Comprehension task

I. Read the word combinations and translate them into Russian

to transport people and cargo, orbital velocity, Earth's surface, liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, to exhaust the propellants, for reuse, a winged orbiter, cargo bay, to put into service, cosmic objects, entire system, to jettison the boosters, a replacement orbiter, for assembly, astronaut crew, to release the tank, to disintegrate on reentering the atmosphere.

II. Make up the word combinations

1. winged 2. orbital 3. reusable 4.unpowered 5. weightless 6. solid 7. pressurized 8. orbiting 9. booster 10. external

a) propellant b) conditions c) facility d) tank e) spacecraft f) rocket g) descent h) orbiter i) rocket j) velocity

III. Fill in the missing words (jettisoned, liftoff, thrust, unpowered, an external tank, returned)

1. At … the entire system weighs 2 million kilograms.

2. The U.S. space shuttle consists of three major components: a winged orbiter, … and a pair of strap-on booster rockets.

3. During launch the boosters and the orbiter's main engines produce about 31,000 kilonewtons of … .

4. After liftoff the boosters are … and are … to Earth by parachute for reuse.

5. The orbiter makes an … descent and landing similar to a glider.

IV. Find synonyms in the list of words

major, to meet, cargo, to transport, load, main, to rendezvous, launch, team, to lift off, entire, to reach, to fly off, crew, whole, liftoff, to attain, to ferry.

V. Find antonyms in the list of words

partially, expendable, to jettison, to increase, completely, vertically, to return, internal, to lift off, reusable, to land, horizontally, external, to keep, to leave, to reduce.

VI. Agree or disagree with the following statements

1. Space shuttle is not designed to transport people and cargo to and from orbiting spacecraft.

2. At liftoff the entire system weighs 2 million kilograms.

3. After the boosters are jettisoned about two minutes after liftoff, they don’t return to Earth.

4. Space shuttle combines the features of an expendable rocket launcher and a glider.

5. Since the invention of space shuttle the high cost of spaceflight was reduced.

VII. Match the questions with the answers

1. When was shuttle used for the first time?	а) It happened in 1986.
2. Who developed space shuttle?	b) It was done by NASA.
3. When did the first big accident happen?	c) It lifts off vertically.
4. What does shuttle do like an expendable rocket launcher?	d) It happened in 1981.
5. What does shuttle do like a glider?	e) It makes an unpowered descent.

VIII. Answer the questions

1. What is a space shuttle?

2. What does it consist of?

3. What happens during the liftoff?

4. Can you describe the process of flight?

5. What is space shuttle used for?

6. Which purpose was shuttle designed for?