About this coloring page
A pointed spacecraft with a round window stands between two tall, rounded boosters. A wide triangular wing stretches out behind them at the base, and three jagged plumes of flame burst out below, one under each booster and one in the middle. Small stars and dots surround the launch.
This drawing has tall, narrow shapes that need a steadier hand than the simple rocket, which makes it a good next step. Point out that there are three separate flames to color, one for each engine section.
Color ideas
- Make the two tall boosters white and the center craft white with a black nose, like the real shuttle orbiter.
- Color the wide wing area orange to remind kids of the big orange fuel tank the real shuttle rode on.
- Give all three flames the same yellow-to-red blend so they look like they are firing together.
Did you know?
- NASA's space shuttles flew from 1981 to 2011, carrying astronauts and equipment into orbit.
- Unlike most spacecraft, the shuttle came home by gliding down and landing on a runway like an airplane.
- In 1990, a space shuttle carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit, where it still takes pictures of distant stars and galaxies.
Try this
Fold a paper airplane together and glide it across the room, then talk about how the shuttle also glided home without its engines running.
