11 Rocket Coloring Pages That'll Put Your Little Astronaut Into Fun's Orbit
Long before we first sent someone into the stars to land on the moon, we dreamed about space exploration and tried to understand the world around us. It’s easy to look back at the technological timeline and think that only modern humans have cared about what lies beyond our planet. That would be wrong, though. Just consider the fact that it’s Galileo (born in 1564) who is called the father of observational astronomy. The Hubble telescope might be our current favorite way to see the stars, but at 30 years old, it’s still a baby when you factor in that the first recorded telescope dates back to 1608. Seeing into space, though, isn’t quite as magnificent as traveling there. Hence, our kids’ fun obsession with rockets. Double hence, the reason we decided to create a collection of super-rad rocket coloring pages.
If your children are currently rocketing around the room and you need some peace (same), coloring pages are always the answer. Admittedly, it can be hard sometimes to get your seemingly jet-fueled kiddos to sit down long enough to color. Having coloring sheets about things that interest them, however, can make a world of difference. These rocket coloring pages are perfect for your future cosmos explorer! Once they finish these, they can zoom on over to our solar system coloring pages and alien coloring pages.
Free Rocket Coloring Pages
Rocket No. 1
Many people refer to anything that goes into space as a rocket. While most people don’t know the difference or won’t fact-check you, a “rocket” has a much more specific definition. Keep reading to find out what that definition is! Did you know that Atlas and Delta rockets have launched more than one thousand missions? Fun fact: The average rocket can carry more than 6,000 pounds and produces more than one million pounds of thrust!
Rocket No. 2
The “rocket” is actually the part of a spacecraft that uses a controlled explosion to propel a missile or spacecraft into the sky. But humans aren’t the only earthlings who went into space. On Nov. 29, 1961, Enos the chimp boarded the Mercury-Atlas. It took him a little over an hour to finish his first orbit. But did you know rockets could also be festive spaces? On Dec. 18, 1958, the Atlas B booster played a Christmas greeting from then-President Dwight Eisenhower. Imagine spending the holidays in space?!
Rocket No. 3
Did you know that fireworks classify as rockets? It’s true! That means rockets were invented in China during the 13th century’s Song Dynasty when the country first began using fireworks. The word rocket comes from the Italian word “rocchetta,” which means bobbin or little spindle.
Rocket No. 4
You may have guessed by now, but “rockets” encompass more than just space flight (and fireworks). Militaries also use rockets to deliver bombs to their final destination. Sometimes they’re used for long distances. Other times, like in the case of rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), they’re used at a closer range.
Rocket No. 5
Rockets work differently than planes, as they don’t need air. Instead, their fuel is ignited and creates a hot gas (insert obvious fart joke here), which thrusts them forward. In other words, they need their exhaust to move, instead of it just being a by-product of their movement.
Rocket No. 6
It may not seem like it when we’re just walking around living our lives, but Earth’s gravity is fantastically strong. For a rocketed space shuttle to escape the Earth’s gravitational pull and make it into space, it must reach speeds of at least 420 miles per hour.
Rocket No. 7
Space shuttles orbiting the Earth go much faster, though! To stay in orbit around Earth, they travel at speeds of about 17,500 miles per hour. That’s roughly 270 times faster than the average speed of a car on the highway.
Rocket No. 8
The first living animal to go into space was Laika, a dog aboard the Soviet satellite Sputnik. The Soviet Union was so proud of Sputnik and Laika. For a long time after the satellite launch, the government would give descendants of Laika’s bloodline as a gift to deserving individuals. Unfortunately, Laika perished in space. The dog overheated and died five hours into the mission.
Rocket No. 9
America might have been the first to put a man on the moon, but the Soviet Union has us beat on many other space firsts. Aside from launching the first satellite and first dog, they crossed several other firsts off the list, too. They were the first to land an unmanned vehicle on the moon, the first to launch a human into space, the first to send a spacecraft past another planet, and the first to send a female to space.
Rocket No. 10
On that subject, can you remember the names of the first humans on the moon? They were astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. There have been 12 men total to walk on the moon. No women yet, but with the super-smart and strong women pursuing careers in space exploration now, it’s only a matter of time!
Rocket No. 11
Did you know the first rocket was launched in Germany in 1942? It was called the V-2 rocket and wasn’t initially designed for space travel. During World War II, it was created to be a ballistic missile.
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