Let’s read!

Reading Skill :
Sequencing events
When you read about how something changes over time, sequencing the events
(putting them in order will help you see more clearly when they happened

NASA and Space Exploration

Mankind has always had an amazing thirst for knowledge. The desire to
wonder about and possibly see what is up in the heavens has been in the minds of
men for a long time. In October, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration was created by the United States Government. It was described as
'an Act to provide for research into the problems of flight within and outside the
Earth's atmosphere, and for other purposes.'
The formation of NASA was the direct result of the fact that the Soviets had
launched Sputnik 1 in October, 1957. This was the world's first artificial satellite.
Americans were astounded and believed that the United States was way behind in
space technology. Therefore, the United States launched its first Earth satellite in
January, 1958.
NASA's first attempt to place humans in space was Project Mercury. This
was a trial to see if men could endure a flight into space. On May 5, 1961, Alan
Shepard, Jr., became the first man in space. On February 20, 1962, John Glenn
orbited the Earth in a space capsule. Project Mercury sent up 4 more flights. They
could send up and safely bring humans back from space.
Project Gemini allowed 2 men to ride together in a space capsule. In this
project, NASA learned about weightlessness in space and worked on reentry into
the Earth's atmosphere. In June, 1965, Edward White became the first man to
conduct a space walk outside of the space craft.
NASA's greatest achievement after that was Project Apollo, designed for
space exploration of the moon. In July, 1969, Apollo 11 carried Neil Armstrong
and Buzz Aldrin to the moon. They landed and returned safely. Neil Armstrong
walked on the moon first.
Preparation for Academic English 58
 In 1975, Russia and the United States each sent up a spacecraft. These
docked together in space. They conducted experiments on the spacecraft for two
days. In 1981, the first space shuttle was launched. It was different in that it looked
like an airplane and landed like one upon reentry.
In January, 1986, the orbiter Challenger with 7 crew members aboard blew
up 73 seconds after takeoff due to a fuel leak. In September, 1988, the Challenger
returned after modifications and flew 87 successful missions. In February, 2003,
just 15 minutes before landing in Texas, the Columbia orbiter blew up, again
killing 7 crew members.
In 2003, the Galileo mission completed a 14-year study of Jupiter by
crashing it onto the planet. In 2005, NASA launched the space shuttle Discovery,
the first manned craft since the Columbia disaster. In recent years, a probe has
landed on Mars, and the spacecraft Kepler has been sent to look for planets outside
our solar system.
In 1998, an international space station was set up. It was a joint effort of
Russia, The United States, Canada and others. Astronauts spend a year or more up
on the space station, conducting experiments and making repairs. In March, 2017,
the crew harvested plants grown on petri dishes. They will send them back to Earth
on the Dragon capsule. The lead scientist on the Space Station writes a weekly
update on activities and posts it on the internet.
NASA plans to send an unmanned Orion around the moon by the end of
2018. Later, NASA plans to use the Orion crew vehicle to send men on an
exploration into deep space in the 2020's.

Preparation for Academic English 59

A. Circle the correct answer.
1. In which of the following years 4. Which of the following is the
was NASA created? name of the first artificial satellite?
a. 1986 a. Discoverer
b. 2001 b. Sputnik 1
c. 1905 c. Lunar probe
d. 1958 d. Soyuz 2
2. Which of the following projects 5. Which of the following was the
focused on going to the moon? first man to walk on the moon?
a. Apollo a. Ed White
b. Columbia b. John Glenn
c. Gemini c. Neil Armstrong
d. Mercury d. Thomas Jones
3. By which of the following 6. Which of the following projects had
countries was the first artificial as its goal to put the first human in
satellite launched? space?
a. United States a. Project Gemini
b. Russia b. Project Mercury
c. France c. Project Galileo
d. d. Germany d. d. Project Columbia

B. Find and write the word next to its definition.

- spacecraft - satellite - mankind - harvested - astronaut

1. ...................... n. the human species.

2. ...................... v. cutting and gathering in of grain and other food crops.
3. ...................... n. person who travels in a spacecraft.
4. ....................... n. noun of the kind needed for travel beyond earth’s

Preparation for Academic English 60

 atmosphere
5. ....................... n. comparatively small body moving in orbit round a
planet.

Preparation for Academic English 61