环球英语 — 293：The Space Race
Voice 1
Hello, I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby Jones. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
This is the sound of the first man-made satellite in space. The time - 10:30 at night. The date - 4th of October 1957. The place - Baikonur Cosmodome, Kazakhstan. The event - the launch of the first man-made satellite into space.
Voice 2
People all around the world watched the satellite launch on television. They could not believe what they saw. The countdown finished ... and a large rocket exploded into the sky. It carried a satellite the size of a large football. Once the rocket reached space, the satellite separated from it. Hours later, scientists in the space control centre heard a signal. The satellite had reached outer space! It was travelling up to 900 kilometres above the earth. The satellite only had enough power to send messages and information for 15 days. But it stayed in space for six months.
Voice 1
Today, satellites are common. They are necessary to the success of today’s communication technologies. But the first satellite was a great wonder. Russian scientists and engineers designed and built this satellite. They called it Sputnik. The launch of Sputnik was the result of much hard work and intelligent engineering. It marked an important development in science and technology. It opened the door for future space exploration. And, it also represented a great political victory.
Voice 2
At that time, Russia was only one part of another huge country. The country’s official name was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR. 14 countries from Eastern Europe and Northern Asia belonged to the USSR. Each country’s parliament, or soviet, believed in the same method of government - communism.
Voice 1
Many western countries feared this kind of political system. The United States government in particular felt threatened by the growing influence of the USSR. And the USSR felt threatened by the United States. The two countries competed against each other in everything to become the main Super Power. This included the race to control space. The launch of Sputnik was a major political success for the USSR. They had the technology to launch powerful weapons. And the USSR wanted the United States to know that. Sputnik became a powerful symbol.
Voice 2
In the following years, the space race continued. In 1958, the USA successfully launched its own satellite. This was one year after the USSR.
Voice 1
In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. This astronaut from the USSR made one complete trip around the earth. Less than one month later, the USA sent their man, Alan Shepherd, into space. And the American president declared his country’s desire to put a man on the moon. Who ever did this, would win the space race!
Voice 2
The most famous event in space happened in 1969 - man walking on the moon. The USA sent up a team of three men. They travelled in the Apollo eleven spaceship. Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin spent two hours walking on the moon’s grey, dusty surface. They placed an American flag there. They won the space race for the United States.
Voice 1
But exploration of space did not finish with landing on the moon landing. In the following years, both the USA and USSR sent up more space vehicles. Their satellites gathered information from Mars, Jupiter and Venus. The USA produced the space shuttle. This was the first re-usable space vehicle. And the USSR built a scientific centre in space. Astronauts lived there for short periods of time. They collected information and performed experiments.
Voice 2
But in the nineteen nineties, events in the USSR stopped their space exploration. The country experienced great political change. There were protests against the communist government. And these led to the break-up of this huge country. The 14 member states then became independent. And Russia became responsible for the space programme. But it no longer had the same financial resources. And it could not pay for continued space exploration.
Voice 1
The United States also had its problems. In 1986, its re-usable space vehicle, the shuttle, exploded. The seven astronauts inside it died. A similar tragic accident happened in 2003. And for some time, the people involved in the space programme lost their desire to continue.
Voice 2
Today however, the space race has changed. Many countries work together now, including the United States and Russia. They work for scientific knowledge, instead of weapons development. And many others have joined this race. China and some European countries have also started their own space programmes. Today, communications technology dictates the direction of space exploration. And satellite development is now big business. Modern satellites can carry mobile telephone or internet networks. Or they can observe the earth and its climate - they then can send information back to countries. This helps people to prepare for natural events like floods or earthquakes.
Voice 1
Sergei Krikalyov is a Russian astronaut. He is excited about all that space technology can offer. He says,
Voice 3
“One of Russia’s plans for the future is industrialized space - working high up in space to develop energy and produce new materials.”
Voice 1
And the next step? Sergei Krikalyov continues:
Voice 3
“Our long term plan is to travel in between different planets - Mars and places on the other side of it.”
Voice 1
In fact, a joint Russian/European Space Agency team will start doing some experiments in 2008. These will provide the information necessary to help prepare for the long and difficult trip to Mars.
Voice 2
Space technology has travelled a long way since the days of Sputnik. Professor Colin Pillinger was a small boy when he listened to Sputnik’s signals on the radio. Now he is involved in the British space programme. He describes Sputnik’s effect on the world:
Voice 4
“We did not know Sputnik was going to change the way we looked at the world. We did not know then that we would be able to send information around the world - that we would see what was going on in Australia in real time on the television.”
Voice 2
So, what is next? Will humans land on Mars? Time will tell. But one thing is for sure. For today’s space scientists, the sky is no longer the limit!
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