2024 Another Big Year for Space Exploration

2025 · VOA Learning English

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Transcript

1. As we enter the new year, we take a look back at some of the biggest space stories of 2024.

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2. The American space agency NASA announced the space lander, called Odysseus, had touched down on the lunar surface February 22.

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3. Odysseus was developed by the Texas-based company Intuitive Machines.

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4. The spacecraft carried out several science experiments before powering down permanently on the moon in late March.

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5. NASA said Odysseus had successfully captured data to help the agency “better understand the moon’s environment and improve landing

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6. But the lander touched down the wrong way up, causing some communication and power problems.

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7. Japanese space officials reported that they stayed in communication with SLIM through late April.

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8. They said the spacecraft was able to collect valuable data about the touchdown and surrounding area.

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9. One purpose of the mission was to demonstrate new precision landing technology.

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10. JAXA said the experiment was successful because SLIM was able to land within 10 meters of its planned target.

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11. In late June, Chinese space officials announced the spacecraft had returned to Earth with rock and soil samples collected on the lunar surface.

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12. The successful return made China the first country to ever collect and bring back lunar samples from the far side of the moon.

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13. The area is known as the far side because it always faces away from Earth.

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14. earlier NASA test mission Hera’s trip to the asteroid is expected to take about two years.

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15. Hera is headed to the asteroid Dimorphos.

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16. NASA crashed its DART spacecraft into the space rock in 2022, about 11 million kilometers from Earth.

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17. NASA said its mission successfully showed it was possible to change the orbit of asteroids that might threaten Earth in the future.

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18. Hera aims to closely examine Dimorphos to get more details on how the strike by DART affected the asteroid.

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19. The data that NASA collected is to be used together with information gathered by ESA to develop future planetary defense plans.

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20. The explorer is designed to search for possible signs of life on Jupiter’s moon Europa.

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21. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and has numerous moons.

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22. But icy Europa has been identified by scientists as a good candidate for having the right conditions to support life.

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23. Several studies have suggested the moon likely contains a large ocean beneath its icy surface.

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24. NASA said the Europa Clipper would fly past Mars, then back toward Earth, “using the gravity of each planet to increase its momentum

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25. These kinds of “gravity assists” are expected to provide the needed push to get the spacecraft to Jupiter by 2030.

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26. Williams to the International Space Station (ISS). The two were expected to stay in space for only a week.

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27. But ongoing technical issues with the Starliner spacecraft prevented a return trip.

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28. NASA announced plans in August to have Starliner return to Earth without the astronauts.

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29. The current plan is for Wilmore and Williams to return on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft sometime in late March or April.

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30. Four of those tests were carried out in 2024. The last test took place in November.

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31. The Starship rocket and spacecraft system is designed to be a completely reusable vehicle to transport astronauts and supplies.

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32. It has successfully demonstrated that ability in its most recent experimental flights.

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33. During one of the tests in October, Starship’s Super Heavy booster rocket was "caught“ and secured by a huge structure that includes metal arms.

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34. A short time later, Starship’s second stage safely splashed down in the Indian Ocean. I’m Bryan Lynn.

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