Баранова, Starlight 8. Учебник. Module 1. Russia

1 When did Yuri Gagarin first travel to space? (On 12th April, 1961.)
2 What was his profession before he became a cosmonaut? (He was an army officer.)
3 Was he alone in the spaceship? (Yes.)

1 F Radio Moscow interrupted scheduled broadcasting to announce …
2 T … as its only crew …
3 T His safe return put to rest worries … opened the doors to space travel.
4 F … a previously unknown army officer …
5 NS

I was impressed by the fact that people manage to travel to space so early in time.
The fact that the landing site at Engels has become a monument park is another thing that impressed me.
It is impressive that after so many years, on the 50th anniversary of Gagarin’s voyage, the cosmonauts honoured the hero by sending a video message to the people.

There are many reasons why space exploration is considered to be important. We can name just a few. For many, the ultimate aim would be space colonization in order to eliminate earth’s overpopulation. For others, the issue that earth’s natural recourses are running out could be solved by exploiting the natural resources that are virtually unlimited in outer space. We should also mention the useful environmental research that has been carried out throughout the years due to space exploration. The study of air quality, climate change, alternative energy, and dangerous near earth objects has greatly contributed to the welfare of humanity. Personally, I would love to go to space as I believe this would be an amazing experience for me. Seeing our planet from such a distance and realising how small and fragile it is may help us become more conscious and caring about our own home.