Read the following text and fill in the gaps with the words from the box:
| animal scientific vehicles humans risk |
A robotic spacecraft is a spacecraft with no (1) __________ on board, that is usually under telerobotic control. A robotic spacecraft designed to make (2) __________ research measurements is often called a space probe. Many space missions are more suited to telerobotic rather than crewed operation, due to lower cost and lower (3) __________ factors. In addition, some planetary destinations such as Venus or the vicinity of Jupiter are too hostile for human survival, given current technology. Outer planets such as Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are too distant to reach with current crewed spaceflight technology, so telerobotic probes are the only way to explore them.
The first space mission, Sputnik 1, was an artificial satellite put into Earth orbit by the USSR on 4 October 1957. On 3 November 1957, the USSR orbited Sputnik 2, the first to carry a living (4) __________ into space – a dog.
The USA achieved its first successful space probe launch with the orbit of Explorer 1 on 31 January 1958.
Only a few other countries have successfully launched orbital missions using their own (5)__________ : France (1965), Japan (1970), China (1970), the United Kingdom (1971), India (1981), Israel (1988).
Read the seven texts (1 -7) above again and decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F):
| The word ‘robot’ was introduced by Karel Čapek. | T | F | |
| Before 1848 a serf had to work for his lord for half a year. | T | F | |
| We can’t use the word ‘robot’ when we speak about software programs. | T | F | |
| Different countries have different definitions of a robot. | T | F | |
| Japanese government is very interested in the development of technological research of robots. | T | F | |
| The number of spheres where robots are used is rather small. | T | F | |
| Robotic arm can be used in our own homes as well as in industry. | T | F | |
| There is no danger for people in the process of robot development. | T | F | |
| A roboticist is a person who needs inter-disciplinary knowledge. | T | F | |
| Russia was the first to launch a robotic spacecraft. | T | F |
Part III
(… àäðåñ èíòåðíåò-ñòðàíè÷êè ñ âèäåîðîëèêàìè…)
1. WHAT IS ROBOTIC ENGINEERING ?
(01:27)