Houston: Space City, USA

PicoBuddyUpper ElementaryInformational2 min read318 words
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Houston: Space City, USA

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered about space? Well, Houston, Texas, is one of the most important cities in the world when it comes to exploring the stars! Houston has many cool museums and is also home to NASA's Johnson Space Center. Let's explore why Houston is called "Space City."

NASA's Home

The Johnson Space Center is like the headquarters for human spaceflight. This is where astronauts train, and where many of the most important space missions are planned and controlled. It's where people on Earth talked to Neil Armstrong when he took his first steps on the moon in 1969! Because of this, Houston became known around the world as a center for space exploration.

Mission Control

One of the coolest things about the Johnson Space Center is Mission Control. From Mission Control, teams of experts watch over astronauts in space. They help guide the astronauts and solve any problems that come up during their missions. You can even visit Mission Control and see where history was made!

Museums and Space

Glossary
NASA:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the US government agency that leads space exploration.
Mission Control:
The place where experts watch over and guide astronauts during space missions.
headquarters:
The main place where an organization does its work and makes important decisions.
exploration:
The act of traveling to new or unknown places to discover and learn about them.
engineers:
People who use science and math to design, build, and solve problems with machines or structures.
astronauts:
People who are trained to travel and work in outer space.

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Preview questions from this passageShow
  1. 1Why is Houston called "Space City"?
  2. 2What is the Johnson Space Center?

Where this passage belongs

Part of a collectionRockets & Spacecraft Reading PassagesExplore the whole collection · 28 passagesAbout this regionTexasExplore more readings and facts

About this informational passage for Upper Elementary

“Houston: Space City, USA” is a informational reading passage about Space Exploration, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (318 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.

Is this passage free?

Yes. With a free account, you can read “Houston: Space City, USA” online and download a printable PDF worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.

What reading level is “Houston: Space City, USA”?

It’s written for Upper Elementary — a informational text about Space Exploration, about a 2-minute read (318 words).

What’s included with this passage?

An illustrated reading passage, a glossary of key terms, comprehension questions with an answer key, and an interactive quiz.

Can I adapt it for my students?

Yes. Remix is included with Pro and Max for adapting it to another grade level or language.