©REUTERS/Go Nakamura
Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- What companies or organizations do you know of that are working on making spacecraft for space exploration missions?
- Why is it important to keep trying and making things better when inventing new technology?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- mission /MISH-uhn/
- launch /lawnch/
- explosion /ik-SPLOH-zhuhn/
- aspect /AS-pekt/
- devoted /dih-VOH-tid/
[noun] – planned journeys or endeavors
The space agency announced a new mission to explore the outer planets of our solar system using advanced spacecraft.
[verb] – an occasion when a ship is put into water, or a spacecraft is sent into space, for the first time
The company plans to launch its latest spacecraft into orbit next month, marking a significant milestone in space exploration.
[noun] – a sudden and violent burst or detonation, typically accompanied by a release of energy and often causing damage or interruption
The explosion of the engine halted the rocket’s ascent, causing the mission to be aborted minutes after liftoff.
[noun] – one part of a situation, problem, subject, etc.
The financial aspect of the mission needed careful consideration before its execution.
[adjective] – fully committed or dedicated to a particular cause or goal
The team remained devoted to completing the project despite facing numerous challenges along the way.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
SpaceX’s Starship, a spacecraft designed for missions to the moon and beyond, encountered a problem during its recent space test in November. The rocket launched from the company’s Starbase site in Texas and reached an altitude of about 90 miles above the Earth. However, after the Super Heavy first-stage booster separated from the main Starship, it exploded over the Gulf of Mexico. Engineers suspect an automated command might have caused this destruction, as communication with the rocket was lost.
The objective of the test was to send Starship into space, but an explosion stopped the mission a few minutes after liftoff. This incident follows a similar explosion in April. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, responsible for overseeing commercial launches, confirmed the rocket’s loss, but no injuries or property damage were reported. SpaceX, together with the FAA, is conducting a comprehensive investigation to prevent such failures in the future. Despite these setbacks, SpaceX maintains a culture of fast testing and improving prototypes. Carissa Christensen of BryceTech recognized successful aspects of the test, emphasizing how rocket development involves continuous improvements. The Starship’s capabilities, aimed at moon and Mars missions, align with NASA’s Artemis program. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder, envisions Starship as a versatile spacecraft pivotal for NASA’s human spaceflight ambitions. Despite regulatory scrutiny and time constraints, SpaceX remains devoted to advancing space exploration through testing and technological progress.
The objective of the test was to send Starship into space, but an explosion stopped the mission a few minutes after liftoff. This incident follows a similar explosion in April. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, responsible for overseeing commercial launches, confirmed the rocket’s loss, but no injuries or property damage were reported. SpaceX, together with the FAA, is conducting a comprehensive investigation to prevent such failures in the future. Despite these setbacks, SpaceX maintains a culture of fast testing and improving prototypes. Carissa Christensen of BryceTech recognized successful aspects of the test, emphasizing how rocket development involves continuous improvements. The Starship’s capabilities, aimed at moon and Mars missions, align with NASA’s Artemis program. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder, envisions Starship as a versatile spacecraft pivotal for NASA’s human spaceflight ambitions. Despite regulatory scrutiny and time constraints, SpaceX remains devoted to advancing space exploration through testing and technological progress.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- What was the purpose of SpaceX’s recent space test involving the Starship spacecraft?
- What altitude did the rocket reach during the recent space test, and what caused the mission to end prematurely?
- What is the role of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in overseeing such commercial launches, according to the article?
- What measures are being taken by SpaceX and the FAA following the explosion during the Starship test?
- Despite the setback, what culture does SpaceX maintain regarding its spacecraft development, as mentioned in the article?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Have you heard about SpaceX’s Starship development or other projects exploring space? If so, how did the recent problems with Starship’s tests change what you think about space exploration? If not, what do you think about the difficulties and dangers of making new spacecraft like the Starship?
- Have you seen or been part of any tech projects that had problems or failures during testing? If yes, how did these issues affect the project’s progress afterward? If not, can you imagine how facing challenges might affect teams working on big tech projects?
- Is it okay to keep quickly advancing in space technology, even if there are problems and things go wrong sometimes?
- How does SpaceX’s way of quickly testing and improving the Starship spacecraft help space exploration? What good or bad things might come from doing things this way in the future?
- Should we think of problems and failures in big space missions like SpaceX’s Starship tests as a usual part of getting better with technology or as things that could make us stop exploring? How might these problems change what we think about space exploration and spending money on it?