Toyota Developing Vehicle for the Moon

February 6, 2022, Daily News | Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

lunar/ ˈluːnər/ Adjective

relating to the moon

Example:
Only 12 people have walked on the lunar surface.

homage/ ˈhɑːmɪdʒ, əʊˈmɑːʒ/ Noun

special respect shown publicly to someone or something

Example:
Her poems pay homage to women writers of the past.

launch/ lɔːntʃ/ Noun

the act of sending a missile, spacecraft, etc. on its course

Example:
The spacecraft will be ready for launch by 2024.

robotic/ rəʊˈbɑːtɪk/ Adjective

relating to machines that can perform tasks on their own

Example:
The lander has a robotic arm that can dig into the Martian surface and
collect soil.

core/ kɔr/ Noun

the part of something that is the most important for its existence

Example:
Asia is our core market, but we have a few clients in Europe as well.
Exercise 2

Article

Toyota Developing Vehicle for the Moon

Toyota is working with Japan's space agency on a vehicle to be used on
the moon, with the goal of helping people live there by 2040 and later
on Mars.
The vehicle being developed with the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency is called Lunar Cruiser — a name that pays homage to the
popular Toyota Land Cruiser. Its launch is planned for the late 2020s.

The vehicle is based on the idea that people eat, work, sleep and
communicate with others safely in cars, and the same can be done in
space, said Takao Sato, head of the Lunar Cruiser project at Toyota
Motor Corp.
Gitai Japan, a business working with Toyota, has also developed a
robotic arm for the Lunar Cruiser. The end of the arm can be changed to
use different tools for different jobs.
Since its beginning in the 1930s, Toyota has been worried about losing its
core business as the world and technology changes. As well as cars, it
has made boats, planes, robots and even homes.
Toyota isn't the only Japanese company showing interest in the
moon. Another Japanese company called Ispace has been working on
lunar rovers and is planning a moon landing for later in 2022. And
businessman Yusaku Maezawa, who recently shared videos of himself on
the International Space Station, has booked a trip around the moon on
Elon Musk's ship.

Toyota engineer Shinichiro Noda said he is excited about the moon

project. Toyota has vehicles almost everywhere. "But this is about taking
our cars to somewhere we have never been."
Exercise 3

Discussion
1. What are your thoughts on the Lunar Cruiser?

2. Do you think people will be living on the moon by 2040? Why? Why
not?

3. What country or company do you think will get to Mars first?

4. Do you think space tourism will be affordable within your lifetime?

Why? Why not?

5. Would you rather work for Toyota or a space agency? Why?

Exercise 4
Further Discussion

1. If you could afford it, would you book a trip around the moon?

2. Would you invest in space tourism if you were a billionaire? Why? Why
not?

3. Do you think your country should invest more in space exploration?

Why? Why not?

4. What excites you most about the future of space exploration?

5. I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years,
unless we spread into space. — Stephen Hawking. What are your
thoughts on this statement?

Source
An article by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.