Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. unveil
    • ex. The company unveiled its latest product during the conference.
  2. a spacecraft
    • ex. Many countries are developing their own spacecraft to study space.
  3. an asteroid
    • ex. There are many asteroids between Mars and Jupiter.
  4. a milestone
    • ex. The little boy’s graduation is an important milestone for him and his parents.
  5. potentially
    • ex. Scientists are looking for potentially useful information about outer space.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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The United Arab Emirates unveiled plans to send a spacecraft to the solar system’s main asteroid belt. It’s the latest space project by the country after the successful launch of the Hope spacecraft to Mars in 2020. The endeavor is a significant milestone for the UAE Space Agency, established in 2014.

The journey of the spacecraft would span a distance over ten times greater than Hope’s Mars mission. The project aims to develop the spacecraft in the coming years and then launch it in 2028 to study various asteroids. The goal of this new project is to reach the seventh, rare “red” asteroid that may hold information on how life on Earth began.

The spacecraft is named MBR after Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It will first make its way toward Venus. It will eventually fly as close as 150 kilometers away from the group of asteroids.  The spacecraft is expected to reach the seventh and last asteroid named Justitia by October 2034. Scientists believe that Justitia potentially has a surface full of organic substances.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Space Mission

  • Would you like to participate in a space mission? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Why do you think the spacecraft MBR is named after Dubai’s ruler? Discuss.
  • Do you think space missions are important? Why or why not? Discuss.

Milestones

  • What is the most recent milestone in your life? Discuss.
  • Many countries would like to reach a milestone in terms of space exploration. Why do you think this is so? Discuss.
  • What other areas should your country focus on reaching a milestone (ex. medical science, information technology)? Discuss.