Animals & Nature

Space Word Search

This space word search hides words like galaxy, planet, rocket to find. Play it free online or print the PDF with the answer key, a handy space vocabulary activity.

10 words · 11×11 grid · Medium · Answer key included · Free printable PDF

Animals & Nature

Show / hide answers

Tap the first and last letter of a word — or use arrow keys and Enter. Dragging works too.

SUPERNOVA
TELESCOPE
ASTRONAUT
ASTEROID
UNIVERSE
GRAVITY
ECLIPSE
GALAXY
PLANET
ROCKET

🎉 Solved — all 10 words found!

True stories

The car in deep space

Kennedy Space Center, Florida

In February 2018, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a powerful new rocket lifted off carrying an unusual passenger: a cherry-red sports car with a mannequin in a spacesuit buckled in the driver's seat. The car was a test weight, chosen instead of dull concrete blocks, and it carried a small plaque and a copy of a favorite science fiction novel. Cameras beamed back images of the dummy, nicknamed Starman, cruising past Earth with the planet glowing blue behind him. The car is now in orbit around the Sun, looping out toward Mars and back. It will keep circling our star for many years, a strange and cheerful monument to human curiosity.

The photo that changed Earth

Lunar orbit, the Moon

On Christmas Eve in 1968, three astronauts circling the Moon became the first people to see Earth rise over another world. As their craft came around the far side, the planet appeared above the gray horizon, a small blue marble wrapped in white clouds, alone in the black. One astronaut grabbed a color camera and snapped a photo now called Earthrise. Back home the image stunned millions, showing the whole world without borders, fragile and beautiful in the dark. Many people credit that single picture with sparking the modern movement to protect the environment. The crew had flown to study the Moon and ended up rediscovering Earth.

Print this Space word search

Did you know?

galaxy: There are more galaxies in the observable universe than grains of sand on every beach on Earth.
planet: On Venus a single day lasts longer than its year, because it spins slower than it circles the Sun.
rocket: A rocket must reach about 17,500 miles per hour to stay in low orbit around Earth.
gravity: On the Moon, gravity is so weak that an astronaut who weighs 180 pounds on Earth would weigh just 30 pounds.
eclipse: A total solar eclipse works because the Moon and Sun look the same size from Earth by sheer coincidence.
asteroid: Most asteroids in our solar system orbit the Sun in a wide belt between Mars and Jupiter.
universe: The universe has been expanding ever since the Big Bang, with distant galaxies rushing farther apart every second.
supernova: A supernova is the violent explosion of a dying star, briefly shining brighter than a whole galaxy.
telescope: The James Webb telescope is so sensitive it could detect a bumblebee's body heat from as far away as the Moon.
astronaut: Astronauts can grow up to two inches taller in space, because without gravity their spine gently stretches out.
nebula: A nebula is a giant cloud of gas and dust where new stars are born, often spanning many light-years across.
spacesuit: A spacesuit is basically a personal spacecraft, supplying oxygen, pressure, and protection from deadly temperature extremes.
constellation: The night sky is divided into 88 official constellations, patterns of stars once used by sailors to navigate.
satellite: The oldest human-made satellite still in orbit is Vanguard 1, launched in 1958 and silent but circling to this day.
meteor: Most meteors that streak across the sky are no bigger than a grain of sand, burning up high in the air.

Trivia

Which planet is the largest in our solar system?
Jupiter.
What was the name of the first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957?
Sputnik 1.
Who was the first human to travel into space, in 1961?
Yuri Gagarin.
What is the name of the galaxy that contains our solar system?
The Milky Way.
Which planet is known as the Red Planet?
Mars.

Trivia · 1 / 5

Which planet is the largest in our solar system?

Jupiter.

In their words

That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.
Neil Armstrong

The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.
Carl Sagan

Is this space word search free to print?

This space word search is a free printable puzzle with 10 hidden words in an 11×11 grid. Find words like SUPERNOVA, TELESCOPE, ASTRONAUT hidden across, down, and diagonally. You can play it right here in your browser — tap the first and last letter of a word — or download it as a printable PDF with the full answer key on page two. It's free for personal and classroom use, so teachers can print copies for a whole class with no sign-up and no account. Word searches like this one are a proven way to build vocabulary, spelling, and word-shape recognition, which is why they're a favourite with ESL learners, elementary classrooms, and anyone who likes a quiet puzzle with their coffee.

Print this Space word search