The Shuttle returns."Four ... three ... two ... one ... We have liftoff--of the Space Shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. Discovery!" If all goes as planned, NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. will launch the Space Shuttle Discovery into Earth's orbit between May 15 and June 3. Astronauts aboard Discovery will link with the International Space Station to deliver much-needed supplies before returning to Earth. This is the first space shuttle launch in more than two years. The shuttle program was temporarily halted after the Columbia shuttle exploded on February 1, 2003. Discovery is scheduled to launch from, and return to, the Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral) U.S. launch site for manned space missions. [U.S. Hist.: WB, So:562] See : Astronautics in Florida. But if there is a problem, Discovery can land at White Sands Missile Range White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), formerly known as the White Sands Proving Grounds, is a rocket range in New Mexico operated by the United States Army. The range covers an area of almost 3,200 mi² (8 287 km²), approximately three times the size of Rhode Island, making it in New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). or Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. in California. The maps show all three sites. Each map has its own scale--the proportion between size on the map and size on Earth. The North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. map has a small scale. It shows a large area in limited detail. One map inch equals 800 miles on Earth. The Cape Canaveral map has a relatively large scale. It shows a small area in greater detail. One inch on that map equals 10 miles. QUESTION 1. Which map on this page shows a larger area? -- 2. Which map shows places in more detail? -- 3. Which map would you use to find the location of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center? -- 4. Which map shows alternate landing areas? -- 5. What is the primary landing location for Discovery? -- 6. If Discovery, while moving from west to east, got into trouble over the Pacific Ocean and had to land, where would be its first opportunity? -- 7. What is the approximate distance in miles between the cities of Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach? -- 8. What is the approximate distance between White Sands Missile Range and Edwards Air Force Base? -- 9. Which numbered road would be the most direct route from the Florida mainland to the Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex? -- 10. Tracing the shuttle's route from west to east in a straight line through its possible landing areas, which body of water would it cross? -- |
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