a new moon rover

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA trains astronauts to explore the universe.. The astronauts wore space suits on the rover.. That way the astronauts would not need

Moon Rover

A New

A Nonfiction Narrative

by Susan Halko

Write About Sun and Stars

Moon Rover

A New

A Nonfiction Narrative

by Susan Halko

The National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA) trains astronauts

to explore the universe NASA has sent astronauts to the moon six times The last trip was in 1972.

NASA plans to send astronauts

back to the moon by 2020

NASA wants astronauts to

explore more of the moon.

3

In 1972, astronauts used a rover

to explore

moon rover

The astronauts wore space suits

on the rover Space suits are big

and clumsy Space suits made it

hard to explore.

5

By 2020, astronauts will want to explore even more But they will not want to wear space suits all the time

So NASA decided to make a new

moon rover They would call it the

Lunar Electric Rover, or LER.

7

First, NASA had to think about what

the LER would be like They wanted the LER to have big windows That way

astronauts would be able to get a close look at the moon from inside the rover.

They also wanted the LER to be

covered That way the astronauts would

not need to wear space suits inside.

9

The space suits would stay outside on the back of the rover The LER would have a small door leading to the suits

Astronauts could climb through the

door and slip right into their suits

Then they could walk on the moon

and explore more.

11

After scientists built the LER, they needed

to test it They drove it in a desert in

Arizona The desert has dry dirt and rocks

It even has a crater!

crater

Lunar Electric Rover (LER)

The moon has dry dirt and rocks,

too It also has craters

crater

13

In the desert, the LER rode over bumps and rocks Then the LER got a flat tire!

People from NASA fixed it They decided

that the LER should have different tires

when it goes to the moon.

15

NASA is still working on getting the LER ready for

the trip to the

moon In 2020,

astronauts will be

glad to have the LER!

Author’s Note

“Part space suit, part sports car.” This is how one scientist described the LER When I read that, I knew I wanted

to find out more!

So I researched the new rover on the Internet I found lots of interesting information I learned that the new rover has beds,

a shower, and even a bathroom!

I found pictures, too When

I first saw a picture of the LER, I was surprised It looked so much different than the old rovers.

I wanted to tell the story of the LER Why did astronauts want to build it? How was it going to be better than the old rovers?

I am excited that astronauts are working on a new rover Someday, you may write

a story about even newer ways to travel on the moon!

— Susan Halko

Acknowledgments

Grateful acknowledgment is given to the authors, artists, photographers, museums, publishers,

and agents for permission to reprint copyrighted material Every effort has been made to secure

the appropriate permission If any omissions have been made or if corrections are required,

please contact the Publisher

Photographic Credits

Cover (bg) Stockbyte/Getty Images, (inset) Regan Geeseman/NASA - Johnson Space Center;

Title (bg) NASA - Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC)/NASA Image Exchange; 2-3 (bg) Bruce

Heinemann/Photodisc/Alamy Images; 2 (t inset) David R Scott/NASA - Johnson Space Center,

(b inset) NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA-MSFC)/NASA Image Exchange; 3 (inset) James

Blair/NASA/Handout/Corbis; 4-5 (bg) Harrison H Schmitt/NASA - Johnson Space Center; 4 (inset)

NASA Headquarters - Greatest Images of NASA (NASA-HQ-GRIN); 5 (inset) NASA; 6-7 (bg)

NASA - Johnson Space Center; 7 (inset) Regan Geeseman/NASA - Johnson Space Center; 8-9 (bg)

Brian Adducci/iStockphoto; 8 (inset) Regan Geeseman/NASA - Johnson Space Center; 9 (inset)

Robert Markowitz/NASA - Johnson Space Center; 10 NASA - Johnson Space Center; 11 (t) Regan

Geeseman/NASA - Johnson Space Center, (c, b) Robert Markowitz/NASA - Johnson Space Center;

12 (t) Oleksandr Buzko/iStockphoto, (b) PhotoDisc/Getty Images; 13 (bg) NASA, (inset) NASA

Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA-MSFC)/NASA Image Exchange; 14-15 (bg) Brian Adducci/

iStockphoto; 15 (inset) NASA - Johnson Space Center; 16 Emilio Ereza/Alamy Images

Neither the Publisher nor the authors shall be liable for any damage that may be caused or

sustained or result from conducting any of the activities in this publication without specifically

following instructions, undertaking the activities without proper supervision, or failing to comply

with the cautions contained herein

Program Authors

Kathy Cabe Trundle, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Early Childhood Science Education, The Ohio

State University, Columbus, Ohio; Randy Bell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Science Education,

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; Malcolm B Butler, Ph.D., Associate Professor

of Science Education, University of South Florida, St Petersburg, Florida; Nell K Duke, Ed.D.,

Co-Director of the Literacy Achievement Research Center and Professor of Teacher Education

and Educational Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan; Judith Sweeney

Lederman, Ph.D., Director of Teacher Education and Associate Professor of Science Education,

Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago,

Illinois; David W Moore, Ph.D., Professor of Education, College of Teacher Education and

Leadership, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

The National Geographic Society

John M Fahey, Jr., President & Chief Executive Officer

Gilbert M Grosvenor, Chairman of the Board

Copyright © 2011 The Hampton-Brown Company, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the National

Geographic Society, publishing under the imprints National Geographic School Publishing and

Hampton-Brown

All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by

any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information

storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher

National Geographic and the Yellow Border are registered trademarks of the National

Geographic Society

National Geographic School Publishing

Hampton-Brown

www.NGSP.com

Printed in the USA

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ISBN 978-0-7362-7664-1

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Writing Nonfiction Narrative