Level 1 - Absolute Beginner

A rocket flew up on October 13. It carried a ship called Dragon. The ship goes to the space station.

Dragon has food, tools and science tests. It also has new solar arrays. They make power from the sun.

Dragon will stay at the station for about one month.

rocket

a vehicle that flies into space

space

the place far above Earth

station

a building where people live and work

cargo

things carried by a ship

science

learning about the world by tests

solar

about the sun

power

energy

month

about thirty days

Level 2 - Elementary

On October 13, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It carried a Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station. This was the 35th cargo flight that SpaceX has flown for NASA under its resupply contract.

Dragon holds about 6,300 pounds of supplies and science tests for the astronauts. It also carries new solar arrays. These panels will help the station make electricity from sunlight.

The ship, called Dragon C211, will stay at the station for about one month. Then it will come back to Earth with results from the science work.

lifted off

left the ground

contract

a written agreement

supplies

food, tools and other things needed

astronaut

a person who travels in space

panel

a flat part of a larger thing

electricity

the energy that powers lights and machines

sunlight

light from the sun

results

what you learn at the end of a test

Level 3 - Intermediate

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral on October 13, sending a Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station. It was the 35th mission SpaceX has flown for NASA under the Commercial Resupply Services contract, a program that lets the agency buy delivery services from private companies.

The capsule, known as Dragon C211, carries roughly 6,300 pounds of science investigations, crew supplies and hardware. Among the equipment are new solar arrays meant to boost the station's electrical supply as older panels age.

Dragon is expected to remain docked for about a month. Before it leaves, astronauts will unload the fresh cargo and load the capsule with completed experiments and used equipment, which will then return to Earth for analysis.

capsule

a small spacecraft that carries people or cargo

commercial

done by a private company to make money

investigation

a careful study to find out facts

hardware

physical equipment

boost

to increase

docked

joined to a station in space

unload

to take cargo out

analysis

a careful examination of something

Level 4 - Advanced

At the conclusion of a launch countdown on October 13, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rose from Cape Canaveral carrying the Dragon cargo capsule bound for the International Space Station. The flight was SpaceX's 35th under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract, the arrangement under which the agency purchases deliveries from private operators rather than building its own freighters.

The capsule, designated Dragon C211, holds roughly 6,300 pounds of scientific investigations, crew provisions and hardware. Prominent in the manifest are new solar arrays intended to augment the outpost's electrical supply as its original panels degrade after years of exposure to radiation and thermal cycling.

Dragon is expected to stay berthed for about a month. Astronauts will empty it, repack it with finished experiments and discarded equipment, and release it for a return to Earth, where researchers will examine the samples and the data they could not have gathered on the ground.

The routine cadence of such flights is itself the story: a task once attempted only by governments is now a scheduled commercial service.

countdown

the final counting before a launch

freighter

a vehicle built to carry cargo

provisions

supplies, especially food

manifest

the list of items carried

augment

to make greater

degrade

to become worse over time

berthed

moored at a docking point

cadence

a regular rhythm or frequency