Shadowing Practice: Apollo Program: Eagle Has Landed - Learn English Speaking with Video
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1961, at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space.
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Just weeks later, the United States launched its first astronaut, Alan Shepard.
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He was welcomed home as a hero, but President John F.
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Kennedy knew that if the United States was to overtake the Soviet space programme, it needed a bolder mission.
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I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."
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As Kennedy addressed Congress, the United States had just 15 minutes of human spaceflight experience.
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No one knew if a Moon landing was even possible, let alone in just nine years.
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It would be an unprecedented engineering and scientific undertaking, marked by heroism and tragedy.
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The incredible task of landing an astronaut on the Moon would be known as the Apollo Programme.
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The Apollo Programme had been rocked by the tragic death of Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee.
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But it had recovered with the brilliant success of Apollo 7, the first crude test of the Command and Service Module.
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And in 1968, after seven years of intense research and development, NASA had flown three astronauts 240,000 miles from home and into lunar orbit.
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Apollo 8 flew within 69 miles of the Moon's surface, but crossing that final gap would be the greatest challenge of the Apollo programme.
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It would require a completely new and untested type of spacecraft… the Lunar Module.
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In the wake of Apollo 8's daring journey to the Moon, Apollo 9 received much less public attention.
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The mission wasn't even going to leave Earth orbit.
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But within the astronaut corps, the first crewed flight of the lunar module was seen as an even more exciting challenge.
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The mission's commander, Jim McDivitt, had actually turned down the chance to fly to the Moon on Apollo 8, choosing Apollo 9 instead.
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Like many Apollo astronauts, he was a former test pilot, and this was a chance to test a brand new flying machine.
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Two, one, zero, liftoff, we have liftoff at 11am EST.
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Before the test flight of the Lunar Module could begin, the crew had a challenging docking manoeuvre to perform.
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The Lunar Module was folded inside the upper stage of the Saturn V rocket, and needed to be extracted using the Command and Service Module.
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Leaving Command Module pilot Dave Scott to fly the CSM, McDivitt and Lunar Module pilot Rusty Schweikert climbed aboard and undocked.
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The Lunar Module was the first true spaceship, designed only to fly in the vacuum of space.
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Its insect-like body was designed without the constraints of aerodynamics, but every panel, bolt and button had to be as light as possible, so the craft could lift itself off the Moon's surface.
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McDivitt said that it looked like cellophane and tin foil, put together with Scotch tape and staples.
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He gave his craft the callsign Spider.
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Unlike the command module, Spider did not have a heat shield, so it would burn up if it tried to re-enter Earth's atmosphere.
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So if the astronauts couldn't re-dock with the command module after their test flight, they would have no way of returning home.
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But Spider's test flight went perfectly.
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Divit and Schweikert flew the Lunar Module over 100 miles from the Command Module.
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They tested the ascent and descent engines, and returned for a safe rendezvous.
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The Lunar Module was ready to fly to the Moon.
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NASA had successfully tested both the Command Module and Lunar Module, and made a trip around the Moon.
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Many hoped the next mission would attempt the first Moon landing.
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But NASA needed more experience in communications and tracking two separate spacecraft in lunar orbit, plus the challenges of rendezvous and docking in the Moon's weaker gravity.
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And there was another critical unknown.
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In 1968, NASA scientists discovered that the Moon has a highly uneven gravitational field.
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This is caused by huge lumps of high-density material in its crust, known as mass concentrations, or mascons, which could exert an uneven pull on a spacecraft and throw it off course.
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Before it was safe to attempt a landing, NASA would need to learn more about the mascons by examining their effect on another Apollo flight.
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Apollo 10 would be a dress rehearsal for the first landing attempt, flying every part of the mission, except for the final descent to the surface.
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The Apollo 10 crew was Commander Tom Stafford, Command Module Pilot John Young, and Lunar Module Pilot Gene Cernan.
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All three men were veterans of the Gemini programme, and with five missions between them, they were the most experienced crew ever sent into space.
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Stafford and Cernan flew the Lunar Module to within nine miles of the Moon's surface.
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Their successful flight proved every phase of the mission, except for the final descent.
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Now, everything was in place.
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It was time to attempt the landing.
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Apollo 11 would be commanded by Neil Armstrong, a brilliant engineer and test pilot.
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Early in his NASA career he'd flown the experimental X-15 rocket plane, up to an altitude of 207,000 feet at speeds of almost 4,000 miles per hour.
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When he joined the space programme as part of NASA's second astronaut group, he was one of the few astronauts to be offered a command on his first mission, Gemini 8.
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Gemini 8 achieved the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit.
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But the mission almost ended in disaster, when a faulty manoeuvring thruster caused the Gemini capsule to spin wildly.
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Armstrong's calm and swift piloting brought the spacecraft under control, and although the mission was cut short, he'd proved his almost superhuman ability to remain calm under pressure.
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Joining him as Lunar Module Pilot was Buzz Aldrin.
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A graduate of MIT, Aldrin wrote his doctoral thesis on piloting techniques for orbital rendezvous, and had an extraordinary understanding of orbital mechanics.
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He'd proven his expertise on Gemini 12.
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When the spacecraft's rendezvous radar malfunctioned, he was able to compute the orbital manoeuvres himself and guide the capsule to a successful docking with an unmanned target rocket.
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The Command Module pilot was Michael Collins.
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He would remain aboard the Command Module, whilst Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the Moon.
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He had no regrets about his assignment, telling reporters that he was going 99.9% of the way there, and that was fine with him.
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But years later, he would recount his greatest fear – that Armstrong and Aldrin would be stranded on the surface, leaving him to travel back to Earth alone.
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The 15th of July, 1969.
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Almost a million people were gathering at Cape Kennedy to watch the three astronauts fly to the Moon.
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But not everyone was there to celebrate.
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As launch preparations were made, around 150 people – mostly African-American mothers and their children – arrived at Cape Kennedy to protest the launch.
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They were led by the Reverend Ralph Abernathy, who had succeeded Dr Martin Luther King as leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, after King's assassination the previous year.
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Their message was simple.
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It was inhuman to spend billions of dollars sending men to the moon, while one in five Americans lacked proper food, shelter and healthcare.
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NASA Administrator Thomas Paine met with the protesters the evening before the launch.
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He told Abernathy that, if we could solve the problems of poverty by not pushing the button to launch men to the Moon tomorrow, then we would not push that button.'
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Their terse meeting resolved nothing, but it ended with a handshake, and a promise by Abernathy that he would pray for the safe flight of the astronauts.
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The following day, ten of the protesters were invited into the VIP stands to watch the launch of Apollo 11.
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10, 9, ignition sequence starts, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, all engines running.
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Liftoff, we have a liftoff, 32 minutes past the hour, liftoff on Apollo 11."
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Four days later, on the 20th of July, Armstrong and Aldrin climbed into their lunar module, callsign EGLE, and began their descent to the lunar surface.
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Years of hard work and training had led to this moment.
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The descent to the lunar surface would test their skills to the very limit.
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Back on Earth, in Houston, Texas, the staff of Mission Control watched as EGLE passed behind the Moon for a final time.
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They monitored every system in both spacecraft, and guided the astronauts through the complex flight plan.
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And the success of the mission was about to rest on the shoulders of 26-year-old guidance officer Steve Bales.
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The master alarm sounded in the Lunar Module cockpit.
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The sales guidance computer was trying to tell the astronauts that something was wrong.
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Its simple display showed the numbers 1202, but neither Armstrong or Aldrin knew what this meant.
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Flight director Gene Krantz was seconds away from calling an abort.
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He turned to Bales for answers.
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1202 meant the guidance computer was overloaded.
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It had too many tasks to complete in its computing cycle, and was dropping some in order to continue functioning.
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Without a working guidance computer, the astronauts would have to abort.
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But the alarm wasn't sounding continuously.
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This meant that most computational cycles were being completed properly.
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Bales decided that as long as the problem was only intermittent, the landing could continue.
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But then another problem.
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The Lunar Module was approaching the surface too fast, and had overshot its intended landing site.
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Now the computer was guiding them towards a massive, football stadium-sized crater, surrounded by a field of car-sized boulders.
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With the Lunar Module almost out of fuel, Armstrong took manual control.
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Mission control could only watch.
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The landing rested on Armstrong's piloting skills.
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As around 600 million people watched from Earth, Armstrong took his first steps on the lunar surface.
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That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
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The precisely choreographed Moonwalk had taken two years to plan.
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For two hours and 40 minutes, Armstrong and Aldrin gathered rock samples, set up scientific experiments and took photographs.
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The Apollo 11 crew returned home as heroes, their names now amongst those of the greatest explorers in history.
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Now that President Kennedy's goal had been accomplished, was there any point in returning to the Moon?
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What was left for the Apollo programme to achieve?
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The new mission would be science.
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The Moon's origins remained a mystery.
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Where did it come from?
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Could its scarred surface tell the story of the early solar system, and in turn help us understand the origins of our own world?
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But although NASA now possessed the knowledge and technology to land on the Moon, it would soon receive a powerful reminder of the dangers of spaceflight.
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and to our Patreon supporters for making Epic History TV possible.
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Visit our Patreon page to find out how you can support the channel, get ad-free early access and help to choose future topics.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Pursuing english speaking practice through videos like "Apollo Program: Eagle Has Landed" offers a unique opportunity to engage with historical content while enhancing language skills. By shadowing the speaker, you can practice intonation, rhythm, and phrasing in English. This engaging video not only narrates the monumental journey to the Moon but also employs a rich vocabulary and a storytelling style that is both educational and captivating. By mimicking the speaker's delivery, you can significantly elevate your fluency and confidence in speaking.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The video provides numerous examples of effective grammar structures and expressions that are useful for learners:
- Direct Quotes: The use of direct quotes from President John F. Kennedy, such as "I believe that this nation should commit itself..." emphasizes the urgency and importance of a mission. This structure can help you learn how to convey strong beliefs in discussions.
- Compound Sentences: The phrases "NASA needed more experience in communications and tracking... plus the challenges of rendezvous..." highlight the use of compound sentences. This structure helps to create complex ideas, improving your ability to articulate thoughts in nuanced ways.
- Conditional Clauses: Expressions such as "if they couldn't re-dock with the command module..." introduce hypothetical situations, a key element in English. Mastering this will allow you to discuss possibilities and conditions effectively.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you practice, pay attention to specific words and phrases that may present pronunciation challenges:
- Apollo: The first syllable can often be confused; ensure you pronounce it as “uh-pah-loh.”
- Lunar Module: The terms “lunar” and “module” can be tricky due to their syllable stress; stress the first syllables: “LUN-ar MOD-ule.”
- Mascons: A less familiar term; practice saying it as “MAS-kons” emphasizing the first syllable for clarity.
By focusing on these pronunciation elements and acquiring new grammar skills, you will not only improve english pronunciation but also enhance your overall communication skills in English. Engage you with this content and learn english with youtube by integrating shadow speech techniques into your studies!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.