60 YEARS OF NASA. Russia and America. NASA s achievements SPECIAL REPORT. Look Closer

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Look Closer FirstNews Issue 639 14 20 September 2018 SPECIAL REPORT 60 YEARS OF NASA The spiral galaxy Messier 81, as seen by NASA s Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched in 1990 THE National

This year it celebrates its 60th birthday, so we took a look at some of NASA s greatest achievements since its founding in 1958. Russia and America have been rivals for a very long time.

While the Russians celebrated their amazing achievement, the world s other superpower, America, was worried that they were falling behind.

1 Look Closer FirstNews Issue September 2018 SPECIAL REPORT 60 YEARS OF NASA The spiral galaxy Messier 81, as seen by NASA s Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched in 1990 THE National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, is the USA s space agency. This year it celebrates its 60th birthday, so we took a look at some of NASA s greatest achievements since its founding in Russia and America have been rivals for a very long time. After the Second World War, Russia invested heavily in a space programme, and took the world by surprise in 1957 when they launched the first man-made satellite, Sputnik 1, into Earth s orbit. While the Russians celebrated their amazing achievement, the world s other superpower, America, was worried that they were falling behind. Just a year after Sputnik 1 went into space, President Dwight D Eisenhower launched NASA. In the 1960s, the space race between Russia and America became serious. From 1963 to 1969, US politicians decided to give NASA a bigger chunk of the country s total spending than at any time before or since. Why? To ensure that the first human being to walk on the moon was American. The Curiosity rover takes a selfie on Mars Getty have been enormous, but the six Apollo missions to the moon are probably their most famous. Those voyages returned a huge amount of scientific data and almost 400kg of lunar samples. The last astronauts to set foot on the moon were the crew of the Apollo 17 mission, in December Prior to the first moon landing, NASA astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space when he stepped out of the Gemini 4 spacecraft in June Just a month later, NASA achieved another major milestone: the Mariner 4 mission made its closest approach to Mars on 15 July The unmanned spacecraft took the first photos of another planet from space (right). Compare that picture with some of the most recent NASA images from the Red Planet, taken by the Curiosity rover. This car-sized vehicle left Earth aboard a rocket in 2011, and has been sending back incredible images of Mars since NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS NASA s achievements Photo of Mars taken from space on 15 July 1965

Look Closer FirstNews Issue 639 14 20 September 2018 SPECIAL REPORT 60 YEARS OF NASA CONTINUED In 1961 President John F Kennedy gave a speech, in which he said: I believe that this nation should

Six years later, on 20 July 1969, his dream came true as the world watched NASA s greatest achievement: putting human beings on the moon. The Apollo 11 mission lifted off from Earth on 16 July.

When Armstrong stepped on to the moon s surface, he said: That s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on another world.

President Trump has just announced that NASA is sending astronauts back to the moon in order to prepare for a mission to Mars.

The ultimate goal is to send humans to the Red Planet and bring them safely back but there will multiple missions, each requiring giant leaps in understanding, along the way.

2 Look Closer FirstNews Issue September 2018 SPECIAL REPORT 60 YEARS OF NASA CONTINUED In 1961 President John F Kennedy gave a speech, in which he said: I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth. Tragically, Kennedy was shot dead in Six years later, on 20 July 1969, his dream came true as the world watched NASA s greatest achievement: putting human beings on the moon. The Apollo 11 mission lifted off from Earth on 16 July. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the moon s surface in the lunar module Eagle, while their colleague Michael Collins orbited the moon in the command module Columbia. When Armstrong stepped on to the moon s surface, he said: That s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on another world. NASA finally took the lead in the space race, and the Russians abandoned their plans to send people to the moon. Buzz Aldrin on the moon What next? President Trump has just announced that NASA is sending astronauts back to the moon in order to prepare for a mission to Mars. It is likely that a space station will be built in the moon s orbit from which astronauts can begin to build and test the technology needed. The ultimate goal is to send humans to the Red Planet and bring them safely back but there will multiple missions, each requiring giant leaps in understanding, along the way. GLOSSARY Satellite A man-made structure put into orbit around the Earth. Satellites are used for many modern services, such as mobile phones, sat-navs, mapping, TV broadcast and weather prediction. Rover a robotic vehicle used to explore planets or other space bodies. Lunar module a small part of the Apollo spacecraft that could detach and was used to carry astronauts to the moon s surface. Galaxy a huge collection of stars and planets held together by gravity.

3 World News GLOSSARY Satellite A man-made structure put into orbit around the Earth. Satellites are used for many modern services, such as mobile phones, sat-navs, mapping, TV broadcast and weather prediction. Rover a robotic vehicle used to explore planets or other space bodies. Lunar module a small part of the Apollo spacecraft that could detach and was used to carry astronauts to the moon s surface. Galaxy a huge collection of stars and planets held together by gravity. 1. What prompted the US to start NASA? 2. Can you put the events into the correct order?... The first moon walk... The Russians launch Sputknik 1... The moon landing... The Curiosity rover lands on Mars... The mission to the moon is announced... NASA is launched... Mariner 4 photographs Mars... President Kennedy is shot Look at the section In Which two people are quoted in this section and why have the quotes been chosen? Why did President Kennedy not get to watch the achievement of his dream? 5. Find these facts about the first moon landing. Name of the mission Date of lunar landing Name of astronauts who stepped on the moon Name of the lunar module 6. Forgotten greats: Who are Ed White and Michael Collins, and why should they be remembered? Ed White: Michael Collins: 7. What is the Curiosity rover? 8. Look at the two Mars missions: Mariner 4 and Curiosity. How has technology changed? What is possible now that wasn t possible then? Look at the section What next? 9. Why will there be many steps and multiple missions to achieve the aim of getting people to Mars? 10. Using your own knowledge about space, what do you think will be the greatest challenges NASA will have to solve in order to get people to Mars and back?

4 World News GLOSSARY Satellite A man-made structure put into orbit around the Earth. Satellites are used for many modern services, such as mobile phones, sat-navs, mapping, TV broadcast and weather prediction. Rover a robotic vehicle used to explore planets or other space bodies. Lunar module a small part of the Apollo spacecraft that could detach and was used to carry astronauts to the moon s surface. Galaxy a huge collection of stars and planets held together by gravity. 1. What prompted the US to start NASA? 2. Can you put the events into the correct order?... The first moon walk... The Russians launch Sputknik 1... The moon landing... The Curiosity rover lands on Mars... The mission to the moon is announced... NASA is launched... Mariner 4 photographs Mars... President Kennedy is shot Look at the section In Which two people are quoted in this section and why have the quotes been chosen? Why did President Kennedy not get to watch the achievement of his dream? 5. Find these facts about the first moon landing. Name of the mission Date of lunar landing Name of astronauts who stepped on the moon Name of the lunar module

5 6. Forgotten greats: Who are Ed White and Michael Collins, and why should they be remembered? Ed White: Michael Collins: 7.What is the Curiosity rover? 8. Look at the two Mars missions: Mariner 4 and Curiosity. How has technology changed? What is possible now that wasn t possible then? Look at the section What next? 9. Why will there be many steps and multiple missions to achieve the aim of getting people to Mars? 10. Using your own knowledge about space, what do you think will be the greatest challenges NASA will have to solve in order to get people to Mars and back?

6 Extension Activities Activity A: 60 YEARS OF NASA FIND OUT MORE If you would like to learn more about the history of NASA, this article has more detailed information and some great photographs. news.sky.com/story/happy-birthday-nasa-celebrating-60-years-of-space-exploration If you enjoyed learning about the everyday innovations and gadgets that have come from space technology in the previous article, NASA have a fascinating list here: Activity: THE MORALS OF SPACE EXPLORATION Look back at human history in the past, people thought they had a right and even a duty to explore supposedly unknown corners of the Earth. The stories don t end well for the people already living there. We don t have a great track record of looking after our own planet s environment either, and after just 60 years of space travel there is an incredible amount of space junk hurtling around the planet. Then again, it is part of human nature to want to learn and to increase our knowledge of the world around us. Technological advance seems unstoppable. With these thoughts in mind, do you think humans have a right to explore space, to use what we find, and even try to live on other planets? Chose one of the statements below and write a few paragraphs supporting the argument with your own ideas. Yes, humans have the right to explore space. No, humans do not have the right to explore space.

7 Teacher Answers AIM OF THE NEWS COMPREHENSIONS: News reports are unique non-fiction texts. Being real, they naturally engage students, and with the range of topics that are covered, help to develop pupils knowledge and understanding of the wider world outside the classroom. The reports are ideal for short, focused comprehension or discussion activities. Along with the opportunity to find fascinating facts and appreciate the opinions of those involved, there is plenty to be inferred and deduced to understand in more depth what is being reported. Like authors, journalists play with language, so news stories are rich nuggets of text to investigate and provide the opportunity for literacy programmes. TEACHER ANSWER GUIDE: The teacher answers are intended to provide a guide to the reading skill each question is practising. Suggestions are given for a starting point for responses that students would be expected to give at the start of KS3. Further suggestions then give fuller, more developed responses that students will work towards by the end of KS3, in preparation for the non-fiction elements of GCSE English language. 1. What prompted the US to start NASA? READING SKILL Infer information and justify with evidence (NC 2c & 8) Russia / The launch of Sputnik 1. Development Rivalry between Russia and America. Russia had launched Sputnik 1 and the Americans were worried they were falling behind. They launched NASA to compete with the Russian space programme. 2. Can you put the events into the correct order? This is quite a challenge! 1 The Russian s launch Sputnik 1 (1957) 2 NASA is launched (1958) 3 The mission to the moon is announced (1961) 4 President Kennedy is shot (1963) 5 The first moon walk (June 1965) 6 Mariner 4 photographs Mars (July 1965) 7 The moon landing (1969) 8 The Curiosity rover lands on Mars (2011) Look at the section Which two people are quoted in this section and why have the quotes been chosen? READING SKILL Infer information and justify with evidence (NC 2c & 8) John F Kennedy he was the president. Neil Armstrong he was the first man on the moon. Development President John F Kennedy he launched the mission to put a man on the moon and these are the exact words he said in his speech. Neil Armstrong he was the first man on the moon and this is an important (and famous) quote because it is what he said as he stepped on to the moon s surface. 4. Why did President Kennedy not get to watch the achievement of his dream? He was shot and killed six years before the moon landing.

8 5. Find these facts about the first moon landing. Name of the mission Apollo 11 Date of lunar landing 20 July 1969 Name of astronauts who stepped on the moon Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Name of the lunar module Eagle 6. Forgotten greats: Who are Ed White and Michael Collins, and why should they be remembered? Ed White: The first man to walk in space (June 1965). Michael Collins: The third astronaut on the Apollo 11 mission. He stayed in the command module while Neil and Buzz walked on the moon. 7. What is the Curiosity rover? It is a car-sized spacecraft currently exploring Mars and sending back incredible photos. 8. Look at the two Mars missions: Mariner 4 and Curiosity. How has technology changed? What is possible now that wasn t possible then? READING SKILL Infer information and justify with evidence (NC 2c & 8) Now you can take much better photos. Rovers can explore Mars. Development Now it is possible to land a spacecraft on the planet Mars. In 1965 the spacecraft could only fly close to the planet. Now it s possible to take incredibly detailed pictures in colour. The 1965 pictures were in black and white and were very blurry. Now, the rover can explore the planet and even take selfies! Look at the section What next? 9. Why will there be many steps and multiple missions to achieve the aim of getting people to Mars? READING SKILL Infer information and justify with evidence (NC 2c & 8) It s going to be very difficult to send people to Mars. Development There is a huge amount to learn and a lot of technical innovation will be required to get people to Mars, therefore it s only going to be possible to do it by having lots of smaller missions that each take a step forwards. 10. Using your own knowledge about space, what do you think will be the greatest challenges NASA will have to solve in order to get people to Mars and back? READING SKILL Develop personal ideas from reading news stories (NC 6, 7 & 8 ) Children s own response

NASA Mission Directorates

NASA Mission Directorates 1 NASA s Mission NASA's mission is to pioneer future space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research. 0 NASA's mission is to pioneer future space exploration,