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Earth above the lunar surface

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Astronauts Return After Moon Trip

scienceApril 22, 2026·192 words·2 min read

This is a B1 (intermediate) English article about astronauts return after moon trip. Read the article below, then check the key words and test your understanding with 5 exercises. You can also listen to the audio and tap any word to see its meaning.

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Astronauts Return After Moon Trip
Four astronauts landed safely in the Pacific Ocean on Friday after flying around the Moon for ten days. It was the first time people had gone to the Moon in more than fifty years. The crew Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen from Canada flew 252,000 miles from Earth in their Orion spacecraft, farther than anyone had traveled before.
After returning home, the astronauts talked about how the trip changed them. Wiseman said he saw a solar eclipse the Sun going behind the Moon from far away in space, and the experience made him cry. The crew also lost contact with Earth for forty minutes when they flew behind the Moon. Koch said her husband told her the mission had brought people together, and she became very emotional.
NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) plans to send more astronauts to the Moon in 2028 and build a base there. The mission set important records: Glover became the first Black astronaut in deep space, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first Canadian. The crew hopes their journey will inspire young people around the world.

Key Vocabulary

n.
a person who travels to space
n.
a vehicle that flies in space
n.
Moon blocks the Sun's light
n.
a team working together
n.
communication with someone
adj.
having strong feelings
n.
an important task or journey
n.
a place where people work or stay
v.
make someone want to do great things
n.
the best result ever done
Vocabulary Translations· 10 words · 12 languages

Every definition is context-aware — translated based on how the word is used in this article, not a dictionary.

astronautn.

a person who travels to space

phi hành giaastronauta宇宙飛行士astronotastronautaastronautaرائد فضاءastronautастронавт宇航员우주비행사
spacecraftn.

a vehicle that flies in space

tàu vũ trụnave espacial宇宙船uzay aracınave espacialstatek kosmicznyمركبة فضائيةruimtevaartuigкосмический корабль宇宙飞船우주선
solar eclipsen.

Moon blocks the Sun's light

nhật thựceclipse solar日食güneş tutulmasıeclipse solarzaćmienie Słońcaكسوف الشمسzonsverduisteringсолнечное затмение日食일식
crewn.

a team working together

phi hành đoàntripulação乗組員mürettebattripulaciónzałogaطاقمbemanningэкипаж机组;乘组승무원; 대원
contactn.

communication with someone

liên lạccontato連絡; 通信iletişim; temascontactokontakt; łącznośćاتصالcontactсвязь; контакт联系;通讯연락; 교신
emotionaladj.

having strong feelings

xúc độngemocionado感動した; 感情的なduygusalemocionadowzruszonyمتأثر; عاطفيemotioneelэмоциональный; растроганный激动的;情绪化的감정적인; 감동한
missionn.

an important task or journey

nhiệm vụ; sứ mệnhmissãoミッション; 任務görevmisiónmisjaمهمةmissieмиссия任务;使命임무
basen.

a place where people work or stay

căn cứbase基地üsbasebazaقاعدةbasisбаза基地기지
inspirev.

make someone want to do great things

truyền cảm hứnginspirar鼓舞する; 奮い立たせるilham vermekinspirarinspirowaćيلهمinspirerenвдохновлять激励;鼓舞영감을 주다
recordn.

the best result ever done

kỷ lụcrecorde記録rekorrécordrekordرقم قياسيrecordрекорд纪录기록

Check Your Understanding

Question 1: Multiple Choice

Why did Commander Wiseman cry during the mission?

Question 2: Multiple Choice

What do the historic firsts of this mission suggest about the future of space exploration?

Question 3: Fill in the Blank

The four-person ______ flew around the Moon and returned safely to Earth.

Question 4: Fill in the Blank

NASA plans to build a permanent ______ on the Moon by sending more astronauts in 2028.

Question 5: Put in Order

Put these ideas in the correct logical order.

1Koch became very emotional hearing how the journey united people.
2The crew lost all contact with Earth for forty minutes.
3Koch's husband told her the mission had brought people together.
4The astronauts flew their spacecraft behind the far side of the Moon.

Dictation Practice

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