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👨‍🚀 Astronauts!

How astronauts get picked, train in a giant pool, ride a rocket, live while they fall around Earth, and come home as a fireball.

6
lessons
~25 min
to learn
🔬 Science
subject
Ages 6–12
level
Start the course →

What you’ll learn

  1. Getting Picked and TrainingLearn how NASA chooses astronauts and how they train — including in a giant pool.NASA last chose 10 candidates from more than 8,000 applicants. They train about two years, including in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, one of the world's largest indoor pools, plus simulators, a reduced-gravity airplane, and team practice on Earth.
  2. Riding the RocketUnderstand what launch feels like and why a rocket must go so fast.A launch shakes and pushes you into your seat for about eight minutes. The station travels at about 17,500 mph and circles Earth every 90 minutes. Rockets drop empty stages; some first stages now land and fly again. Docking can happen as soon as about four hours after launch.
  3. Floating Life in SpaceDiscover how astronauts sleep, eat, wash, and stay strong while they float.Weightlessness is falling together, not missing gravity. Crews sleep in wall bags, eat from packets and tortillas to avoid crumbs, wash with no-rinse soap, and exercise at least two hours a day. The station sees 16 sunrises every 24 hours.
  4. SpacewalksLearn what a spacewalk is, how the suit protects you, and how you stay attached.NASA calls a fully equipped spacesuit a one-person spacecraft. Tethers are the main leash; SAFER is a backup jetpack with a joystick. Spacewalks fix, build, and upgrade the station. Getting dressed and ready takes hours.
  5. Coming HomeUnderstand reentry, the heat shield, parachutes, and wobbly first steps on Earth.Coming home, the ship dives into the air and glows; a heat shield takes the heat. Parachutes slow it for a splash or a ground landing. After months of floating, helpers lift the crew out and strength returns with exercise.
  6. Could You Be One?See who flies, how kids can start, who went first, and one thing to look for tonight.NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA share the station. Gagarin flew on 12 April 1961; Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon on 20 July 1969. Kids start with curiosity, science, fitness, and teamwork. Spot the Station tells you when to look up.

Questions this course answers

Why do astronauts train underwater in NASA's giant pool?

NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory is one of the world's largest indoor pools. Floating in water is not the same as space, but it is the closest practice on Earth.

How many people did NASA pick the last time it hired astronauts?

In the 2024 application round NASA received more than 8,000 applications and selected 10 candidates. They then train for about two years.

What is a simulator?

A simulator looks and feels like the real ship but stays on the ground, so crews can practice launches, docking, and problems.

What does launch feel like, according to astronauts?

The ship shakes and roars. Speeding up pushes the crew into their seats until the engines stop, about eight minutes later, and they float.

About how fast does the space station travel?

NASA says the station travels at 17,500 mph, or five miles per second, and circles Earth about every 90 minutes.

Why does everything float in space?

Earth is still pulling. The crew and the station fall around the planet together, so they do not press on the floor.

Grounded in trusted sources

  • NASA — Astronaut Selection Program (more than 8,000 applicants in 2024; 10 candidates; about two years of training; 370 selected since 1959)
  • NASA — Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (one of the world's largest indoor pools; 202 × 102 × 40 ft; 6.2 million gallons)
  • NASA — International Space Station Facts and Figures (about 90-minute orbit; 16 sunrises and sunsets a day; 5 miles per second; usual crew of seven; exercise at least two hours a day; Canadarm2 is 55 feet; continuously occupied since November 2000; five agencies)
  • NASA — What Is the International Space Station? Grades 5–8 (about 17,500 mph; about 250 miles up; 90-minute orbit)
  • NASA — What Is a Spacesuit? (a fully equipped suit is a one-person spacecraft; oxygen, cooling, drink bag, gold visor; SAFER jets on the backpack)
  • NASA — What Is a Spacewalk? Grades K–4 (tethers; tools tethered; SAFER backpack jets flown with a small joystick)
  • NASA — Astronaut Exercise / Living in Space (crew members average or work out at least two hours a day to protect muscle and bone)
  • NASA Spot the Station — https://spotthestation.nasa.gov (when the ISS flies over your town)

Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.

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