Ioana Calapod, Sara Spano, Esra Demir April 26th

COMPREHENSION TASKS FOR AUTONOMOUS WORK - CORRECTIF

LISTENING

✰ TASK

Listen to the NBC News interview to former astronaut Mike Massimino and answer the questions.

1) What is the Hubble Space Telescope?

The Hubble Space Telescope is a telescope that has played a major role in space exploration,
thanks to which scientists have been able to get images of the universe and its galaxies.

2) What is the issue threatening the Hubble Space Telescope’s ability to work?

Satellites launched by private companies are generating traffic in space, consequently ruining
the photographs of the Hubble Space Telescope with bright streaks and curves of light.

3) In what way is Professor Massimino concerned about this issue?

In the short term there are no problems, as the number of satellites is reasonable (a couple of
thousands) and they can still be filtered out of the images; in the long-term, if hundreds of
thousands of satellites are launched, the traffic will grow too much, becoming an actual issue.
Nevertheless, Professor Massimino is optimistic about the fact that scientists/manufacturers will
find a way to get around this problem, such as finding less reflective materials for the satellites.

4) What is the “inside secret” from Massimino’s last mission to Hubble?

A docking ring was installed on the bottom of the Hubble Space Telescope.

5) What can be done, thanks to this “inside secret”, when the telescope re-enters?

A rocket motor can be attached to the telescope, in order to safely guide it back through the
atmosphere to burn up and not hurt our planet.

English 204 - Group work 1

Ioana Calapod, Sara Spano, Esra Demir April 26th

READING

✰ TASK

Read the article “Invasion of the celestial photobombers” and answer the questions.

1) What does the verb “to photobomb” mean? Make an example based on the article you have
read.

“To photobomb” means “to spoil a photograph” by unexpectedly appearing in the camera's field
of view. In this case, satellites are spoiling the images recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope.

2) Who or what causes the photobombing of the Hubble Space Telescope and what are the
consequences of said photobombing?

The photographs of the Hubble Space Telescope are being spoiled by thousands of passing
satellites launched by private companies, such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, negatively impacting
astronomy in the sense that there will be science that astronomers will no longer be able to do or
will have to spend significant amounts of money for.

3) Why is the Hubble Space Telescope a tool of crucial importance?

Because it has been providing essential information about space since 1990, specifically images
on the universe, the galaxies, black holes, and stars.

4) How is Elon Musk involved in this issue? Is the solution he proposed feasible? Why or why
not?

Elon Musk is the founder and chief executive of SpaceX, one of the companies launching the
photobombing satellites. He proposed to move the telescopes to orbit; however, this is not going
to fully solve the problem, because it implies placing them above all the other traffic, which is
impossible to do with the current technologies. It will, nevertheless, be necessary in the future.

5) All things considered, is it safe to say that the Hubble’s science efficiency and data analysis are
not in jeopardy, despite the satellite streaks? Justify your answer.

It is not safe to say that the Hubble’s science efficiency and data analysis are not in jeopardy,
because, even though the majority of affected images are currently still usable upon removal of
the streaks through standard data reduction techniques, when it comes to surveying large areas
of the sky, the Hubble might take only one or two images before redirecting its camera. This
means that, if these images are photobombed, they might become unusable. Moreover, the next
satellite to be launched, Xuntian, will have a larger field of view than the Hubble, raising the
chances of capturing the satellites in its images.

English 204 - Group work 2

Ioana Calapod, Sara Spano, Esra Demir April 26th

LANGUAGE TASKS FOR AUTONOMOUS WORK - CORRECTIF

✰ TASK

Match the words with their definition or explanation.

1. To put something such as a plan or system

in danger of being harmed or damaged.
A. Awe-inspiring 2. A group of stars in the sky that appear to
form a pattern and that have a name.
B. To impact
3. To look at and study something, usually a
book or document carefully.
C. To orbit
4. A strong expression of anger and
disapproval about something, made by a
D. A pillar
group of people or by the public.

E. To jeopardize 5. A device sent up into space to travel around

the earth, used for collecting information or
F. To pore over telecommunication.

6. Causing you to feel great respect or

G. An outcry admiration.

7. To follow a curved path around a planet or

H. A constellation star.

8. An occasion when a spacecraft is sent into

I. To toss
space, for the first time.

J. A swath 9. To have an influence on something.

10. A strip or belt, or a long area of

K. A satellite something.

11. To throw something carelessly.

L. To launch
12. Someone or something that is an
M. Short-term important part of a group, place or activity.

13. Capable of reflecting light or other

N. Universe radiation.

14. Occurring over or involving a relatively

O. Reflective short period of time.

15. All existing matter and space considered

as a whole; the cosmos.

English 204 - Group work 3

Ioana Calapod, Sara Spano, Esra Demir April 26th

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

6 9 7 12 1 3 4 2 11 10 5 8 14 15 13

✰ TASK

Match each verb with its preposition to make a meaningful phrase.

Confident The analysis

Pored Over The cosmos

Staring To Satellites

Launched At Images to tag those with clear

satellite streaks

Field In Studies

Involve Of 1990

Published Above The journal

Get The low earth orbit

Confident in the analysis — Pored over images to tag those with clear satellite streaks — Staring

at the cosmos — Launched in 1990 — Field of satellites — Involve in studies — Published in the

journal — Get above the low earth orbit

English 204 - Group work 4

Ioana Calapod, Sara Spano, Esra Demir April 26th

✰ TASK

Use at least 3 keywords to describe the pictures and to explain how they are linked with the subject.

Personal answer

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

English 204 - Group work 5

Ioana Calapod, Sara Spano, Esra Demir April 26th

✰ TASK

Classify those words according to their pronunciation.

Cosmos — Astronomy — Satellite — Spoiled — To impact — Black hole — Supermassive –

To broadcast – Constellation — To tag

/æ/ /ɒ/ /ə/ /ɔ/

To tag Constellation Supermassive To broadcast

Supermassive Cosmos Black hole Spoiled

Black hole Satellite

To impact Astronomy

Satellite

English 204 - Group work 6

Ioana Calapod, Sara Spano, Esra Demir April 26th

✰ TASK

Use at least 3 keywords to describe the pictures and to explain how they are linked with the subject.

A satellite sent into the space yesterday morning by government order. Half an hour ago, the

satellite has launched in the moon successfully.

✰ TASK

According to the stress pattern of each word, order these words.

Expansion
• — Interference — Observatory – Percentage — Constellation — Astronomer —
•
Telescope — Jeopardize — Significantly
•

oOo oOooo Ooo ooOo oOooo oOoo

Expansion Significantly Jeopardize Constellation Observatory Astronomer
Percentage Telescope Interference

English 204 - Group work 7

Ioana Calapod, Sara Spano, Esra Demir April 26th

✰ TASK

Write a text using at least 5 words that you have learned.

For example: satellite, to jeopardize, to outcry, land on, astronomer, observation, telescope, etc…

Elon Musk started working to send a new satellite and 3 astronomers into space to make a new

observation about the universe, but the people who learned about it took to the streets to outcry.

They believe that this is jeopardizing the universe but the public outcry was in vain, because the

satellite landed on the moon half an hour ago. It was announced that this satellite can be seen with

telescopes.

✰ TASK

Correct the sentences with the right prepositions.

1. The Hubble Space Telescope, known for recording awe-inspiring images of the cosmos while

advancing the field of astronomy, is under threat.

2. In May 2019, SpaceX launched its first batch of Starlink satellites, designed to broadcast

internet signals across the globe.

3. Their results show that the chance of seeing a satellite in a Hubble image from 2009 to 2020

was only 3.7 percent.

4. Mark McCaughrean is confident in their analysis, but notes that this is only a minor issue at the

moment.

5. In response, Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and chief executive, suggested that astronomers

bypass the issue by moving telescopes to orbit.

English 204 - Group work 8

Ioana Calapod, Sara Spano, Esra Demir April 26th

✰ TASK

Correct the spelling of the words.

1. Colleagues

2. Executive

3. Jeopardize

4. Algorithm

5. Satellites

✰ TASK

Correct the verb conjugations.

1. By the date of the analysis, 1,562 Starlink satellites were in orbit. Another company, OneWeb,

had lofted 320 satellites.

2. The data goes only through 2021. Thousands more satellites have been launched since then by

SpaceX and other companies

3. In May 2019, SpaceX launched its first batch of Starlink satellites, designed to broadcast

internet signals across the globe.

4. The satellites could be a serious threat to a telescope that hasn’t been launched yet.

English 204 - Group work 9