• NASA Confirms Ocean on Jupiter Moon 

Vocabulary 

Direction: Read each word and let the student repeat it.
prospect
[ˈprɑːspekt] (noun)
– the possibility that something will happen
ex.The prospects for peace in the region are very high.

core
[kɔːr] (noun)
– the central part of an object
ex.The Earth’s core is extremely hot.

embed
[ɪmˈbed] (verb)
– to fix something firmly into a substance or solid object
ex.I embedded a video of the conference on my website.

telltale
[ˈtelteɪl] (adjective)
– showing that something exists or has happened
ex.There are some clear telltale signs of Ebola in Western Africa.

counteract
[ˌkaʊntərˈækt] (verb)
– to do something to reduce or prevent the bad or harmful effects of something
ex.These exercises aim to counteract the effects of stress and tension.

astounding
[əˈstaʊndɪŋ] (adjective)
– so surprising that it is difficult to believe
ex.The auction was an astounding success!

Article 

Direction: Read each paragraph and let the student repeat it.

NASA Confirms Ocean on Jupiter Moon

Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have confirmed that the Jupiter-orbiting moon Ganymede has an ocean beneath its icy surface, raising the prospects for life, NASA said Thursday.

The finding resolves a mystery about the largest moon in the solar system after NASA’s now-defunct Galileo spacecraft provided hints that Ganymede has a subsurface ocean during exploration of Jupiter and its moons from 1995 to 2003.

Scientists told reporters on a conference call that it took some detective work to confirm the discovery.

Like Earth, Ganymede has a liquid iron core that generates a magnetic field, though Ganymede’s field is embedded within Jupiter’s magnetic field. That sets up an interesting dynamic with telltale visuals — twin bands of glowing aurora around Ganymede’s northern and southern polar regions.

As Jupiter rotates, its magnetic field shifts, causing Ganymede’s aurora to rock. Scientists measured the motion and found it fell short. Using computer models, they realized that a salty, electrically conductive ocean beneath the moon’s surface was counteracting Jupiter’s magnetic pull.

“Jupiter is like a lighthouse whose magnetic field changes with the rotation of the lighthouse. It influences the aurora,” said geophysicist Joachim Saur, with the University of Cologne in Germany. “With the ocean, the rocking is significantly reduced.”

Scientists ran more than 100 computer models to see if anything else could be having an impact on Ganymede’s aurora.

They also repeated the seven-hour, ultraviolet Hubble observations and analyzed data for both belts of aurora.

“This gives us confidence in the measurement,” Saur said.

NASA Planetary Science Division Director Jim Green called the finding “an astounding demonstration.”

“They developed a new approach to look inside a planetary body with a telescope,” Green said.

Ganymede joins a growing list of moons in the outer solar system with subsurface water. On Wednesday, scientists reported that Saturn’s moon Enceladus has hot springs beneath its icy crust. Other water-rich worlds include Jupiter moons Europa and Callisto.

Scientists estimate the ocean is 60 miles (100 km) thick, 10 times deeper than Earth’s oceans, and is buried under a 95-mile (150-km) crust of mostly ice.

“It is one step further toward finding that habitable, water-rich environment in our solar system,” said astronomer Heidi Hammel with the Washington-based Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy.

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Questions 

Direction: Ask the students the questions, and give the answers.

1What does an ocean on Ganymede mean?

It means that there are “prospects for life.”

2What are the effects of Ganymede’s magnetic field?

It “sets up an interesting dynamic with telltale visuals — twin bands of glowing aurora around Ganymede’s northern and southern polar regions.”

3What is counteracting Jupiter’s magnetic pull?

“A salty, electrically conductive ocean beneath the moon’s surface.”

4What other moons have water under the surface?

“Saturn’s moon Enceladus has hot springs beneath its icy crust. Other water-rich worlds include Jupiter moons Europa and Callisto.”

5What do scientists estimate about the ocean?

“Scientists estimate the ocean is 60 miles (100 km) thick, 10 times deeper than Earth’s oceans, and is buried under a 95-mile (150-km) crust of mostly ice.”

Discussion 

Direction: Discuss the topics.

1What could these findings mean?

Follow-up question1: Do you agree that finding water means finding life?
Follow-up question2: Do you think life will be discovered somewhere else in our Solar System? Why or why not?
Follow-up question3: Do you think we will be able to travel throughout space in the next 100 years? Why or why not?

2Do you think there is intelligent life somewhere else in the Universe? Why or why not?

Follow-up question1: Do you think we have been visited by aliens? Why or why not?
Follow-up question2: Do you believe that some people have been abducted by aliens?
Follow-up question3: Why do you think most of the UFO sightings have been reported in the USA?

3Do you think we will be able to colonize other planets in the future? Why or why not?

Follow-up question1: Do you think developed countries should spend more money on space exploration? Why or why not?
Follow-up question2: In what ways is your country contributing to space exploration?
Follow-up question3: Would you go on a trip in outer-space?

Quoted from

http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-nasa-confirms-ocean-on-jupiter-moon/2678120.html