Worksheet · Ages 8–11 · 15 min

Rocket words: matching sheet

Ten real rocket terms matched to plain-English meanings — Max Q, MECO, apogee, delta-v and more. Doubles as a glossary starter.

Draw a line from each word to what it means.

  1. 1. Thrust
  2. 2. Max Q
  3. 3. MECO
  4. 4. Orbit
  5. 5. Apogee
  6. 6. Perigee
  7. 7. Reentry
  8. 8. Delta-v
  9. 9. Payload
  10. 10. LOX
  1. A. Falling around the Earth without ever landing
  2. B. The point of an orbit furthest from Earth
  3. C. The point of an orbit closest to Earth
  4. D. Coming back down into the air
  5. E. How much a rocket can change its speed
  6. F. The thing the rocket is delivering
  7. G. Very cold liquid oxygen, so the fuel can burn
  8. H. The push an engine makes
  9. I. The moment the air pushes back hardest
  10. J. When the main engines switch off

Pick the word you like best. Write a sentence using it.

For the grown-up

Answer key

  • 1 → H (Thrust)
  • 2 → I (Max Q)
  • 3 → J (MECO)
  • 4 → A (Orbit)
  • 5 → B (Apogee)
  • 6 → C (Perigee)
  • 7 → D (Reentry)
  • 8 → E (Delta-v)
  • 9 → F (Payload)
  • 10 → G (LOX)
  • Every one of these words has a page on the site with a longer answer and a source, if a child wants to go further.
  • Apogee and perigee are a pair — furthest and closest. Children remember them better taught together than separately.
  • Delta-v is the hardest one. "How much speed a rocket still has left to spend" is usually enough at this age.

Every number on this sheet comes from: Falcon 9 Block 5 mission timeline (Starlink Group 17-38) · Falcon 9 Block 5 — specifications

Words on this sheet

Max QMECOApogeePerigeeDelta-vThrustOrbitReentry