NASA moon rocket faces more flight delays as repairs mount

Category: Science/Environment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. valve / vælv / (n.) – a device that controls the flow of liquid, gas, or other substances through a pipe
    Example:

    I tightened the faucet valve to prevent water from flowing.


  2. leak / lik / (n.) – a crack or hole in a surface that lets liquid, gas, or other substances enter or escape
    Example:

    The water on the floor was probably caused by a leak.


  3. crop up / krɒp ʌp / (phrasal v.) – to appear or happen unexpectedly
    Example:

    I need to work overtime because some issues cropped up.


  4. get back on track / gɛt bæk ɒn træk / (idiom) – to return to the right way or direction
    Example:

    I didn’t work out for an entire week, but I plan to get back on track soon.


  5. under (someone's/something’s) belt / ˈʌn dər bɛlt / (idiom) – learned or succeeded in something
    Example:

    He has 25 years of medical experience under his belt.


Article

Read the text below.

The flight debut of NASA’s mega moon rocket faces additional delays following a string of failed fueling tests.


Officials said Monday it will be challenging to meet a launch window in early to mid-June. The next opportunity to send an empty capsule to the moon on a test flight would be at the end of June or July.


The 30-story Space Launch System rocket has been on the pad at Kennedy Space Center for the past month. It will return to the hangar next week for valve and fuel leak repairs. The problems cropped up earlier this month, preventing NASA from filling the rocket’s fuel tanks for a critical dress rehearsal.


The rocket will likely spend weeks in the hangar before heading back to the pad for a testing redo, said launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson.


Managers are considering various options for getting back on track.


“It’s just a matter of what’s the right time, what’s the right way to do that,” said Tom Whitmeyer, a NASA deputy associate administrator.


NASA wants this test flight under its belt before putting astronauts on board for the second launch, a lunar flyaround targeted for 2024. The third mission would attempt to land astronauts on the moon around 2025, more than a half-century after NASA’s Apollo moonshots.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Given the risks of the failed fueling tests, should NASA continue the operations of the Space Launch System (SLS)? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Would you ever be interested in joining the SLS’s mission? Why or why not? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • How do you feel about the idea of space tourism (ex. it’s exciting, it’s dangerous)? Why? Discuss.
  • If you had the opportunity to go on an exploration, what kind of exploration would it be (ex. sea, cave)? Why? Discuss.