

• The fi rst African-American astronaut in space was Guion Bluford. The 

fi rst African-American woman astronaut in space was Mae Jemison.

• The fi rst teacher selected to fl y in space was Christa McAuliffe. She 

died in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986. Her backup was Barbara Morgan who was selected by NASA as a mission specialist in 1998.

All Astronauts have a few things in common. While in school, they were 

very good in mathematics, science, and communications. An astronaut must have a college degree with three years’ experience in a related fi eld. 

Leadership and good citizenship are also important. For example, many 

astronauts have participated in scouting. These same skills help foster an appreciation of our culture and history. Since astronauts come from many different countries and cultures, it’s recommended they know at least one additional language. The study and appreciation of other cultures are the keys to success in space.

There are several types of astronauts. The commander is the captain 

of the ship. The commander gives orders and makes decisions affecting the crew and mission. The pilot has the same level of training. Most commander/pilot astronauts have served in the military. Another type of astronaut is the mission specialist who is a scientist, engineer, or educator. NASA has selected educators with expertise in K-12 classrooms to train to become fully qualifi ed astronauts. NASA will send educators to space so that they can use their skills and experiences as classroom teachers to connect space exploration to the classroom. By utilizing their talents as educators and the unique platform of spacefl ight, these astronauts can offer a new avenue for imagination and ingenuity for teachers and their K-12 classrooms. Mission specialists bring expertise in experiments or procedures to a spacefl ight. All astronauts go through years of training and their classroom education includes foreign language, and scientifi c and engineering instruction. Their mission training involves emergency precautions and simulations of what they could encounter in space. Astronauts have to be in great physical shape, so physical fi tness is also an important part of astronaut training.

Mission specialist Barbara Morgan has been called the “teacher in 

space.” Christa McAuliffe’s plan was to fl y in space once and then return to the classroom. Before coming to NASA, Morgan taught reading, mathematics and science. Morgan is a fully trained member of the astronaut corp and is expected to fl y in space on STS-118 in 2007. 

Astronauts stress that their keys to success have been to do well in 

many areas of school, to always be involved, to be a team player, and to never stop learning. Are they describing your keys to success?

Related resourcesNASAexplores Article: All About Astronautshttp://www.nasaexplores.com

Astronauts

Flags

Austrian Space Agency

Name of country: Austria

Language: German

 Belgian Space Agency

Name of country: Belgium

Language: Dutch 

Brazilian Space Agency

Name of country: Brazil

Language: Portuguese 

British National Space Center

Name of country: United 

Kingdom

Language: English

Canadian Space Agency

Name of country: Canada

Languages: English/French

Danish Space Agency

Name of country: Denmark

Language: Danish 

Italian Space Agency

Name of country: Italy

Language: Italian

Japanese Space Agency

Name of country: Japan

Language: Japanese 

Netherlands Space Agency

Name of country: Netherlands

Language: Dutch 

Russian Space Agency

Name of country: Russia

Language: Russian

Spanish Space Agency

Name of country: Spain

Language: Spanish

Swedish Space Agency

Name of country: Sweden

Language: Swedish

Flags

ObjectiveTo complete math problems involving U.S. and metric conversions.Grade Level: 5-8Subjects: Science, MathematicsNational Education StandardsScience (NSTA): Personal and social perspectivesMathematics (NCTM): Numbers and operations, measurements, problem solvingBackground Information

On the International Space Station (ISS), two or three people from 

different countries, who speak different languages and have only recently met each other, live in a confi ned space by themselves for up to half a 

year. They must work together well enough to operate one of the most high-tech science labs ever. How do they do it? They train in Houston at Johnson Space Center’s Language Education Center (JLEC) to learn each others’ languages. This makes working together much easier. 

Another difference between the cultures on the ISS is the systems 

they use for measurement. While the United States uses the English system of measurement, most other countries use the metric system. These two systems use very different units, and, in some cases, it can seem like a different language. For example, if you live in the United States, you may not know how heavy a 50 kilogram (kg) weight is. Could you pick it up?

Materials• Calculator • Scrap paperProcedure

Answer the following problems about conversions on the International 

Space Station. Check the table below for conversion factors. Use scrap paper if necessary.

International MeasurementConversion Factors1 inch (in) = 2.54 centimeters (cm)1 mile (m) = 1.6 kilometers (km)°Fahrenheit (°F) = (9/5)°C + 32

°Celsius (°C) = (°F – 32) x (5/9)1 pound (lb) = 0.45 kilograms (kg)1 foot (ft) = 12 inches (in)1 meter (m) = 3.28 feet (ft)

Languages and Flags of Space ExplorationObjective

To identify the 16 space agencies and the countries involved with the 

International Space Station.Grade Level: K-4Subject(s): Technology, Geography

National Education StandardsTechnology (ISTE): Students are profi cient in the use of technology

Geography (NES): How the forces of cooperation and confl it among 

people inluences the division and control of the surface of Earth.Background Information

Language training is nothing new for astronauts. The NASA crew of the 

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975 had to learn Russian, as did the crews of the Shuttle-Mir program from 1995-1998. However, the International Space Station program made language training a much larger issue at NASA and led to the establishment of the Johnson Space Center’s Language Education Center (JLEC) in 1998. Jane Clarke-James teaches at JLEC and states, “The International Space Station is all about unity in diversity, as it involves the work and collaboration of space professionals from 16 different countries.” As a result, language skills are very important to the space program. Interpreters and translators provide constant support to the ISS astronauts from the Mission Control Center (MCC).The 16 agencies involved with the station are:

Procedure

• Research websites and books to learn about the different countries 

and their fl ags.

• Color in the fl ags with the correct colors.• Read the astronaut and cosmonaut biographies at 

 http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios

• Choose the name of at least one astronaut on the poster and list his/

her country of birth. If your astronaut was born in the United States, list the state of his/her birth.

Related Resource(s)NASA Marshall Space Flight Center—International Space Stationhttp://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/partners.htmlU.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)—The World Fact Bookhttp://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.htmlNASAexplores Article: The Language of Spacehttp://www.nasaexplores.comLESSON SOURCENASAexplores Article: Sixteen Countrieshttp://www.nasaexplores.com

centimeters/millimetersinches

International Games On Moon And Mars

French Space Agency

Name of country: France

Language: French 

German Aerospace Center/

German Space Agency DLR

Name of country: Germany

Language: German 

• Austrian Space Agency• Belgian Space Agency• Brazilian Space Agency• British National Space Center• Canadian Space Agency• Danish Space Agency• European Space Agency• French Space Agency

• German Aerospace Center/

German Space Agency DLR

• Italian Space Agency• Japanese Space Agency• Netherlands Space Agency• Norwegian Space Agency• Russian Space Agency• Spanish Space Agency• Swedish Space Agency

Objective

To explore the cultural signifi cance of a sport or game from a different 

culture and to modify this game for play during space travel, on the moon, or on Mars.Grade Level: 9-12Subjects: Earth Science, Social Studies, Geography, Language Arts, 

National Education StandardsScience (NSTA): Earth and space science, Geography (NGS): places & regions & human systemsBackground Information

Recreation is an important part of a balanced life and that applies to 

life in space, too. Astronauts work long hours when they’re on the space shuttle or the International Space Station. However, when they’re not working, they fi nd creative ways to liven up their lives. Astronauts bring their interests and hobbies with them into space. Their curiosity makes them wonder if those same activities will work in a microgravity environment.

Think about your hobbies and interests; would you be able to still do 

these things in space or on the surfaces of moon and Mars? On Earth, man has entertained himself from the beginning of time with sports and games. Different cultures have developed a variety of team games and sports. 

Task

Your mission is to form a team of four and research a sport from a 

particular culture. Your team will write and illustrate a game book about the sport on Earth, and then as a group, you will write modifi cations to the 

game so that it could be played on a trip through space or in a new space colony on the moon or on Mars.

researching a sport or athletic event popular in the chosen culture. Groups should choose sports that are unusual and special to their cultures in some way rather than sports that are common, such as baseball or soccer.

5. Using all available resources, fi nd answers to following questions:

• What is the name of the sport?• What are the rules of the sport?• Where is the sport played? Does it need a special “court” or fi eld?• What equipment is required?• What is the cultural signifi cance of the sport?

• Are there any stories or legends associated with the sport?

6. Using the information from your group’s research, create a “game 

book” for the sport. The book should include clear explanations of the history of the game, the role that the game plays in the culture in which it was or is popular, how the game is played, and important rules. Your game book should include llustrations.

7. A newly formed colony on the moon and another on Mars has read 

your game book. They wish to play this game on the moon and on Mars. As a group, brainstorm on the modifi cations to the game that will 

be necessary in order to play it in an environment of reduced gravity. Write an appendix to the game book with the modifi cations of the game or sport included for play in colonies in outer space.

8. Present your sport or game to your classmates.

Questions

1. What can you learn about a culture from the sports created or popular 

there?

2

Why do you think sporting or athletic events are such a large part of so 

 Materials

• Copy of fl ag page • Crayons• World map • Internet access