STORIES FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
If you look up on a dark night, you might see a bright light that looks like a star but is moving quickly across the sky. This is the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS has several labs1 in which astronauts do various experiments. Fifteen countries spent ten years building it. They had to deal with a great number of technical problems, including the difficulties of putting it together in space. Now a new film called Wonderful has been made about the ISS. But it is not about the technical achievements2 or about the experiments. Rather, it presents the stories of the astronauts who lived and worked on the space station, often for a year or longer.(lines 1–7)
The film contains amazing photos and videos from both inside and outside of the space station. The astronauts are shown working in the labs and walking in space. But it is their words that bring viewers3 closer to understanding the positive and negative aspects4 of their lives in space. Several astronauts describe the exciting experience of going outside the ISS and moving through silent, black space. Others give details of everyday life on the ISS: what the food is like, and how difficult it can be for six people living together in such cramped5 conditions.(lines 8–13)
Most of those interviewed said they had dreamed of going into space since they were young children. It wasn't always easy for them to fulfill6 their dreams. For example, Peggy Whitson, who was the first woman to command7 the ISS, had applied for ten years to become an astronaut. Sergey Volkov, on the other hand, did not have the same childhood8 dream because his father, an astronaut himself, made him think the job was too dangerous and difficult. However, after becoming an airplane pilot he realized how exciting it could be to go into space as well. Eventually, he too commanded the ISS.(lines 14–20)
While everyone's experience of space was different, they all seemed to share the feeling of how vulnerable9 our beautiful blue planet is. And although Wonderful does not mention the serious global problems we are facing here on Earth, it makes viewers think of them. Its message, however, is optimistic: Without international cooperation, we might not be able to solve our most difficult problems – but with it, we can achieve amazing results.(lines 21–25)