abdicate: to give up or renounce one’s position of power.
adversary: a rival, opponent, or enemy.
aeronautical engineer: a person who designs and tests aircraft.
airlock: in a spacecraft, two sets of doors that allow astronauts to move from a livable environment to space and back again without losing air.
altitude: the height of something above sea level.
annihilation: complete and total destruction.
Allied powers: the countries that fought together against Germany and the Axis powers during World War II, including Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States.
ambitious: a strong determination to be successful.
amateur: someone who is not a professional.
anonymity: being unknown.
Apollo (1961–1972): America’s third human spaceflight program, and the first to land humans on the moon.
aquanaut: an explorer who spends long periods of time living in pressurized dwellings beneath the surface of the ocean.
ascent: to rise through the air, the early part of a rocket’s flight.
artificial satellite: a man-made object that orbits the earth, moon, or any other object.
assassinate: to kill a leader.
astronaut: a person trained for spaceflight.
atmosphere: the blanket of gases surrounding Earth.
atrocity: a horrible or cruel act.
atomic weapon: an extremely destructive weapon that uses the splitting of atoms to create an explosion.
aviator: a pilot.
Axis powers: the countries of Germany, Italy, and Japan, which fought against the Allies during World War II.
Baikonur Cosmodrome: the Soviet and now Russian launch facility located near Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
ballistic missile: a missile that is at first powered and guided but is then pulled by gravity to its target.
Bay of Pigs: the location of a failed, American-supported invasion of Cuba by Cubans living in the United States.
bends: a medical condition that happens when the body experiences a quick change in pressure and gases dissolved in blood begin to form bubbles. Also called decompression sickness.
Berlin Wall (1961–1989): a wall constructed by the USSR and East German military to separate West Berlin from East Berlin.
blacklist: to include someone on a list of people who are considered untrustworthy or not suitable.
blockade: a way to prevent people or things from entering or leaving a specific place.
blunt: to be straightforward or direct. Can also mean a dull or rounded object.
Russian Revolution: the overthrow of the Russian government in 1917 by communist revolutionaries led by Vladimir Lenin.
Bolshevik: a member of the Russian socialist party that favored a revolution to seize power in Russia for the purpose of setting up a workers’ state.
broadcast: to transmit or communicate, usually by radio or television.
CapCom: stands for “capsule communicator,” often another astronaut, who speaks to astronauts during their flights.
capitalism: an economy in which people, not the government, own the factories, ships, and land used in the production and distribution of goods.
carbon dioxide: a gas that people and animals breathe out that can be dangerous if too much is breathed in.
celestial object: a star, planet, moon, or other object in space, such as an asteroid or comet.
centrifuge: a chamber that spins very quickly, creating a strong centrifugal force that pushes objects to the outside.
civilian: someone who is not a member of the military or police.
Central powers: a group of countries that fought against the Allies in WWI, including Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire.
censorship: the suppression of speech or information by a person or group that finds the information or speech harmful.
chaos: a state of complete confusion.
citizen: a person who legally belongs to a country and has the rights and protection of that country.
Cold War: a rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States that began after World War II.
collaboration: to work together, a group effort.
collective: done by people acting as a group.
command module: for Apollo, the spacecraft that carried astronauts to the moon and back.
communism: an economy in which the government owns everything used in the production and distribution of goods.
Communist Party: a political group that promotes the principles of communism.
constellation: a group of stars that form a recognizable shape or pattern.
controversial: an act or decision that is often disagreed with.
cooperate: to work toward the same goal.
cosmonaut: a Russian astronaut.
cult: great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person.
cult of personality: when a group uses propaganda to portray a leader as a hero and idol who can do no wrong.
de-escalation: a decrease in extent or scope.
decipher: to understand or solve something.
defect: to desert a cause or country to adopt another.
democracy: a system of government where the people choose who will represent and govern them.
denounce: to describe something or someone as wrong or evil.
deport: to send a foreigner away from a country.
descent: the way down.
dictator: a ruler with total control over a country, particularly one who has gotten that power through force.
diplomatic: to officially communicate between countries.
diverse: with many different people or things.
docking: when two spacecraft join together to temporarily form a larger structure.
ecstatic: overwhelming excitement or happiness.
eject: to suddenly be forced or thrown out from something.
endurance: the ability to last a long time.
engineering: the use of science, math, and creativity in the design and construction of things.
escalation: an increase in importance or seriousness.
exceptionalism: the belief that something is special or unique.
exile: to expel someone from their native country as a punishment.
Explorer 1: the first American satellite, launched on January 31, 1958.
fallout shelter: a shelter from the particles that fall after a nuclear explosion.
feats of engineering: the engineering or building of things that have never been done before.
fiction: stories that describe imaginary events and people.
fireworks: an explosive or burning device that creates a display of light and sound.
FLATs: members of the First Lady Astronaut Trainees, also known as the Mercury 13.
foreshadow: to hint or warn of something that will happen in the future.
friction: the rubbing of one object against another.
GPS navigation: Global Positioning System, a modern system of satellites that allows people to know their exact location on Earth.
g-force: a measure of the force of gravity.
Gemini (1961–1966): America’s second human spaceflight program, able to carry two crew members at a time to Earth’s orbit.
German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact: an agreement before the start of WWII between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union stating that neither country would attack the other. It was broken by Germany in 1941.
gravitational pull: a force of nature that causes every mass, or object, to exert a force on every other object.
gravity: a force that pulls objects toward each other, and all objects to the earth.
Great Depression: a severe economic downturn during the 1920s and 1930s that started in the United States and spread to many countries.
guerrilla: a type of war where a small group of fighters uses ambushes and sabotage to fight a larger and stronger enemy.
gulag: a network of labor camps in the Soviet Union where people were sent as a punishment.
hatch: on a spacecraft, an opening or doorway through which astronauts or cosmonauts can travel safely between their spacecraft and space.
heatshield: an object designed to protect a spacecraft by either dissipating, reflecting, or absorbing the heat of reentry.
horizon: the point in the distance where the sky and the earth seem to meet.
House Un-American Activities Committee: a committee in the U.S. House of Representatives that investigated supposed communist activity during the early years of the Cold War.
ideology: a system of political or economical beliefs.
immoral: something that goes against what is generally accepted as moral, or right.
immigrant: a person who moves to a new country to live there permanently.
incinerate: to destroy by burning completely.
ingenious: a clever or inventive idea or solution.
invest: to put money, resources, or effort into something.
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM): a missile capable of reaching anywhere on Earth.
industrial: manufacturing, or building things, in factories.
Industrial Revolution: a period of time during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when large cities and factories began to replace small towns and farming.
International Geophysical Year (1957–1958): an international scientific effort to study Earth and space.
isolate: to be alone or separated from others.
Kármán Line: the boundary where the earth’s atmosphere ends and space begins, 62 miles above the earth.
Kazakhstan: a former member of the USSR, now an independent country.
Korean War (1950–1953): a conflict between the Western-backed South Korea and the communist-backed North Korea.
Kremlin: in Moscow, the governing center of the Soviet Union.
labor camp: prison camps where people are kept in terrible conditions and used as slave labor. Also called concentration camps during WWII.
legacy: the lasting influence of a person or event.
Limited Test Ban Treaty (1963): a treaty that limited the types of nuclear weapons tests nations could perform, banning tests above ground, in the ocean, and in the atmosphere.
liquid-fueled rocket: a rocket that uses liquid propellants to create thrust.
loft: to propel an object up.
lunar module: for Apollo, the spacecraft that landed two astronauts on the lunar surface and returned them to the Command Module.
lunar: relating to a moon or a vehicle used to travel to a moon.
lunar orbit: when an object such as a satellite or spacecraft circles the moon.
mass: the amount of material that an object contains.
makeshift: a temporary or improvised solution.
maniacal: to have wild or unpredictable behavior.
Marxist: someone who supports or follows the theories of Karl Marx.
McCarthyism: the use of unproven claims against people, first used by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy against suspected communists.
Mercury (1958–1963): America’s first human spaceflight program, carrying one person on sub-orbital and later orbital flights.
mesmerized: fascinated by.
miniscule: very small.
missile: an object or weapon that is propelled toward a target.
missile gap: a term used during the Cold War to describe a gap between the number and power of nuclear weapons between the USSR and United States.
mission control: where space missions are managed, monitored, and controlled.
moral: related to what is wrong or right behavior.
mourning: having deep sorrow for the loss of someone or something.
mutiny: refusing to obey orders or rebelling against authority.
N-1: a Soviet rocket designed to reach the moon. It never flew successfully.
NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. organization in charge of space exploration.
nationalism: an extreme form of patriotism.
nationalize: to give the central government of a nation control of all factories and agricultural land.
NATO: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance formed in 1949 between the United States and North American and Western European countries.
nausea: a feeling of needing to vomit.
navigation: finding directions for traveling using stars, maps, landmarks, or other methods.
non-proliferation: a decrease in the number of something, for example, nuclear weapons.
nuclear bomb: a powerful bomb fueled by the energy released from the splitting of atoms.
oppressive: harsh, unfair, or cruel treatment of others by a person or group in power.
Operation Paperclip: a program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were recruited and brought from post-Nazi Germany to the United States for government employment.
orbit: the path of an object circling another object in space.
orient: to determine your position.
parachutist: someone who practices parachuting for fun or in competition.
paramilitary: an unofficial military force.
paranoia: a mistrust of people or things without a reason.
plague: to keep causing problems or trouble.
plasma: a form of matter that is similar to gas.
plummet: to fall sharply.
posturing: acting in a way to impress others.
premier: a head of government.
prestige: having or showing rank, success, or wealth.
primate: any member of a group of animals that includes humans, apes, and monkeys.
probe: a spaceship or satellite used to explore outer space.
promote: to support or encourage something.
propaganda: misleading information meant to build support for a cause or point of view.
prosperous: very successful.
propel: to push or move something in one direction.
psychologist: a scientist who studies the behavior and thought processes of the mind.
puppet regime: a government that is controlled by an outside person or group, usually another country.
purge: getting rid of people seen as disloyal or a threat.
R-7: a powerful, early Soviet ICBM that carried the first satellite and first person into space.
radar: a device that detects objects by bouncing radio waves off them and measuring how long it takes for the waves to return.
radiation: electromagnetic particles that impair human health.
radioactive: a substance made of atoms that gives off nuclear energy.
Red Scare: the fear in the United States that members of the Soviet Union or other communist sympathizers were plotting to overthrow the U.S. government.
Redstone: an early rocket designed by Wernher von Braun that carried the first U.S. satellite and the first American astronauts into space.
regime: the government in power.
rendezvous: to come together or meet.
retro-rocket: an additional rocket on a spacecraft used to slow it down.
revolution: an overthrow of an established government by the people governed.
rocket: a vehicle that turns solid or liquid fuels into a hot gas that propels the vehicle in one direction, usually up.
rover: a slow-moving vehicle used to explore planets.
rural: having to do with the countryside instead of a city or town.
ruthless: having no pity for other people.
sabotage: to secretly damage or destroy something on purpose.
saltpeter: a chemical compound used in fireworks, also called potassium nitrate.
satellite: an object that circles another object in space. Also a device that circles the earth and transmits information.
Saturn V: the largest and most powerful rocket to ever fly, which carried American astronauts to the moon.
science fiction: a story set in the future about contact with other worlds and imaginary science and technology.
sentry: someone assigned to watch or guard a person, place, or thing.
sexism: discrimination based on a person’s sex or gender.
short circuit: a situation in which a current takes the path of least resistance. It may result in an electric shock.
Siberia: a large, northeastern area of Russia that is isolated and has a cold climate.
simulate: to imitate certain conditions for the purpose of testing or study.
sniper: someone who shoots from a long distance.
socialism: an economic and social system where the government owns or controls some businesses and resources.
solar system: the collection of eight planets and their moons in orbit around the sun, together with smaller bodies in the form of asteroids, meteoroids, comets, and dwarf planets.
solidarity: support within a group of people for an action, idea, or belief.
solid-fuel rocket: a rocket that burns a solid fuel to create thrust.
sounding rocket: a rocket used to obtain information about the earth’s atmosphere.
Soviet Union: a communist country that existed from 1922 until 1991 that included present-day Russia.
Soyuz (1967–present): Soviet and later Russian spacecraft capable of carrying three passengers into Earth’s orbit.
space adaptation syndrome: a condition of space travelers that feels like motion sickness.
Space Race: the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve the greatest accomplishments in space exploration.
space station: a large artificial satellite that can hold many people for long periods of time.
spacewalk: when a space traveler puts on a spacesuit and leaves the protection of his or her spacecraft to perform tasks.
spacecraft: a spaceship that explores the solar system and sends data back to Earth.
speculate: to make a guess or theory about something without having all the information.
Sputnik: the world’s first artificial satellite, launched by the USSR on October 4, 1957. Means “traveling companion” in Russian.
stabilization: becoming less likely to move or change position.
stalemate: a contest where neither side is winning.
STEM: stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
steppe: a huge, generally flat, and treeless area.
streamlined: designed so that air or water can flow easily around something, such as an airplane or a shark.
strenuous: a physically or mentally difficult task.
suborbital: a path that takes an object into space but does not have enough speed to reach orbit.
sulfur: a chemical element often used in the creation of fireworks.
summit: a conference of high-level officials.
superiority: having an advantage over or being more powerful than someone or something.
superpower: a very powerful and influential nation, used especially with reference to the United States and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.
surveillance: observing an enemy.
sympathizer: someone who agrees with an idea or opinion.
technology: the tools, methods, and systems used to solve a problem or do work.
The Communist Manifesto: a call for a revolution to form a collective form of government, called communism. Written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848.
thrust: a force that pushes an object forward.
totalitarian: a system of government that has absolute control over its people and requires them to be completely obedient.
treason: the act of betraying someone or something, usually your own country.
treaty: a formal agreement between countries.
tsar: a Russian ruler.
Tsar Bomba: the largest nuclear bomb ever tested, in 1961.
U-2: a high-altitude aircraft used for intelligence gathering since the late 1950s.
United Nations: a global organization where countries work together for the common good.
uprising: an act of resistance or rebellion against a person or group in charge.
USSR: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Soviet Union or Russia.
utopian: impossibly ideal.
V-2: also known as the “vengeance weapon,” this was the first ballistic missile, first used in World War II by the German military.
vacuum: a space with nothing in it, not even air.
violation: the breaking of a law or agreement.
visionary: able to anticipate the future and see ways of doing things before many others do.
warhead: a weapon that is the explosive part of a missile.
Warsaw Pact: a military alliance formed in 1955 between the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries. It dissolved in 1991.
working class: people who work in factories and in jobs using their hands.
World War I (1914–1918): also known as “The Great War,” this conflict was fought between the Allies (Russia, France, Great Britain, United States, and others) and the Central powers (Germany, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ottoman Empire, and others), and won by the Allies.
World War II (1939–1945): also known as the Second World War, fought between the Allies (Great Britain, France, United States, Soviet Union, and others) and the Axis powers (Germany, Japan, Italy, and others), won by the Allies.