Space

Across

3. “a mass of stone or metal that has reached the earth from outer space;a fallen meteorite” (Dictionary.com).
6. “a continuous area or expanse that is free, available, or unoccupied”(Dictionary.com) .
7. “the point on the celestial sphere vertically above a given position or observer” (Dictionary.com).
8. “a hypothetical form of energy whose negative pressure counteracts gravity and is assumed to be responsible for the universe expanding at an accelerating rate.” (Dictionary.com)
9. This is a satellite in Earth’s orbit that is used to observe astronomical, environmental, and geological research. One of the more interesting parts of the ISS is the research that NASA does on the effects of living in space for long periods of time, known as microgravity (Sharp).
10. “the obscuration of the light of the moon by the intervention of the earth between it and the sun (lunar eclipse) or the obscuration of the light of the sun by the intervention of the moon between it and apoint on the earth (solar eclipse)” (Dictionary.com).
11. “a creature from outer space; extraterrestrial.” (Dictionary.com)
13. This was one of the most sad missions for America, in that three Americans lost their lives due to a fire that occurred inside the cockpit of the shuttle. (Dunbar “Apollo 1”)
14. “the curved path of a celestial object or spacecraft around a star, planet, or moon, especially a periodic elliptical revolution” (Dictionary.com). In orbit right now around the Earth are more than two thousand satellites, as well as space junk from previous missions.
15. This was one of NASA’s most important missions. In this mission, NASA landed the first man on the moon Neil Armstrong. Arguably this is the most important mission for NASA because all in all they beat Russia to the moon and America established their amazing space program (Apollo 11).
16. “any of the heavenly bodies, except the moon, appearing as fixed luminous points in the sky at night” (Dictionary.com).
17. This telescope is the most powerful telescope known to man. The telescope can look into space at amazing distances, and it has discovered an immense amount of new galaxies, planets, etc. More recently, Hubble has captured the first ever predicted supernova explosion, further showing it’s amazing capabilities (Caught in the Act) (Hubble).
22. “A cloud of interstellar gas and dust.” (Dictionary.com)
24. This was the first satellite placed into the Earth’s orbit. This has huge significance in that it basically started what is known as the ‘space age’ (Sputnik 1).
25. “the force of attraction by which terrestrial bodies tend to fall toward the center of the earth.” (Dictionary.com)
26. “a system of millions or billions of stars, together with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.” (Dictionary.com) The milky way galaxy, where the Earth lies, is estimated to have about two hundred to three hundred billion celestial bodies.
27. “the distance traversed by light in one mean solar year,about 5.88 trillion mi. (9.46 trillion km): used as a unit in measuring stellar distances” (Dictionary.com).
28. “the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.” (Dictionary.com)
30. “a small body of matter from outer space that enters the earth's atmosphere, becoming incandescent as a result of friction and appearing as a streak of light” (Dictionary.com). A meteor is also commonly known as a ‘shooting star’.
31. This was the first spacecraft to touch base on Mars. It returned images of the surface and took scientific tests of the surface to try and find signs of life, which turned up negative (Viking 1).

Down

1. “the totality of known or supposed objects and phenomena throughout space; the cosmos; macrocosm” (Dictionary.com).
2. “moving backward; having a backward motion or direction; retiring or retreating” (Dictionary.com).
4. shower “the profusion of meteors observed when the earth passes through a meteor swarm” (Dictionary.com).
5. “a star that suddenly increases greatly in brightness because of a catastrophic explosion that ejects most of its mass.” (Dictionary.com)
6. “any of several U.S. space vehicles consisting of a reusable manned orbiter that touches down on a landing strip after an orbital mission,two reusable solid rocket boosters that drop off after initial ascent, and an expendable external tank containing liquid propellants.”
12. “the sun together with all the planets and other bodies that revolve around it” (Dictionary.com).
13. “the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth's atmosphere” (Dictionary.com).
18. “a theoretical massive object, formed at the beginning of the universe or by the gravitational collapse of a star exploding as a supernova, whose gravitational field is so intense that no electromagnetic radiation can escape” (Dictionary.com).
19. “any of the eight large heavenly bodies revolving about the sun and shining by reflected light: Mercury,Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune, in the order of their proximity to the sun” (Dictionary.com).
20. “the grouping or relative position of the stars as supposed to influence events, especially at a person's birth” (Dictionary.com).
21. “the star that is the central body of the solar system, around which the planets revolve and from which they receive light and heat” (Dictionary.com).
23. During this mission, NASA achieved orbit of another planet for the first time, and also the most influential photograph of all time was taken, known as “earthrise”. It features a glimpse of Earth from the moon that is truly beautiful and astounding. (Dunbar “Apollo 8”)
29. “an artificial body placed in orbit around the earth or moon or another planet in order to collect information or for communication” (Dictionary.com). Satellites are what make many things today possible, such as international communication, predicting weather, and even GPS. Without satellites the Earth would live in a less connected world.