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NASA Technology in Your World

Through sustained investments in technology, NASA is making a difference in the 

world around us. NASA technology investments in space exploration, science, and 

aeronautics is making it possible for us to learn more about our planet and outer 

space. Many of these technologies can also be found improving your daily life. 

Next time you travel by car or plane or when you brush your teeth today or check 

the weather forecast, you're using a bit of NASA technology if you know it or not...

Technology Drives Exploration
Computer Whiz

Find and circle these shapes.

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Out of Place

Circle the robots that are different from the others.

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Solar Electric Propulsion

Color the worlds.

Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) is a project to create technology that can push 

spacecraft to far-off destinations. SEP would collect the Sun’s energy through 

solar panels so that less fuel is required for the spacecraft and it can reach 

much more distant worlds.

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VEGGIES

Astronauts on the International Space Station used a special Vegetable

Production System (VEGGIE) to grow lettuce that they could eat.

Draw your own garden of food for astronauts to harvest and eat.

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Match the Satellites

Draw a line from each satellite to its twin.
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Lab Tech

Can you name these common tools used by scientists and engineers?
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Connect the Dots

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The design of aircraft has changed a lot over the years. NASA has helped improve 

airplanes with technology that saves fuel, makes flights quicker, helps pilots train 

better, and makes taking off and landing safer.
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Life on Mars

Circle 11 things that are different in the images of an astronaut on Mars.

NASA is making new tools and systems to support astronauts going to 

Mars. Things they need include advanced life support systems to help them 

breathe; an updated space suit design; technology to produce water, oxygen, 

and fuel on the surface of Mars; and better ways to communicate with Earth.
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Building Technology

Find and circle these hidden shapes.
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Where Is NASA?

 NASA has many Centers across the United States that study Earth and space 

and build technology for exploration. Which ones are near you?

Each Center has its own region for educational

programs. Color the regions by number.

1 = Yellow (Ames)

2 = Orange (Armstrong)

3 = Purple (Johnson)

4 = Red (Goddard)

5 = Dark Green (Langley)

6 = Blue (Glenn)

7 = Pink (Kennedy)

8 = Light Blue (Marshall)

9 = Light Green (Stennis)
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Spacecraft Search

Find the names of these NASA Spacecraft.

APOLLO

CASSINI

DAWN

GEMINI

JUNO

KEPLER

MARINER

MESSENGER

NEW HORIZONS

ORION

PATHFINDER

PIONEER

SPACE SHUTTLE

VIKING

VOYAGER
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OSIRIS-REX

OSIRIS-REX is an unpiloted spacecraft that will travel to the asteroid Bennu and bring 

samples of it back to Earth. It will use cameras, lasers, spectrometers, and other 

instruments for viewing different wavelengths of light, to help us learn more about 

how planets formed and how life began.
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Planetary Explorer

Fill in the blanks with words of your choice to create a story.

As a newly trained for NASA, you get to 

travel in the spacecraft to visit ! 

The mission will take years, so bring 

to pass the time. When you get to , you will 

live in a and wear a special that 

will help you survive the environment. You 

will take samples of so scientists on Earth 

can them. The best part is that you will be 

the first person to on !

occupation

constellation planet

same planet

clothing

adjective

noun

verb

verb same planet

building

number book / movie
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Draw NASA

Draw a picture to represent what each letter in NASA stands for.
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Living in Space

Living in space will require many things we take for granted here on 

Earth. A place to live in, for instance, isn’t as easy to construct in space 

and would require innovative techniques to use the resources that are 

available to you. NASA is looking at innovations such as Contour Crafting 

technology that will use robots to help build habitats using lunar or 

Martian soil, allowing us to live off our planet and keep us protected.

Photo Credit: Berok Khoshnevis, Director of USC Center for 

Rapid Automated Construction Technologies (CRAFT)
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NASA’s Outer Space Assistant

Connect the dots to see who’s helping astronauts on 

the International Space Station. 

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Robonaut 2 (R2) is a humanoid robot that works aboard the 

International Space Station. It can perform tasks in microgravity and 

uses special climbing legs to help anchor it while it uses its hands. 

R2 will help astronauts make repairs to the Station.
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Hidden Word

Fill in the spaces with the names of everyday objects that NASA technology has 

impacted. Clues to the items are below. The letters in the bold box 

make a secret word.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

8.

9.

10.

7.

1. Worn to the pool or beach

2. What your bed sheets cover 

3. A noisy machine that cleans floors

4. Squeezed from a tube to freshen your breath

5. Used to hit a ball back and forth across a net

6. Footwear used for a sport that takes place on snowy slopes

7. Tool to provide light in dark places

8. Storage box for keeping food and drinks cold

9. Protects your eyes from brightness

10. Soft, easy-to-eat food for infants
Mystery Shadows

Unscramble the letters to name the shadow.

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cseap robpe

ietselalt

eortck

cepas itatsno
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Color the James Webb 

Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is an infrared telescope that 

will look deep into space to study the earliest stars and galaxies in the 

universe. It is more sensitive than the Hubble Telescope, with much larger 

mirror optics that have a highly reflective gold layer to gather lots of light.
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0.172

BWP-330

What Do You See?

Draw what is outside the window of your deep-space habitat on Mars.

New life support technology will allow astronauts to live and work in habitats on 

Mars. The variable oxygen regulator keeps oxygen and pressure at a safe and 

comfortable level, and the rapid cycle amine swing bed takes carbon dioxide and 

water out of the air.
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Green Propellant Infusion Mission

The goal of the Green Propellant Infusion Mission is to test new types of 

spacecraft fuel. The fuel that NASA currently uses, called hydrozine, is toxic 

and dangerous to handle. The new fuel will be much less harmful and will 

be much more environmentally friendly.
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With You When You Fly

How is NASA technology improving flights at your local airport?

NASA is developing a coating that will keep bugs from sticking to the surface of 

planes. This improves the planes’ speed because stuck bugs slow them down.

Many of today’s air traffic control systems, which tell planes when it is safe

to land and when to take off, are based on NASA-developed software.
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LCRD

Laser Communications Relay Demonstration

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) is demonstrating a 

new way of sending information between Earth and space. Satellites will use 

lasers instead of radio waves to communicate, because lasers can send much 

more data than radio waves. With this new and powerful system, NASA can 

gather more knowledge than ever, faster, on Earth and in space.
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Learn how to say these words in

Spanish, Chinese, French, 

and Russian.

rocket

cohete

huojiàn

fusée

raketa (paketa)

galaxy

galaxia

xingxi

galaxie

galaktika

planet

planeta

xingxing

planete

planet

astronaut

astronaut

yuhángyuán

astronaut

kozmonaut

technology

tecnologia

gongyixué

technologie

tekhnologii

airplane

avion

feist

avion

samoleb

star

estrella

xing

étoile

zvezda

satellite

satélite

rénzào weixing

satellite

sputnik

 ̆

ˉ

 ̆ ˉ
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 Juno to Jupiter

 Lead Juno safely through the dangerous 

 radiation belts of Jupiter!

Juno is a space probe that will orbit and study Jupiter. 

This will tell us important information about how our solar 

system formed. Juno’s sensitive electronics must be 

protected from Jupiter’s radiation by a titanium container.
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How High Can You Go?

How many words can you make from the letters in

TECHNOLOGY?

 Write your words here:

1–9 words: Flying high in the atmosphere

10–19 words: Low-Earth orbit

20+ words: The Moon and beyond!
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Orion Maze

Help Orion find Mars!

Orion is a spacecraft that will carry astronauts to Mars and beyond. It will be 

NASA’s most advanced spacecraft in order to keep crew safe during their mission. 

It is designed to support long periods of space travel and to withstand the harsh 

environment of reentry into atmosphere.
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A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

How Fast?

Match the spacecraft with its speed.

Voyager space probe

B52B launch aircraft

International Space Station

New Horizons (Pluto space probe)

Apollo 10 

Juno (Jupiter space probe)

U.S. A IR FORCE

X-15 hypersonic plane

17,150 mph

38,610 mph

36,373 mph (launch)

165,000 mph

448 mph

24,791 mph (fastest piloted spacecraft)

4,520 mph (fasted piloted aircraft)
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Build the NASA Ring Wing Glider

Procedure

1. Fold a piece of 8.5- × 11-inch paper 

diagonally as shown in diagram 1.

2. Make a 1/2-inch fold along the previously 

folded edge. See diagram 2.

3. Make a second 1/2-inch fold.

See diagram 3.

4. Curl the ends of the paper to make a 

ring and tuck one end into the fold of the 

other. See diagram 4.

5. Gently grasp the “V” between the two 

“crown points” with your thumb and 

index finger. 

6. Toss the glider lightly forward.

Note: The folds in the paper make the 

airplane’s front end heavy and the back 

end light. Curling the ends to make a 

ring changes the shape of the wing and 

improves the wing’s flight performance.

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Diagram 3

Diagram 4
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Spinoff Fun Facts

Every year, NASA develops new technology that helps Earth research and space 

exploration. These innovations often go on to change life on Earth, too. What are 

some inventions in your life that got their start at NASA?

Ski boots came from the boots in an astronaut’s 

spacesuit that let the wearer move around while the 

feet remained attached to the surface.

Today’s baby formula was created when scientists 

discovered a healthy ingredient for babies in algae 

that they were using to develop life support.

Modern big rig trucks are designed with curves that help air move past the 

vehicle better. This is based on NASA’s research on making vehicles faster and 

more aerodynamic.
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Stay up-to-date with NASA’s newest technologies and missions.

Follow us:

 Twitter: @NASA_Technology

 Facebook: @NASATechnology

 Instagram: @NASA

 tumblr: nasa.tumblr.com

 YouTube: NASA.gov.Video

 Snapchat: @nasa

Download the free NASA app:

Get the latest content, including news, features, images, videos, NASA TV, and 

tweets!

Available for:

 Apple Android Apple TV Kindle Fire
Answers for pages 7, 9, 18, 19 and 29

page 7, Lab Tech

wrench safety glasses test tube

microscope tape measure computer 

calculator thermometer screwdriver

page 9, Life on Mars

1. satellite on left missing two solar panels

2. one antenna removed from middle satellite

3. different flying saucer

4. three stars missing from right corner

5. mars rover facing opposite direction

6. spots on comet removed

7. light spots and right side crater removed

8. controls on astronaut’s spacesuit missing

page 18, Hidden Word

1. swimsuit

2. mattress

3. vacuum

4. toothpaste

5. tennisracket

6. skiboots

7. flashlight

8. cooler

9. sunglasses

10. babyfood

Hidden word: TECHNOLOGY

page 19, Mystery Shadows

satellite

rocket

space station

space probe

page 29, How Fast?

A = 38,610 mph

B = 448 mph

C = 17,150 mph

D = 36,373 mph (launch)

E = 24,791 mph (fasted piloted spacecraft)

F = 165,000 mph

G = 4,520 mph (fasted piloted aircraft)
34NP-2017-02-2360-HQ