Unit 10. Space travel. Lesson 1. Getting started

Teacher: Huynh Phong Dinh
Lesson 1: Getting started
A MISSION TO MARS
WELCOME TO OUR CLASS 9/1
Unit 10 - SPACE TRAVEL
What do you think Phuc and Nick are talking about?

What else can you see in the room?

What do you think Phuc is interested in? Why do you think so?


Nick: Wow, is that you in this photo? The youngest astronaut in the world doing a spacewalk!
Phuc: Ha! Yeah, it was in a museum in Sweden.
Nick: You look so excited!
Phuc: Well, that trip made me crazy about space. Before I turned ten, already collected lots of books about the universe. I’d learnt
about the planets, the stars, satellites, rockets, and stuff.
Nick: You know, last year I visited an astronomy museum and I touched a meteorite.
Phuc: A meteorite! What was it like?
Nick: Honestly, it wasn’t as impressive as I’d expected. It was just like an ordinary piece of rock.
Phuc: But perhaps it was from Mars. Think of that!
Nick: Maybe. Do you think there could be life on Mars?
Phuc: It’s possibly habitable. It once had an ocean… Who knows, in 20 years we might be flying there on a discovery mission.
Nick: Haha, but we’d need to do some serious training first. They say you practise by scuba diving in a flight suit...
Phuc: That’s right. And you also have to experience microgravity on a parabolic flight.
Nick: What’s that?
Phuc: The plane flies at high altitude, then it climbs sharply for a few seconds and descends sharply, a bit like a rollercoaster. The people inside the plane start to float. I’d love to do that.
Nick: Sounds a bit scary. But let’s take a look at your rock collection. There may be something interesting here...
Phuc: Yes, perhaps a meteorite that landed on Earth from the moon!
1. Listen and read.
1. What was Phuc interested in when he was young?

2. What had Phuc done before he turned ten years old?


3. Why does Phuc use the phrase ‘and stuff ’ at the end of his list?


4. What did Nick think of the meteorite in the museum?


5. What are some ways to train as an astronaut?


6. What does Phuc compare a parabolic flight to?

b. Answer the questions.
c. Who is keener on space travel – Phuc or Nick?
Why do you think so?
- Phuc was crazy about space.
- He had learnt about the universe and had collected lots of books about space.
- To show that there are more things in the list but that it’s not necessary to list everything.
- He wasn’t very impressed because he thought the meteorite was like an ordinary piece of rock.
- By scuba diving in a flight suit and by taking a parabolic flight to experience microgravity.
- He compares it to a ride on a rollercoaster.
Phuc seems keener on space travel than Nick. He was crazy about space when he was young. Phuc knows more about space and astronauts. He says he’d love to experience microgravity, where as Nick thinks microgravity sounds scary.
satellite
telescope
universe
meteorite
rocket
spacecraft