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The Genius of SPACE X
Introduction
MAKING HUMANITY MULTIPLANETARY
Building on the achievements of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, SpaceX is working on a next generation of fully reusable launch vehicles that will be the most powerful ever built, capable of carrying humans to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.
NEW VOCABULARY: Exploration, spacecraft, satellite communications, headquartered, the stated goal, to enable, Building on the achievements, next generation, the most powerful ever built, carrying humans to Mars
AUDIO REVISION: Listen to the audio and read the paragraph at the same time.
Section One:
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars. The company manufactures the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship launch vehicles, several rocket engines, Cargo Dragon and Crew Dragon spacecraft, and Starlink communications satellites.
NEW VOCABULARY: spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, headquartered, founded, stated goal, to enable, Starship launch vehicles, rocket engines,
AUDIO REVISION: Listen to the audio and read the paragraph at the same time.
GRAMMAR SECTION: Conjunctions conjunctions list DOWNLOAD
QUESTONS:
Section Two:
SpaceX is developing a satellite internet constellation named Starlink to provide commercial internet service. In January 2020, the Starlink constellation became the largest satellite constellation ever launched, and as of December 2022 comprises over 3,300 small satellites in orbit. The company is also developing Starship, a privately funded, fully reusable, super heavy-lift launch system for interplanetary and orbital spaceflight. It is intended to become SpaceX’s primary orbital vehicle once operational, supplanting the existing Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon fleet. It will have the highest payload capacity of any orbital rocket ever built on its debut, which is scheduled for early 2023 pending a launch license
NEW VOCABULARY: developing, constellation, commercial internet service, comprises, in orbit, privately funded, reusable, interplanetary, orbital spaceflight, orbital vehicle, supplanting, highest payload capacity, built, debut, pending
AUDIO REVISION:
Video Listening Section: Watch and listen to the video and then answer the questions below.
Questions:
The questions below are not in chronological order
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- How much in $US is the global communications industry worth?
- What does it mean when we say a business ‘nets’ an amount of money?
- When Starlink is in place what do you think that your local sub-standard, cable internet company for example Claro or Net or Vivo do?
- WRITING EXERCISE ONE: In the UK we have excellent internet services. At home I run my complete home which includes our TV services our personal internet on our devices and all of our ALEXA compliant accessories from my cellphone wifi. In your opinion, how can Brazil improve its services to bring it into the 21st century? Explain your answer by writing 150 words about your opinion.
- WRITING EXERCISE ONE: Explain the Kessler Syndrome. Write 50 words explaining your answer.
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Section Three:
SpaceX has made several achievements in space exploration. These include making the first privately developed liquid-propellant rocket that reached orbit, the first private company to launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft, the first private company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station, the first to achieve vertical propulsive landing of an orbital rocket booster, the first to reuse such a booster, and the first private company to send astronauts to orbit and to the International Space Station. In addition, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets have been flown and landed over one hundred times.
NEW VOCABULARY: achievements, privately, liquid-propellant rocket, reached, International Space Station, to achieve vertical propulsive landing, orbital rocket booster, to reuse, astronauts, have been flown
AUDIO REVISION:
Section Four:
In August 2022, Reuters reported that the European Space Agency (ESA) began initial discussions with SpaceX that could lead to the company’s launchers being used temporarily, given that Russia blocked access to Soyuz rockets amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In December 2022, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted approval to launch up to 7,500 of SpaceX’s next-generation satellites in its Starlink internet network.
In 2022, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 became the world-record holder for the most launches of a single vehicle type in a single year. SpaceX launched a rocket approximately every 6 days in 2022, with 61 launches in total. All but one (a Falcon Heavy in November) was on a Falcon 9 rocket
NEW VOCABULARY: Reuters reported, could lead to, temporarily, Russia blocked access, Russian invasion of Ukraine, granted approval, next-generation, Starlink internet network, world-record holder,
AUDIO REVISION:
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