Table of Contents
A Japanese company called ispace tried to land a robot on the Moon, but it didn’t go as planned.
The company wanted to show that their lander could safely go to the Moon. Landing on the moon is a difficult task that the company had already failed twice before.
Unfortunately, the lander didn’t have enough fuel, so the engines stopped working and it crashed.
NASA has a spacecraft called the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) that has been orbiting the Moon since 2009. It regularly takes pictures of the Moon’s surface with its telescope.
NASA scientists used the LRO to find where ispace’s lander crashed and recently released the pictures. Scientists had to carefully look for changes on the Moon’s surface. They did the same thing when another spacecraft crashed in 2019.
Even though ispace’s spacecraft didn’t land safely, the company plans to try at least two more times. They’ll try again with their own lander, and they are working with a US company called Draper Labs to send scientific instruments to the Moon.
In the near future, NASA will pay $2.6 billion to different companies to send various cargo to the Moon. Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines are other companies that want to send their own landers to the Moon in 2023 and be the first private company to reach the Moon.
Vocabulary
- Go as planned – when a plan works well; when the result or outcome was planned and successful; go well
- Show – to prove something or make the truth or existence of something known; confirm; demonstrate; validate
- Lander – A spacecraft or vehicle that lands on another planet or celestial object, like the Moon or Mars
- Task – A specific job or assignment; chore; work
Fail – to lose; to not succeed; to have a bad result; unsuccesful - Fuel – a source of energy; something that is used to provide heat or power, usually by being burned, for example coal, wood, oil, etc.
- Spacecraft – A vehicle designed/made for space travel, like a satellite or a spaceship
- Orbit – the curved path that something (such as a moon or satellite) follows as it goes around something else (such as a planet); (The moon orbits the Earth)
- Regularly – to happen often; repeat; frequently
- Surface – the top or outside layer of something; exterior; ground
- Telescope – an instrument or tool to help people see far into space
- Scientist – a person who studies science or the natural world; researcher
- Release – make available to everyone; launch; put on the market
- Even though – A phrase used to show a contrast or contradiction between two things; despite the fact that; although
- Plan – want; aim; to intend to do something
- Instrument – A tool or device; equipment
- In the near future – soon; not a long time from now
- Various – different kinds; more than one; several
- Cargo – Goods, products, or materials that are transported/sent by ship, aircraft, or other means of transportation
- Private company – A business or organization that is owned and operated by people or another company, rather than the government
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- Why do you think ispace wants to try landing on the Moon again, even after failing before?
- How do you think it will affect future scientific discoveries and progress when more private companies get involved in space exploration?
- If you had the chance, would you want to go to the Moon? Why or why not?
- Do you think space exploration and the likely settlement of the moon is a waste of money and resources?
Original Story
- 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.
