Ultima Thule

For space lovers, 2019 started with a bang: NASA’s New Horizons mission arrived at Ultima Thule on 1 January 2019. Ultima Thule is the oldest rock in space ever explored by humans. It is more than 4 billion miles away from earth.

Brian May is best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. He is also an astrophysicist. He spent some time with the science team of the New Horizons mission. Brian released a single to celebrate the New Horizons’ success.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• horizon – the limit of what is possible in a particular field or activity
• limitless – very great or large; without limit
• never-ending – endless; having or seeming to have no end
• it takes your breath away – it is extremely beautiful or exciting
• man – the human race
• to throw light on something – to help to explain something
• point of view – a way of looking at or thinking about something

 

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. With which number does the countdown begin?

2. While you watch the video again, fill in the missing words of the lyrics:

New horizons ……….. ……….. New horizons no one’s ever seen before Limitless wonders in a never-ending sky We may never, never reach them That’s why we have ……….. ……….. New horizons to take our breath away New horizons getting ……….. every day Somewhere in the distance, ……….. ……….. will appear One day New Horizons will be very, very near That’s why we’re here Tonight the hand of man reaches out To throw light on how ……….. came about Computer is reckoning an all-time high The future is beckoning onward and onward we ……….. New horizons a dream coming ……….. New horizons that will change our point of view The fruits of wishful thinking we taste them for real We’re off to new horizons so hold on to the wheel That’s how we ……….. New horizons every day New horizons New horizons every day

3. For the more advanced: Explain or discuss the meaning of the underlined phrases.