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Once people had managed to travel across continents and oceans, they started making attempts to travel through the skies and to reach the stars and the planets. In the beginning these efforts involved competition between individual people. Later the efforts became space expeditions undertaken by teams from different countries.
In this unit, we'll be doing exercises that will help you to have a better understanding of time.
The well-known French writer Jules Verne was a man with a remarkable imagination and great insight. He had written his famous book, From the Earth to the Moon, in 1866. Read the following extract from this amazing story.
Jules Verne
A group of artillery officers established the Cannon Club after the American Civil war. They hoped to launch a rocket that would reach the moon! Forty countries donated money for this project. The cannon that would launch the rocket weighed 68 000 tons. The projectile, which was named Columbiad, was as big as a railway carriage. A hole was dug in the ground to mount the cannon. (The launching was to take place near the town of Tampa, not far from the present Cape Kennedy.)
The three space travellers wore spacesuits consisting of top hats, trousers and jackets. Two dogs, Diana and Satellite, were to accompany them, because they expected to be breathing ordinary air. Gas was only used for lighting and heating. Meals consisted of roast potatoes and various tasty dishes.
When the massive cannon blasted the rocket into space, the space travellers lost consciousness for a while. The spectators who watched the launching lost their hearing and were deaf for a few days following the event, because of the level of the noise. The Colombiad orbited the moon several times. Because of the extreme cold on the dark side of the moon, ice formed inside the craft. The spacemen drew accurate maps of the moon and reported that there were no visible signs of life on the moon.
The Colombiad plunged into the Pacific Ocean at the end of its voyage and the crew was picked up out of the sea by an American warship. All the trains of the American railway system were taken out of service for four days so that the famous space travellers could travel through the country on a special train. They were received as heroes wherever they went.
1 | 2 | 3 | |||
4 | 5 |
a) The big day . . . . flags are fluttering . . . . everything is ready for the launch. | ||
b) The space travellers go on board. | ||
c) Inside the rocket. | ||
d) The enormous cannon launches the Colombiad . | ||
e) Return to earth. |
1. Laika – the first space traveller. She was sent into space by the Soviets on 3 November 1957. | ||
2. Skylab 1. | ||
3. First American space travellers on the moon. | ||
4. The first Soviet satellite, Sputnik 1. | ||
5. Columbia space shuttle. | ||
6. Terra Moon Hotel - grand opening on 1 January 2010. |
LEARNING OUTCOME 2: HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING The learner will be able to demonstrate historical knowledge and understanding.
We know this when the learner
2.1 understands chronology and time:
a) a) 2 d) 3
b) 4 e) 1
c) 5
a)
1. First people on the moon, 1969 | 5 | |
2. Sputnik 1 – first satellite, 1957, (Oct) | 1 | |
3. Moon capsule, Eagle lands, 1969 | 4 | |
4. First woman in space, 1963 | 3 | |
5. Sputnik 2 with dog, 1957 (Nov) | 2 |
b) 5, 3, 4, 6, 2, 1
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