| Lesson
On a flat map of the world (use a world map in your social
studies book if you do not have a world wall map) find the United
States and Russia. Note the geographical relationship of the United
States to Russia on the flat map.
Russia once made up most of a country called the Soviet Union, and
between 1945 and 1991 a cold war (a war in which no direct military
conflict takes place) existed between the United States and the
Soviet Union. Throughout much of this period these two superpowers had
deadly missiles standing ready and aimed at each other's major cities
and military installations.
As a result of this Cold War, the United States built many radar
stations to provide for an early warning of any missiles that the
Soviets might fire at our country. The most important of these radar
stations were located in Alaska (66N/150W), Greenland (75N/45W), and The
United Kingdom (54N/2W). Note these places on the flat map and then
circle them on your globe. Why do you think the radar stations were
located so far north? (1.) _____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
On your globe draw a great circle route from Novosibirsk, Russia at
56N/83E to Washington, D.C. at 39N/77W. What is this distance? (2.)
_____________________________________ A missile traveling at 15,000
miles per hour would cover 250 miles per minute. How many minutes would
it take a missile to travel between these two cities? (3.)
____________________ |
