Textwork

At first sight

Answer the questions below.

1. According to the text, who should be able to decide if we should colonize our solar system?

2. What evidence is given to show that a majority of the American population supports the American space program?

3. What has been done to observe the solar system for the last six decades?

4. According to the text, when might humans set foot on the Moon again, and what is the program called that is planning this?

5. The text mentions examples of challenges when colonizing our solar systems. What are they?

6. Why have nation states and mega-corporations been skeptical about investing in the colonization of space?

1. According to the text, is the public interest in colonizing space increasing or decreasing?

2. What is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ intention with space colonization?

3. What does “hedge population” mean and why is it important?

4. According to the author of the text, Fred Kennedy, a civilization that turns away from discovery and growth stagnates; what two people does he cite to back up his argument?

5. According to opponents of colonization, what is the potential problem of small and isolated settlements far from Earth?

6. What examples of “critical technologies” are mentioned in the text?

7. What positive outcomes will be brought about by the improvements of critical technologies over time?

8. How would genetic engineering be used when colonizing space?

Match the words with the correct definition.

PART I by design to take control of a people or area colonize to investigate or study by testing or experimenting consensus on or relating to the Earth explore general agreement probe according to plan terrestrial a display of strength or skill tour de force a device used to penetrate or send back information

PART II to put all one’s eggs a community protected by a social or physical barrier in one basket cabin fever a person or thing that causes great trouble or suffering hedge population a statement of reasons rationale boredom or anxiety due to prolonged stay in a remote place running room sudden increase in interest scourge the space permitting flexibility to operate without impairment wave of interest to focus on one single area and risk losing everything

Work in pairs or small groups. Discuss.

1. Fred Kennedy is in favor of colonizing space. What are his main arguments in favor of colonization?

2. How does the author differentiate between exploration and colonization? Give examples to support your ideas.

3. When trying to explain why we should not speak of colonization of the solar system yet, the text makes a comparison with an American vessel that may have landed on Antarctica in 1821. How does this comparison work? Use arguments from the text to support your thoughts.

4. How does the eggs-in-several-baskets approach complement Jeff Bezos’ arguments? Would you say that Bezos’ arguments for pursuing colonization are legitimate?

5. In what ways can “cabin fever” be a problem for our planet, and what might be the solution to this?

6. The last sentence of the article is: “Humanity’s future will be decided by its outcome.” What does this refer to? Do you agree with this statement?

1. There is a direct parallel drawn between the explorers of the Renaissance (for example, Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama) and Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk in the text. What are the similarities and what are the differences between the explorers from the different eras? Discuss the question in pairs or small groups.

2. We know what happened to the native populations in the places where the Renaissance explorers colonized. Can we learn any lessons from this, so that we do not repeat these mistakes if we discover other worlds in space?

Becky Chambers is an awardnominated science-fiction writer. Her work portrays people and aliens in future worlds far from planet Earth. This excerpt is from the author’s 2014 debut novel, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. The story is set in Galactic Commons, a fictional universe, where the protagonist Rosemary Harper flees her old life to join the multi-species crew of the Wayfarer.

sims | short for ’simulator’ the sapient | here, short for the wise being

Practise the words in Wordmatch and Spelling.