Sample Race to the Moon! (Grades 3-4) Worksheet
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Race to the Moon!
By Laura G. Smith 		  
1     On July 20, 1969, millions of people gathered around their TV sets to watch an amazing event in history. It was the day a man walked on the moon for the very first time! That man was American astronaut Neil Armstrong. As he stepped onto the rocky surface of the moon, Mr. Armstrong spoke the famous words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
 
2     Space travel began 12 years before that first walk on the moon. It started on October 4, 1957 when Russia sent Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite, into space. A satellite is an object that orbits or travels around the sun, earth, or other heavenly body. Sputnik I is an "artificial" satellite, because it is man-made. Man-made satellites are used for many different reasons. Some collect information about the weather and send it back to Earth. Others send radio, television, and telephone signals from one place on Earth to another. Artificial satellites can also help sailors or airplane pilots find their way during a bad storm, and some can even spy on the enemy during a war!
 
3     Russia's second artificial satellite, Sputnik II, was launched in November of 1957 carrying a dog named Laika, the first animal sent into orbit. As scientists studied how animals lived in space, it helped them learn how to prepare humans to be able to live in the same conditions.
 
4     While Russia was working hard to develop their space program, the United States was close behind in their exploration of space. The U.S. sent their first artificial satellite, Explorer I, into orbit on January 31, 1958. In the 1960's and 1970's, both Russia and the U.S. launched many other satellites and scientific spacecraft for the purpose of gathering and sending information to the earth. It seemed as though the two countries were having a contest to see who would win the "race to space"!
 
5     The next big step in the space race was to launch a spaceship with an astronaut on board. Up until this time, the satellites and other spacecraft that were used to take pictures and collect information did not have men or women traveling on them.

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