This program shares one clear fact at a time. This episode is about microbes traveling from Earth on spacecraft and NASA’s work to reduce that risk.
Transcript
EmmaWelcome to Slow English FM and Daily Random Facts. This program shares one clear fact at a time. This episode is about microbes traveling from Earth on spacecraft and NASA’s work to reduce that risk.
EmmaMicrobes from Earth can travel on spacecraft and contaminate other worlds. NASA’s planetary protection work includes testing spacecraft surfaces to check whether they are biologically clean. This work helps address the risk that Earth life could travel with a spacecraft.
EmmaThanks for listening to Slow English FM. We share news and stories in clear English to help you understand the world and improve your English.
Vocabulary in this episode
- spacecraft
This episode is about microbes traveling from Earth on spacecraft and NASA’s work to reduce that risk.
A spacecraft is a vehicle made for travel in space.
- spacecraft
Microbes from Earth can travel on spacecraft and contaminate other worlds.
Here, spacecraft means vehicles that travel through space.
- spacecraft
NASA’s planetary protection work includes testing spacecraft surfaces to check whether they are biologically clean.
These are the outer parts of a vehicle made for space travel.
- spacecraft
This work helps address the risk that Earth life could travel with a spacecraft.
Here, a spacecraft is a vehicle that travels in space.
- contaminate
Microbes from Earth can travel on spacecraft and contaminate other worlds.
To contaminate a world is to bring unwanted microbes there and make it less clean.
- planetary protection
NASA’s planetary protection work includes testing spacecraft surfaces to check whether they are biologically clean.
This is work to prevent Earth life from reaching other worlds, and to protect Earth from possible life brought back.
- biologically clean
NASA’s planetary protection work includes testing spacecraft surfaces to check whether they are biologically clean.
It means the surfaces have no living microbes on them.
- address the risk
This work helps address the risk that Earth life could travel with a spacecraft.
To address the risk means to take steps to deal with a possible danger.