Coffee Break English season 3 episode 5.
Hello and welcome back to Coffee Break English.
My name's Mark. And I'm Josie.
How are you today Josie?
I'm very well thank you Mark, how are you?
I'm very well too and looking forward to finding out more about today's text.
What are we talking about today?
Today we're talking about the future of NASA.
NASA so this is a space agency and I'm sure our listeners have heard of NASA.
Yes, in this text we're going to listen to Kate who's going to tell us all about the future of NASA and we'll discuss how to talk about the future in English.
Sounds good let's get started.
Hello everyone it's Kate here and in this episode we're talking about space exploration.
Let's get started. Most people know all about the 1969 moon landing.
Walking on the moon is one of mankind's greatest achievements but it's just a small part of what NASA has achieved.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the USA's space agency and the biggest in the world.
Since 1969 they have been responsible for several more moon landings and they have explored the solar system using rovers and satellites.
Today NASA operates the International Space Station or the ISS in partnership with the Canadian, Japanese, Russian and European space agencies.
The ISS allows us to learn much more about space but NASA have even bigger plans for the future.
NASA say that their ultimate goal is to put humans on Mars.
To do this they are going to return to the moon where they are going to construct a space station called Gateway.
Gateway is going to serve as a base for spacecraft traveling further out into the solar system as far as Mars.
NASA are going to go to the moon again by 2024 but it probably won't be a solo operation.
Private companies such as SpaceX have already produced rockets to take supplies to the ISS and NASA is considering working with them in the future.
If companies like SpaceX can prove they are able to land on the moon, NASA will work with them to get people there sooner.
NASA and the space exploration community believe that it's important to work together to make progress.
With NASA's impressive plans the future of space travel will be very exciting.
This is quite a long text today all about the future of NASA.
Let's find out more about it now.
Yes let's get started.
Most people know all about the 1969 moon landing.
Yes so in the previous season of Coffee Break English we talked about a famous astronaut Chris Hadfield and we mentioned the phrase moon landing.
It just means the event when someone landed on the moon for the first time when someone went to the moon.
Okay walking on the moon is one of mankind's greatest achievements but it's just a small part of what NASA has achieved.
Yes so walking on the moon is one of mankind's greatest achievements.
We know what man is but what is mankind Mark?
Mankind is all humans the human species.
That's right so it's one of mankind's greatest achievements.
It's one of the best and most impressive things that humans have done.
Okay the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the USA's space agency and the biggest in the world.
Since 1969 they have been responsible for several more moon landings and they have explored the solar system using rovers and satellites.
Yes so since 1969 they have been responsible for moon landings.
This means they they organized they controlled they were in charge of these moon landings and they have explored the solar system.
What's the solar system Mark?
The solar system is the Sun and all the planets which move around it.
Yes so they've explored the solar system using rovers and satellites.
A rover is like a small vehicle that is controlled by a remote control so you can control it from Earth to explore another planet like Mars this has happened.
Okay today NASA operates the International Space Station or the ISS in partnership with the Canadian, Japanese, Russian and European space agencies.
Yes so NASA operates the ISS in partnership with these other space agencies so this means that they all work together in an equal way.
Okay the ISS allows us to learn much more about space but NASA have even bigger plans for the future.
Yes so we're going to learn about their bigger plans for the future and now we're going to see some future structures in English.
Okay NASA say that their ultimate goal is to put humans on Mars.
Yes their ultimate goal is for humans to go to Mars.
What is an ultimate goal Mark?
It's the final result that you want.
Exactly so that is what they are working for.
Okay to do this they are going to return to the moon where they are going to construct a space station called Gateway.
Yes so here we're talking about what they want to do in the future so they are going to return to the moon and they're going to construct a space station.
Here we're talking about the plans the intentions that NASA have for the future so we're using this structure be going to and a verb in the infinitive.
This is the structure that we usually use to talk about our future plans.
Okay Gateway is going to serve as a base for spacecraft traveling further out into the solar system as far as Mars.
Yes so the furthest place that they're going to travel the maximum distance is to Mars and here in this phrase as well we have another example of going to for NASA's future plans.
Gateway is going to serve as a base so this is their their plan they're quite sure about this.
Okay we're going to take a short break there and we'll be back in just a moment to find out more about NASA's plans.
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Welcome back we're talking about NASA and also about the future in English.
So far we've talked about how to express future plans using going to.
So Mark can you tell me what are your plans for this weekend?
This weekend I am going to visit my mum and I'm also going to catch up with some reading that I've been wanting to do for a while.
That sounds lovely so those are very close plans they're they're going to happen very soon but what are your plans for next summer?
Do you have any plans?
Next summer I'm going to go to Greece we are going to take the family to Greece because we've never been before.
What are you going to do next summer?
Next summer I'm gonna go on a camping trip in Scotland because I love having a holiday in Scotland.
Now Josie that was interesting because you didn't say I'm going to take a camping trip you said I'm gonna take a camping trip can you explain that?
Yes so they mean exactly the same thing but when we speak often people like to speak quite fast and to save time so instead of saying I am going to we say I'm gonna.
Okay let's continue with our text.
NASA are going to go to the moon again by 2024 but it probably won't be a solo operation.
Yeah so again this is NASA's plan NASA are going to go to the moon again or maybe NASA are gonna go to the moon again.
But it probably won't be a solo operation can you explain won't?
Yes so here we're not using going to because we're not sure that it won't be a solo operation this is not a plan this is something that we believe will happen in the future but it's not sure we have the word probably here so it probably won't be.
Exactly. Now won't is will not it's a contraction of will not so it probably will not be a solo operation what's a solo operation Josie?
Yes so an operation this is this thing that they are planning to do going to the moon and a solo operation means something that they do alone solo is alone so this operation won't be a solo operation it will not be a solo operation meaning that they are going to work with other organizations that's
right. Private companies such as SpaceX have already produced rockets to take supplies to the moon and NASA is considering working with them in the future.
Yeah so SpaceX have taken supplies to the ISS supplies are like things that you need to live like food medical equipment and things like that.
Okay if companies like SpaceX can prove they are able to land on the moon NASA will work with them to get people there sooner.
Yeah so before NASA will work with SpaceX, SpaceX has to prove that they can land on the moon what does prove mean Mark?
Prove is the same as to show or the provide evidence that they have done something.
Exactly yes and if they can show this NASA will work with them to get people there sooner to get people there earlier.
NASA and the space exploration community believe that it's important to work together to make progress.
Yes so NASA want to make progress or make progress we can pronounce it either way and make progress just means to advance to move forward with something.
Good with NASA's impressive plans the future of space travel will be very exciting.
Yes so here we have the verb will again the future of space travel will be very exciting so this is not a plan that NASA have this is a prediction that I'm making this is something that I think will happen in the future.
Okay let's have a listen again to the full text and try to spot the going to and will verbs in this passage.
Most people know all about the 1969 moon landing walking on the moon is one of mankind's greatest achievements but it's just a small part of what NASA has achieved.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the USA's space agency and the biggest in the world.
Since 1969 they have been responsible for several more moon landings and they have explored the solar system using rovers and satellites.
Today NASA operates the International Space Station or the ISS in partnership with the Canadian, Japanese, Russian and European space agencies.
The ISS allows us to learn much more about space but NASA have even bigger plans for the future.
NASA say that their ultimate goal is to put humans on Mars.
To do this they are going to return to the moon where they are going to construct a space station called Gateway.
Gateway is going to serve as a base for spacecraft traveling further out into the solar system as far as Mars.
NASA are going to go to the moon again by 2024 but it probably won't be a solo operation.
Private companies such as SpaceX have already produced rockets to take supplies to the ISS and NASA is considering working with them in the future.
If companies like SpaceX can prove they are able to land on the moon, NASA will work with them to get people there sooner.
NASA and the space exploration community believe that it's important to work together to make progress.
With NASA's impressive plans the future of space travel will be very exciting.
Thank you for joining us for this episode of Coffee Break English and we hope you've enjoyed finding out more about NASA.
Yes don't forget you can stay in touch with us on Facebook and on Instagram.
Just search for Coffee Break English.
We'll be back next time when we'll be returning home with a text from Scotland.
For now thank you and goodbye.
See you next time. You have been listening to a Coffee Break languages production for the Radiolinguine Network.
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