Astronauts: Pages 100–158

by Jim Ottaviani, Maris Wicks
Using a graphic novel format, the authors of Primates tell the stories of the first women in space, focusing on astronaut Mary Cleave.

This list covers vocabulary from pages 100–158.

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
15 words 207 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ingenious
    showing inventiveness and skill
    You're ingenious so early in the morning here.
  2. precision
    the quality of being exact
    It's precision work at the end of a 15.2-meter, 410-kg robotic arm, complete with wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints.
  3. buoyancy
    the tendency to float in water or other liquid
    So we spent time in the Natural Buoyancy Lab, with Woody Spring and Jerry Ross underwater and me and Bryan "inside" the "shuttle."
  4. acceleration
    (physics) a rate of increase of velocity
    ...and we're not done yet, because we're not in orbit, so the engines pick back up again and acceleration builds and pressure...
  5. botany
    the branch of biology that studies plants
    Rodolfo did botany experiments with beans and wheat.
  6. adaptation
    the process of adjusting or conforming to new conditions
    So when you're done checking out the equipment, we'll be ready for our sleep period. That'll help with the adaptation.
  7. alignment
    adjusting the parts of something in relation to each other
    Thigh restraints: hold you in place and aid alignment.
  8. initiate
    set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for
    Houston, initiating waste and water supply dump.
  9. prototype
    the first functional model of some new design or product
    On this first one, I was going to move equipment for 'em, and after they put together the space station prototypes, I'd take Woody out on the arm for a unique satellite deployment.
  10. rendezvous
    a meeting planned at a certain time and place
    The next day, Bryan and Brewster were going to use it to test rendezvous software for future space station docking, among other things.
  11. configuration
    an arrangement of parts or elements
    And because of the flight deck's window configuration, the operator needs an extra set of eyes.
  12. tether
    restraint consisting of a rope or chain
    Waist tethers both attached to tether attach fitting.
  13. plasma
    a fourth state of matter distinct from solid, liquid or gas
    Reentry creates a plasma—hot, ionized gas—around the shuttle.
  14. inclination
    the angle between the plane of the orbit and the ecliptic
    High inclination is better than low inclination.
  15. astrophysicist
    a scientist who studies the properties of celestial bodies
    They're all astrophysicists. I think because Albert Einstein was an astrophysicist.
Created on Tue Feb 11 11:02:00 EST 2020 (updated Mon Jul 14 10:35:51 EDT 2025)

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