An astronaut is a super cool explorer who travels into space to learn about the stars, planets, and everything else in the universe. They train really hard to become experts at flying in special ships called spacecraft and working in places where there's no air to breathe and where tiny space rocks are flying all around, like the Moon or Mars!

In order to do their jobs safely they must wear a space suit. 

Space suits are like superhero costumes in that they’re super strong and packed with cool gadgets, like a built-in radio to talk to their friends on Earth and special gold visors to protect their eyes from the bright Sun. These visors are able to reflect infrared light while letting in visible light, protecting the astronauts' eyes from unfiltered sunlight. Astronaut helmets also have a ventilation system that provides them with oxygen so they can breathe.

When exploring space you want to be able to use your hands and fingers, right? How else can you touch and pick up objects? Space suit gloves protect astronauts from the space environment and are made so spacewalkers can move their fingers as easily as possible. The fingers are the part of the body that gets coldest in space, similar to your fingers on a cold day here on Earth, and the gloves on spacesuits are equipped with heaters to keep fingers warm while still allowing dexterity, or movement ability, to use tools. 

On the flipside, astronauts can get very warm while working hard to walk in their suits for multiple hours. To avoid heat build-up, they wear a cooling garment under their suits that is lined with water tubes to keep them cool throughout the spacewalk. There’s no skipping out on a jacket or hat in space! Without the space suit, outer space exploration wouldn’t be possible.

But what do they bring with them? Is there special equipment? 

You bet! The Portable Life Support System (PLSS) is a high-tech backpack with everything astronauts need while they explore: Electricity, a fan, carbon dioxide removal system, water tank for the cooling garment, and a 2-way radio. On the Hard Upper Torso of the suit (the HUT), there is a control panel which operates the backpack. 

With all of this gear on (including the reflective Gold Visor), it can be hard for Astronauts to tell each other apart during spacewalks. To clear up any confusion, there are red or white identifying stripes on the strip of their lower torso to allow them to identify each other. 

When astronauts wear their space suits, they're ready for any adventure, whether it's floating in a spaceship, walking on the Moon, or exploring new planets!

Now that we have introduced the star characters (no pun intended) of this cosmic setting, let’s continue to set the stage for our outer space adventures!

So now we know there’s a neighborhood floating in the cosmos, but what about transportation? How do we travel from Earth to the ISS and elsewhere? Surely there must be a Space Tesla or something? Well, not quite, but there are crewed spacecraft. 

A crewed spacecraft is like a space taxi that carries astronauts into space to explore and learn new things. It's a special kind of spaceship designed just for people, with everything they need to live and work while they're on their exciting journey through the stars. Perhaps it’s like traveling in an RV across the country, only this time the country is outer space! When a crewed spacecraft is launched into space it's carried by a rocket. The rocket provides the necessary thrust to lift the spacecraft off the ground and into orbit around the Earth or to travel to other destinations in the solar system.

Crewed spacecraft have played a significant role in space exploration. They've taken astronauts to exciting places like the Moon and helped them reach the International Space Station, that giant clubhouse we talked about earlier. These spacecraft are built to keep astronauts safe and comfortable while traversing the cosmos.

Inside a crewed spacecraft there is a cockpit which has seats for the astronauts, controls to fly the spaceship, and all kinds of cool equipment for the astronauts to use during their mission. There is also a Life Support System which provides astronauts with air to breath and keeps the temperature just right. There is a kitchen and dining area and even a place to sleep and exercise!

Sometimes crewed spacecraft need to connect to other spacecraft or space stations, like the International Space Station. They have a special docking system that lets them attach to other space vehicles so astronauts can move between them safely.

And what goes up must come down! When a spacecraft returns to Earth, it can get really hot from the friction with Earth's atmosphere. The spacecraft is equipped with a heat shield that protects the spacecraft and the astronauts inside from the extreme heat, so they can land safely back home. 

These incredible spacecraft have taken humans on some out-of-this-world adventures. They've helped us learn more about the universe, discover new things about our own planet, and have even worked together with other countries to make friends in space. They’re a big part of what makes exploring space so much fun!

But did you know, sometimes space is explored via spacecraft without a single human aboard? 

Probes are unmanned spacecraft that don't carry astronauts but are packed with scientific instruments and cameras to take pictures and collect data. Since they don't have people on board, probes can go on really long missions sometimes lasting many years, allowing for them to explore the outer reaches of our solar system. They can be sent to orbit or to land on planets and moons to gather data. 

Another space contraption that is sent into space to explore is a Rover. A rover is also designed to operate for long periods of time and to move around on the surface of a planet or a moon typically equipped with various scientific instruments for exploration and study. 

So probes and rovers are both used for exploration. The key difference is that probes typically do not move around on the surface of a planet or moon while rovers are specifically designed to do so. Probes can travel much faster and farther through space whereas rovers are better suited for exploring a specific area in detail.

Once the information has been gathered by the probe or rover it gets sent back to Earth, where scientists study the data to learn new things and make exciting discoveries. One of the most famous rovers is the Mars rover. There have actually been several Mars rovers over the years, each one more advanced than the last. The most recent Mars rover is called Perseverance, and it landed on Mars in February 2021. Perseverance is very cool because it has a lot of high-tech features. For example, it has a special helicopter drone that can fly around and explore areas that the rover can't reach on its own. Perseverance is also looking for signs of ancient life on Mars, which could help us understand whether there was ever life on other planets in our solar system.

Probes and satellites can carry telescopes and other instruments for observing the universe. A telescope is a device used to observe and study the universe, by collecting and analyzing electromagnetic radiation (such as visible light, X-rays, and radio waves) that is emitted by celestial objects like stars, planets, and galaxies. Telescopes come in many different shapes and sizes, and they can be used both on the ground and in space. You may even have one at home! 

Space telescopes are telescopes that are specifically designed to be launched into space and to observe the universe beyond the interference of the Earth's atmosphere. Unlike ground-based telescopes, which can be affected by atmospheric turbulence and light pollution, space telescopes can capture clearer and more detailed images of the universe. 

NASA’s largest and most powerful space science telescope ever constructed is the James Webb Space Telescope which launched on December 25th, 2021. As the largest optical telescope in space, it is equipped with high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments, allowing it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope to have seen. Take a moment and have a parent look up images captured by the Webb Telescope and be ready for some spectacular space art! 

Thanks to these amazing robot explorers and technological instruments, we're able to explore the universe from the comfort of our own planet and keep learning more about the incredible mysteries of space!

So what would you rather do? Are you more hands-on and wanting to explore space by actually being in space? Or do you prefer the comforts of home and studying it from afar? There’s no wrong answer, only preferences and it can be fun to talk about. Either way, we’re sure you’ll have a blast exploring the mysteries of the universe.