Astronauts: Pages 62–99

by Jim Ottaviani, Maris Wicks
Using a graphic novel format, the authors of Primates tell the stories of the first women in space, focusing on astronaut Mary Cleave.

This list covers vocabulary from pages 62–99.

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
15 words 222 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. progressive
    favoring or promoting modern or innovative ideas
    But even as the shuttle got closer to launch, not enough women believed—official memo aside—that NASA was progressive.
  2. ploy
    a maneuver in a game, conversation, or situation
    You need a media blitz, and a spokesperson who can convince people this isn't just a PR ploy.
  3. flippant
    showing an inappropriate lack of seriousness
    Oh great, be flippant with a guy that walked on the Moon.
  4. maiden
    earliest or first
    On the ground, John had been the commander on the shuttle's maiden voyage, and fixing it in space is much more of a pain in the...
    You know.
  5. dynamics
    mechanics concerned with forces that cause motions of bodies
    Show some respect for fluid dynamics!
  6. aerodynamics
    the branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of gases
    I had some trouble in aerodynamics.
  7. aspiring
    desiring or striving for recognition or advancement
    Any fashion tips for aspiring astronauts?
  8. resistance
    any mechanical force that tends to slow or oppose motion
    No water resistance up here!
  9. simulator
    machine that models an environment for training or research
    We had simulators to train on, but they weren't all complete.
  10. trigonometry
    the mathematics of three-sided figures and their functions
    We practiced. A lot. Eventually our hands were as good at trigonometry as our brains.
  11. generalize
    draw from specific cases for broader cases
    Humans do great things in part because we're so good at generalizing and working together.
  12. brunt
    the main part, especially of a force or shock
    Okay, Sally's getting the brunt of this, so we need to figure out how we — as NASA —a re going to respond to questions about people of different sizes on the shuttle.
  13. endorse
    give support or one's approval to
    Good decision. I endorse it.
  14. interference
    the act of hindering or obstructing or impeding
    Carolyn ran a lot of interference for us and didn't make any excuses for it.
  15. affirmative
    a positive reply
    That's affirmative.
Created on Tue Feb 11 11:01:50 EST 2020 (updated Mon Jul 14 10:33:53 EDT 2025)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.