Living in Space
A warm first lesson about astronauts for ages 4-6: how people live on a space station, floating, eating and sleeping in space, spacesuits, and a fun floating game to try at home.
Key takeaways
- Astronauts are people who go up into space to live and work.
- In space, everything floats, because there is nothing to hold things down.
- Astronauts wear a special suit to keep them safe outside the spaceship.
- People live on a space station that flies high above the Earth.
Who goes to space?
Look up at the sky. Way, way up high is space. It is dark and full of stars.
Some very brave people travel up to space. We call them astronauts. They ride in a rocket. The rocket goes up, up, up, very fast. Whoosh!
Astronauts go to space to work and to learn. What is it like up there? Let's find out!
Everything floats!
Here on Earth, things fall down. Drop a ball, and it lands on the floor. Down, down, down.
But in space, it is different. In space, everything floats! The astronauts float. Their food floats. Their pencils float. Even water floats in little round drops!
The astronauts float around like they are swimming in the air. They can do flips and spins. It looks like so much fun. Wheee!
A home in space
Astronauts need a place to live. They live on a space station. It flies high above the Earth, round and round.
The space station is like a little house in space. It has rooms to work in. It has windows to look out of. From the window, the astronauts can see our big, blue Earth far below. It looks so beautiful!
Eating and sleeping
Eating in space is tricky. The food might float away! So astronauts eat from little bags. They drink from bags with a straw. No floating crumbs allowed!
Sleeping is funny too. There is no bed to lie on. Astronauts climb into a soft sleeping bag. The bag is tied to the wall, so they do not float away in the night. Then they close their eyes and sleep, floating gently. Goodnight, astronauts!
A special suit
Outside the space station, there is no air to breathe. It is very cold too. So astronauts wear a spacesuit.
The spacesuit is big and white and puffy. It gives them air to breathe. It keeps them warm. It keeps them safe. With the suit on, an astronaut can float outside and fix things on the space station. How brave!
Let's float like an astronaut!
You can pretend to be an astronaut today!
- Put your arms out wide, like you are floating.
- Walk slowly, slowly, around the room. Take big, soft, bouncy steps, like you are light as a feather.
- Pretend to drink from a floating water drop. Or pretend to do a slow flip in the air!
- Wave at the Earth far below. Hello, Earth!
You can even draw a picture. Draw yourself in space, floating with the stars. What a brave little astronaut you are!
Want to see more of the sky? Look at The Sun, the Moon and the Stars to learn what astronauts see up there, and The Four Seasons to see how the Sun changes our year down here on Earth.
Quick quiz
Test yourself and earn XP
What is an astronaut?
An astronaut is a person who travels up into space to live and work.
What happens to things in space?
In space everything floats, because nothing pulls it down.
Why do astronauts wear a special suit?
A spacesuit gives astronauts air to breathe and keeps them safe outside the spaceship.
Where do astronauts live in space?
Astronauts live on a space station, a kind of home that flies high above the Earth.
FAQ
Not yet. Astronauts must grow up and train for a long time first. But you can dream about it now! Many astronauts loved space when they were little, just like you.
They use a special space toilet that gently sucks instead of flushing, so nothing floats away. Astronauts have to learn how to use it before they go!
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