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India made history on Wednesday when its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on the moon’s south pole. This is the first time a country has landed on this part of the moon.
The spacecraft launched last month and landed on the lunar surface at around 8:34 a.m. Eastern Time.
India also attempted to land in this region of the moon in 2019, but the mission ended in failure due to a software issue.
India is now the fourth country to land on the moon. The United States, Russia (Soviet Union), and China have also accomplished moon landings.
Scientists are interested in the south pole of the moon because they recently discovered water ice there. This water could maybe be used to make fuel for rocket and spacecraft missions to the moon.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) team. He said that it was a proud moment for India.
Just last week, Russia also tried to land a spacecraft on the moon, but their Luna-25 mission crashed into the lunar surface. The last time Russia visited the moon was almost 50 years ago.
Earlier this year, the Japanese company Ispace also crashed their spacecraft while trying to land on the moon.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is part of India’s ambitious space program. The country plans to send Indian astronauts to the International Space Station with NASA next year. They also want to send a crewed mission to the moon in the coming years.
Vocabulary
- Make history – to do something important that has not been done before and will be recorded publicly and remembered for a long time
- Spacecraft – A vehicle designed/made for space travel, like a satellite or a spaceship
- Pole – The very top or bottom point of something, like the Earth
- Launch – to shoot; to fire; to push; to throw; to send something into space or the sky
- Lunar – relating to the Moon; something in connection to or from the Moon
- Surface – the top or outside layer of something; exterior; ground
- Eastern Time – a time zone in North America that is 5 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or GMT. New York is in the Eastern Time Zone
- Attempt – To try to do something
- Region – a large area of the Earth; an area of land with similar qualities/characteristics
- Mission – an expedition into space; an important job that a person is sent somewhere to do; A special task or goal that someone or a group is trying to achieve
- Failure – When something doesn’t work or succeed; not being successful
- Due to – because of; owing to
- Software – Programs or applications that are installed on a computer or smartphone (e.g., Microsoft Office is software)
- Issue – a subject or problem that people are thinking and/or talking about; matter; topic; problem
- Accomplish – To successfully finish or complete something; achieve something
- Discover – to find, especially unexpectedly; to become aware of;
- Water ice – ice made of water;
- Fuel – a source of energy; something that is used to provide heat or power, usually by being burned, for example coal, wood, oil, etc.
- Rocket – a powerful vehicle that travels through space 🚀
- Prime Minister – the head or leader of an elected government of a country
- Congratulate – To tell someone you’re happy for their success
- Proud – feeling pleased and satisfied with one’s achievements or possessions; to feel good about yourself
- Moment – a particular time or occasion; point in time; a short period of time
- Ambitious – Wanting to do big and important things; having a strong desire to achieve something difficult
- Space – the area outside of Earth
- Program – project; initiative; a group of activities or things to be achieved; a plan with many parts
- Plan – want; aim; to intend to do something
- Astronaut – a person who is trained to travel in space
- Crewed – with a crew; with people; with operators
- The coming years – the years that will happen in the future; the next years to happen
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- What’s your opinion about more countries visiting the moon? Is it a good thing? Could it start trouble between countries?
- What do you think is the next big thing in space exploration?
- Do you think space travel and exploration is important for society or a waste of resources?
- Are you interested in going to space?
- English teachers looking for teaching ideas, check out my post on using easy news articles for lessons.
- English learners looking for study ideas, check out my post on using news stories for English practice.
Original Story
Fill-in-the-Blank Listening Practice
India made history on _____ when its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed on the moon’s south _____. This is the first time a country has landed on this _____ of the moon.
The spacecraft launched last _____ and landed on the lunar surface at around 8:34 a.m. Eastern _____.
India also attempted to land in this _____ of the moon in 2019, but the mission ended in failure due to a _____ issue.
India is now the _____ country to land on the moon. The United States, Russia (Soviet Union), and _____ have also accomplished moon landings.
Scientists are _____ in the south pole of the moon because they recently discovered _____ ice there. This water could maybe be used to make fuel for _____ and spacecraft missions to the moon.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) _____. He said that it was a _____ moment for India.
Just last week, Russia also tried to _____ a spacecraft on the moon, but their Luna-25 mission crashed into the lunar _____. The last time Russia visited the moon was _____ 50 years ago.
Earlier this year, the Japanese company Ispace also crashed their spacecraft _____ trying to land on the moon.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is _____ of India’s ambitious space program. The country plans to send Indian astronauts to the International Space _____ with NASA next year. They also want to send a crewed _____ to the moon in the coming years.
