Astronauts face challenges on moon mission

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2026/04/03

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Astronauts face challenges on moon mission

Vocabulary Match

phenomenal •• pale or faded
despite •• even though
coastlines •• hot or cold
temperature •• encountered
faced •• amazing
washed out •• next to the sea

Vocabulary Answers

phenomenalamazing
despiteeven though
coastlinesnext to the sea
temperaturehot or cold
facedencountered
washed outpale or faded

Article

The Artemis II mission launched successfully, with astronauts from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency starting a 10-day trip to the moon. However, they have faced some problems in space.

Commander Reid Wiseman was not happy with the GoPro cameras, saying the pictures look "very white, bright and washed out." He also mentioned that taking pictures of Earth with an iPhone feels like trying to photograph the moon from your backyard.

Another issue is the cold temperature inside the spacecraft. Astronaut Christina Koch asked if they could make it warmer. Despite these problems, Koch described the view of Earth as "phenomenal," noting the beautiful coastlines and clouds.

Overall, the mission is going well, and the astronauts are enjoying the unique experience.

Quiz

  1. What have the astronauts started?
  2. Who was unhappy with the GoPro cameras?
  3. What did he say about taking pictures of Earth with an iPhone?
  4. What did Christina Koch ask about the temperature?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. They've started a 10-day trip to the moon.
  2. Commander Reid Wiseman.
  3. He said it feels like trying to photograph the moon from your backyard.
  4. She asked if they could make it warmer.

Conversation

A:Christina, how's the view from the window?
B:It's absolutely phenomenal! The land next to the sea looks amazing.
A:I wish we could get better pictures. The GoPro photos look washed out.
B:Yeah, my iPhone's no better. Look, this photo could be taken from your backyard.
A:And it's freezing in here. Can we make it warmer?
B:Let's ask mission control. Maybe they can help us.

Discussion

  1. Do you like taking photos? What do you take pictures of?
  2. What things are difficult to photograph?
  3. Would you like to travel to the moon?
  4. What would you bring on a space mission?
  5. What exercises could you do to stay warm in space?

Source Material

https://www.ladbible.com/news/science/artemis-ii-rocket-launch-complaints-astronauts-science-space-724433-20260402

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