Ruby Jones The Space Race Lyrics

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The s___e Race
January 28, 2008

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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 s___e. The time - ten thirty at night. The date - fourth of October 1957. The place - Baikonur Cosmodome, Kazakhstan. The event - the launch of the first man-made satellite into s___e.

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 s___e, the satellite separated from it. Hours later, scientists in the s___e control centre heard a signal. The satellite had reached outer s___e! It was travelling up to nine hundred kilometres above the earth. The satellite only had enough power to send messages and information for fifteen days. But it stayed in s___e 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 s___e 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. Fourteen [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 s___e. 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 s___e 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 s___e. 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 s___e. And the American president declared his country's desire to put a man on the moon. Who ever did this, would win the s___e race!

Voice 2
The most famous event in s___e happened in 1969 - man walking on the moon. The USA sent up a team of three men. They travelled in the Apollo eleven s___eship. 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 s___e race for the United States.

Voice 1
But exploration of s___e did not finish with landing on the moon landing. In the following years, both the USA and USSR sent up more s___e vehicles. Their satellites gathered information from Mars, Jupiter and Venus. The USA produced the s___e shuttle. This was the first re-usable s___e vehicle. And the USSR built a scientific centre in s___e. Astronauts lived there for short periods of time. They collected information and performed experiments.

Voice 2
But in the 1990s, events in the USSR stopped their s___e 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 fourteen member states then became independent. And Russia became responsible for the s___e programme. But it no longer had the same financial resources. And it could not pay for continued s___e exploration.

Voice 1
The United States also had its problems. In 1986, its re-usable s___e vehicle, the shuttle, exploded. The seven astronauts inside it died. A similar tragic accident happened in two thousand and three. And for some time, the people involved in the s___e programme lost their desire to continue.

Voice 2
Today however, the s___e 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 s___e programmes. Today, communications technology dictates the direction of s___e 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 s___e technology can offer. He says,

Voice 3
"One of Russia's plans for the future is industrialized s___e - working high up in s___e 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 s___e 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
s___e 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 s___e 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 s___e scientists, the sky is no longer the limit!

Voice 1

Voice 2
Thank you for joining us today, goodbye.