Space Exploration Word Search

About this puzzle

From countdown to splashdown, this list covers how people explore space: the rockets and boosters that lift off from a launchpad, the capsules and space stations where astronauts live and work, the uncrewed rovers, probes, orbiters and satellites that go where people cannot yet travel, and the mission control teams on the ground. TELESCOPE belongs here too — space telescopes have transformed what we can see of the universe.

The default layout is Medium on a 14×14 grid. Easy, Medium and Hard each use their own checked layout of the same words, and every one can be printed in standard or large print on US Letter or A4.

Word notes

Astronaut

From Greek words meaning "star sailor"; Russia uses the word cosmonaut and China taikonaut.

Space Station

The International Space Station has been continuously occupied by crews since November 2000.

Rover

A wheeled robot that explores the surface of another world.

Satellite

Any object that orbits a planet: the Moon is a natural satellite, and thousands of artificial ones circle Earth.

Spacewalk

Officially called extravehicular activity; the first was made by Alexei Leonov in 1965.

Probe

An uncrewed spacecraft sent to study distant objects.

Try this after the puzzle

Plan a mission in pairs: choose a destination — the Moon, Mars or an asteroid — then use at least eight words from the list to describe the mission from countdown to landing. Older students can compare a crewed mission with a robotic one and list the advantages of each.

All 14 words

Astronaut · Rocket · Launchpad · Capsule · Space Station · Rover · Satellite · Telescope · Spacewalk · Countdown · Orbiter · Probe · Mission Control · Booster