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Time Travel and New Universes

It is known that for a long time well before Albert Einstein scientists

were studying the ideas that seemed strange. Consider a few of

such ideas now accepted by the scientific community: clocks that

tick slower when they are on rockets in outer space, black holes

with the mass of a million stars compressed into a volume smaller

than that of atom and subatomic particles whose behaviour depends

on whether they are being watched.

But of all strange ideas in physics, perhaps, the strangest one is

the hole in the structure of space and time, a tunnel to a distant

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part of the universe. American researchers have determined that it

will apparently be possible in principle for mankind to create an

entirely new universe by using the idea of wormhole (ход, прорытый

червем; червоточина) connection. Such a universe will automatically

create its own wormhole, squeeze through it, and then

close the hole after it.

Although to many people such an idea may seem useless and

fantastic, it can help scientists to develop their imagination and explore

how flexible the laws of physics are. It is such an idea that

could give answers to some of the fundamental questions of cosmology:

how the universe began, how it works and how it will end.

The idea of wormhole comes directly from the accepted concepts

of general relativity. In that theory A.Einstein proved that

very massive or dense objects distort space and time around them.

One possible distortion is in the form of a tube that can lead anywhere

in the universe — even to a place billions of light years away.

The name «wormhole» comes about by analogy: imagine a fly on an

apple. The only way the fly can reach the apple's other side is the

long way over the fruit's surface. But a worm could make a tunnel

through the apple and thus shorten the way considerably. A wormhole

in space is the same kind of tunnel; it is a shortcut (кратчайшее

расстояние) from one part of the universe to another that

reduces the travel time to about zero.

In fact, instantaneous travel leads to the idea of wormhole as

time machine. If it were possible to move one end of a wormhole at

nearly the speed of light, then, according to general relativity, time

at that end would slow down and that part of the tunnel would be

younger than the other end. Anything moving from the faster-aging

end of the wormhole to the slower one would essentially go backward

on time. The type of travel, however, could be nothing like

the mechanical time machine described by H. Wells. It is difficult

to imagine how a human being could move through a wormhole,

since it would theoretically be narrower than an atom and it would

tend to disappear the instant it formed.

ДОПОЛНИТЕЛЬНЫЕ ЗАДАНИЯ

Упражнение 1. A. Прочитайте словосочетания из текста 12А и постарайтесь

понять значения выделенных слов.

1. life expectancy 4. life-support module

2. risky process 5. the next great adventure

3. key module 6. merely

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в. Подберите к каждому выделенному в А слову соответствующее ему по

значению.

a. essential to d. expected period during which

b. activity full of risk, danger smth. is active and useful

and excitement e. only, simply

с full of risk ^- equipment providing an environment

astronauts may live in.

Упражнение 2. Найдите в тексте 12А:

A. Прилагательные с суффиксами -о/, -ous и -/ve, соответствующие

словосочетаниям:

1. between different countries

2. connected with one person or part of smth.

3. connected with one country

4. that supplies reliable information

5. of technology

6. of the state, government and politics

7. coming earlier in time

8. important because of possible danger

9. full of strong desire to be or to do smth.

10. broad, extending in various or all directions

11. high priced

B. Словосочетания с этими прилагательными и приведите свои примеры.

Упражнение 3. А. Прочитайте текст и найдите слова, означающие:

height, propelling force, wished, be greater than, pressing, what remains, force directed

forward, remain in space at one place, spending or using, thrust without losses,

braking, small (not serious or important).

Solar Sails

If we are going to open the solar system to rapid economic

travel, we need to find advanced space propulsion systems. Solar

sails may be among the keys to future inteфlanetary flights.

Solar sail propulsion uses large, lightweight reflectors attached

to spacecraft that react to the light pressure from solar photons to

obtain thrust. By tilting (наклонять) the sail to change the force

direction, the light pressure can be used to increase the orbital

speed of the spacecraft, sending it outward from the Sun, or decrease

its orbital speed, allowing it to fall inward.

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А new type of solar sail, called a solar photon thruster, has a

large sail that always faces the Sun for maximum light collection.

The collector sail has a slight curvature (кривизна) that focuses

the sunlight down onto a much smaller sail, which redirects the

sunlight to provide the net thrust vector desired. Besides being

more efficient than a standard sail, a solar photon thruster can be

launched at Shuttle altitudes. Standard sails can only operate above

1,000 km where the light pressure exceeds the atmospheric drag.

Were a solar sail made light enough, it could «hover» without

orbiting, the light pressure from the solar photons balancing the

gravity attraction of the Sun and/or Earth. Then it would be possible

to use solar sails first for communication, broadcast, and

weather satellites, second for scientific stations hovering over the

Sun and the rest of the solar system, and third for transporting

cargo to and from Earth, the planets, and asteroid belt — without

an expenditure of fuel.

B. Найдите к словам в колонке А антонимы из колонки В.

А

1. long

2. forward

3. increase

4. heavy

5. slow

6. invisible

7. changing

8. with

9. simplicity

10. rise

11. presence

12. outward

В

a. absence

b. permanent

с rapid

d. short

e. lightweight

f. complexity

g. rearward

h. inward

i. visible

j . without

k. decrease

1. fall

C. Составьте словосочетания глаголов из колонки А и существительных

из колонки В.

А

1. launch

2. promote

3. conduct

4. increase/lower

В

a. study, investigation, research, experiment,

test

b. speed, thrust, pressure, cost, drag

с satellite, spacecraft, space station,

rocket

d. cooperation, development, technical

progress

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Упражнение 4. Заполните пропуски словами.

aboard life-support key facilities assembly supply maintenance stays

weightless tool

1 systems of the ISS are expected to be the most advanced,

they can ... cleaner air, purer water, better food, and more

sanitary toilet ... than on the space shuttle. 2. Life ... the station

may not be easy, but it is significantly healthier and more pleasant

than in the past, allowing astronauts to focus more on the scientific

research and station ... that occupy them for about 9 hours a day.

3. Thanks to the long ... on Mir station researchers learned that

bone loss did not lessen over time as previously thought. 4. In the ...

environment of space, everyday activities present new challenges.

5. The Mobile Servicing System to be supplied by Canada is a

four-piece robotic ... that will play a ... role in ... and maintenance

of the ISS.

Упражнение 5. A. Назовите 15-20 ключевых слов и словосочетаний на

тему «The International Space Station».

В. Speak about:

Solar sail propulsion systems.

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