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GENERAL ENGLISH · BREAKING NEWS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

SPACEX
CAPSULE
LIFTS OFF
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1 Warm-up

What do you know about Elon Musk and his company SpaceX?

2 Space words

Match the words on the left to the definitions on the right.

1. in orbit a. a small rocket engine on a spacecraft, used to make changes in its flight
path
2. lift off b. heavy equipment

3. hardware c. the part of a spacecraft in which the people on it live

4. a capsule d. to land in the sea

5. a thruster e. to leave the ground

6. splash down f. to separate (a spacecraft) from another in space

7. undock g. travelling around a planet, star, etc.

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3 Before you read

You are going to read about the launch of SpaceX’s capsule, The Dragon. Guess the answers to the
questions below and then read the text to check or correct them.

1. When was the last time America’s space agency (NASA) put humans into orbit?

a. 2015 b. 2011 c. 2004

2. Which country has been providing space transport to NASA since it retired its shuttles?

a. Russia b. China c. the United Kingdom

3. How long did the capsule take to reach orbit?

a. 11 minutes b. 33 minutes c. 54 minutes

4. How long has Elon Musk worked on this project?

a. 5 years b. 9 years c. 17 years

5. When is the capsule planned to splash down?

a. Friday 8 March b. Friday 22 March c. Sunday 31 March

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SPACEX CAPSULE LIFTS OFF

Elon Musk’s SpaceX capsule lifts off

Monday, March 4th

1.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has launched a capsule are designed to gather data on the type of forces
designed to carry people from the Kennedy Space that humans will experience when they get to ride
Center in Florida. in the spacecraft. SpaceX has nicknamed the dummy
2.
There is no crew on this flight, but if it goes well, ”Ripley” - after the main character in the Alien movies.
the American space agency NASA is likely to approve 9.
For the California company, this mission is a key
the system to take regular astronauts into space later milestone in its short history. Mr Musk, a technology
this year. According to Musk, this could be the first entrepreneur and engineer, set up the organisation
step towards opening space travel to commercial with the specific intention of taking people into
customers. space.
3.
The US has not been able to put humans into orbit 10.
”It’s been 17 years to get to this point, from 2002 to
since it retired its shuttles in 2011. In the past, now. To be frank, I’m a little emotionally exhausted
NASA engineers had full control of all aspects of because it was super stressful,” he told reporters
vehicle design and the agency owned and operated immediately after the launch.
the hardware. However, since 2011, it has been 11.
”Our focus has been on serving NASA’s needs but
paying to use Russian Soyuz vehicles instead and it once Dragon is in regular operation, I think we
is now paying Musk’s company to produce spacecraft will seek commercial customers of which the NASA
to take people to the International Space Station (ISS). administrator, and NASA in general, has been very
4.
NASA officials still check off every step, but the supportive.”
approach is regarded as more efficient and less costly. 12.
Mr Musk said those customers could include private
The agency’s chief, Jim Bridenstine, stressed on citizens going to the ISS, just as they have done
Saturday that the re-introduction of American crew on Soyuz vehicles in the past. Separately, the
transport did not mean an end to cooperation with entrepreneur is developing a much bigger system -
Russia. which he calls the Starship and Super Heavy rocket –
5.
”We want to make sure that we keep our partnership to transport people to the Moon and Mars.
with Russia which has been very strong for a long 13.
The Dragon crew capsule includes life-support
period of time,” he said. systems and powerful thrusters to push the vessel to
6.
”But we also want to make sure we have our own safety if something goes wrong with a rocket during
capability to get back and forth to the International an ascent to orbit. It also has four parachutes to
Space Station, so that we can have this strong control the return to Earth. Dragon crew capsules will
partnership where they can launch on our rockets and splash down in the Atlantic not far from Kennedy.
we can launch on their rockets.” 14.
After being taken to orbit, the Dragon makes its
7.
SpaceX’s Dragon capsule lifted off on Saturday 02 own way to the station using onboard thrusters. ISS
March at 02:49 EST (07:49 GMT). It took 11 minutes astronauts will be watching closely to see that the
to reach orbit, and it finally arrived at the ISS on capsule behaves as it should.
Sunday. 15.
The Dragon is expected to stay at the station until
8.
Because this is just a demonstration, there are no Friday. According to the current plan, it will undock
astronauts aboard - but there is a ”test dummy”. and fire its thrusters to come out of orbit, and splash
Dressed in a spacesuit and sitting next to a window, down at roughly 13:45 GMT.
this simulator of a human being is fitted with sensors Source: BBC
around the head, neck, and spine. These sensors

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SPACEX CAPSULE LIFTS OFF

4 Checking understanding

Answer the questions.

1. How has NASA changed since 2011?

2. What are the advantages of contracting SpaceX to design and build space capsules?
3. What is the purpose of the ”test dummy” aboard the flight?
4. What is Musk’s long-term aim?
5. What are the features of the Dragon capsule?
6. How will the Dragon reach the ISS after it enters space?

5 Words/phrases from the text

Find words in the text which mean ...

1. the group of people who work together on a spacecraft (uncountable noun, P.2):
2. verify (phrasal verb, P.4):
3. an important event in the development or history of something (noun, P.9):
4. the action of moving upwards (noun, P.13)

Match the words to form phrases from the text and create your own sentence for each phrase.

1. put humans a. after a character

2. take people b. into orbit

3. nicknamed c. into space

4. make d. its own way

5. fire e. its thrusters

6. come f. out of orbit

6 Talking point

Would you like to travel into space? Why/why not?

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