Spacecraft Makes Historic Landing on a Comet

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Exercise 1

Vocabulary

spacecraft

Noun

ˈspeɪsˌkræft

a vehicle that travels in space

The spacecraft has gone into orbit around Saturn.

It isn't practical to spend too much money on spacecraft when the economy is so poor.

Voyager-1 was a NASA spacecraft.

The car looked like an alien spacecraft.

This company is developing a new spacecraft.

deploy

Verb

dɪˈplɔɪ

to move something into a position for action

The soldiers are being deployed by parachute.

We are going to deploy a three-part strategy to capture a larger share of this market.

When someone smoked a cigarette in the bathroom, oxygen masks were immediately deployed on the airplane.

probe

Noun

prəʊb

(science) a device used to examine or study something; a small spacecraft deployed from a larger one that is sent down to a planet, moon or comet

In 2006 a probe has reached the surface of Mars.

tense

Adjective

tɛns

tight rather than relaxed

The mood at the office these days is very tense.

The two workers created an extremely tense atmosphere during the meeting.

During the 1970's, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were tense but civil.

thruster

Noun

ˈθrʌstər

a small engine used to provide extra force, especially on a spacecraft

Sometimes thrusters are called “rocket engines”.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Spacecraft Makes Historic Landing on a Comet

After traveling 10 years and hundreds of millions of kilometers, a small robotic spacecraft has for the first time landed on the surface of a comet, a solar system object made of ice and rock.

The probe launched from the European Space Agency’s main Rosetta spaceship early Wednesday. The spaceship is designed to carefully study the appearance and materials that make up the Comet 67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko.

Stephan Ulamec, of the German Aerospace Center, announced the news. He said the landing equipment and a special device meant to secure the spacecraft to the comet had deployed.

Early on Wednesday, ground controllers at the European Space Agency operations center in Germany confirmed that Philae had separated from the Rosetta ship. The probe then began a tense trip toward the comet and landed on its surface hours later. The attempt to land on the comet was considered risky not only because scientists were unsure of the surface, but because of problems with thrusters used to land the probe.

Scientists and many officials gathered at the European Space Agency’s Operations Center in Darmstadt, Germany. After the landing was announced, there was cheering and applause.

Rosetta has been orbiting the Comet 67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko since August. However, the mission started with the spaceship’s launch in March of 2004. The spaceship circled the sun until it was in position to meet with the comet. Information from the European Space Agency shows the spacecraft’s trip has taken it far beyond the orbit Mars.

The comet currently is traveling at a distance of more than 400 million kilometers from Earth. At such a distance, communication between the spacecraft and earth took more than half an hour. Controllers waited and worried before receiving confirmation sent from Philae that it had landed safely.

Now, the probe will begin a series of scientific experiments. Philae will examine the material that makes up the comet looking for organic, or carbon-based material, and inorganic materials. The Rosetta mission cost the European Space Agency, or ESA, $1.7 billion dollars.

Exercise 3

Questions

What is the name of the comet?

Why does the communication between Earth and the spacecraft take so long?

What does ESA stand for?

Exercise 4

Discussion

Have you heard about this project before?

Do you think space exploration is important?

What are the most important discoveries ever made in your opinion?

Parts of this lesson are based on:

An article by Voice of America.