Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- What do you know about outer space?
- Do you want to use a telescope to see outer space? Why or why not?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- communication /kuh-myoo-ni-KEY-shuhn/
- spacecraft /speys-kraft/
- ground /GROUND/
- separately /SEP-uh-reyt-lee/
- facility /fuh-SIL-i-tee/
[noun] – the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.
My communication capabilities are limited.
[noun] – a vehicle designed for travel or operation in space beyond the earth’s atmosphere or in orbit around the earth.
The moon was first visited by the soviet spacecraft Luna 2 in 1959.
[noun] – the surface of the earth
I sat on the ground.
[adverb] – not together
She and her husband went separately to the place.
[noun] – a place, especially including buildings, where a particular activity happens
The training facility is scheduled to open later.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
After correcting communications with Earth, the NASA CAPSTONE CubeSat is said to be “happy and healthy.” This means that the spacecraft can resume transmissions to the ground again after a worrisome 24 hours when it could not. On Wednesday, the restoration of the connection was separately confirmed by Advanced Space, which is in Colorado and is the company that built, owns, and operates CAPSTONE; Terran Orbital. It is in California. It also built the CubeSat platform and NASA. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) is the first step in NASA’s ambitious Artemis program, which aims to send people back to the moon by 2025.
The CubeSat is about the size of a microwave oven. And its mission is to map out an unusual orbit around the moon known as a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO), which may one day be used for a lunar space station. This facility, which NASA refers to as the “Gateway,” has the potential to create a vast number of opportunities for the exploration of space for humanity. Its task is to be a resupply depot and a way station for longer crewed jobs to Mars and beyond. Also, it could be used to land rovers or humans on the moon.
The CubeSat is about the size of a microwave oven. And its mission is to map out an unusual orbit around the moon known as a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO), which may one day be used for a lunar space station. This facility, which NASA refers to as the “Gateway,” has the potential to create a vast number of opportunities for the exploration of space for humanity. Its task is to be a resupply depot and a way station for longer crewed jobs to Mars and beyond. Also, it could be used to land rovers or humans on the moon.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- What is the company that confirmed the bringing back of the communications of the spacecraft to the ground?
- What program aims to send people back to the moon in 2025?
- What is the size of the CubeSat?
- How many hours was communication cut from the spacecraft to the ground?
- What facility does NASA term “Gateway”?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Have you ever studied at school about outer space? If so, what did you learn? If not, what would you do to gain knowledge about it?
- Have you ever viewed outer space using a telescope? If so, please describe what you saw. If not, what can you do to have an opportunity to see that region?
- If you are an astronaut inside the NASA CAPSTONE CubeSat, how would you react if you lost contact with the ground?
- Do you agree that people should invest time and resources in exploring outer space?
- What can you do to educate people about outer space?