To Infinity and Beyond
Oral Communication Practice
Watch the video and respond to the questions below.
1. How did the people feel about space exploration by the end of the video?
2. Would you want to live on another planet?
RESPONSES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Hanna Yasmin, 20, programme director at a start-up
“I wouldn’t want to. It is very unlikely for another planet to have the exact same natural conditions for human beings to not just survive but also thrive on a long term basis. Adapting to the new conditions would be an issue. Migrating to another country is already quite difficult, what more a whole different planet! Also, if I ever get homesick (or Earthsick?) I’m pretty sure that I would not be able to go back to Earth as frequently as I would like. Space shuttle tickets will likely be much more expensive than the average plane ticket.”
(reference–2016 PP06, 14)
John Grunsfeld, 58, astronaut on five space shuttle flights
“As [my] children got older, they also became more aware of the risks of space travel, especially for [my] last mission on Atlantis in 2009, which was one of the early flights following the 2003 explosion of Columbia. My daughter has told me that she was very stressed and very worried that I wasn’t going to come back.”
Nick Yeo, 23, undergraduate
“I would because it would be awesome to be part of the birth of a civilisation. I would be a pioneer in creating a culture and society out of nothing, and on a whole new world (literally). That would be amazing. I would take my family and some of my friends along too; Skype just won’t work out there.”
(reference–2016 PP06, 15)
