D:leah,are you OK?
Leah:oh,sorry,I hardly slept a wink last night. I've been pulling a few "all-nighters" studying for my exams.
D: I remember what that was like. Listen, I still haven't heard from the repair shop. I tried to fix the laptop, but I think it's toast. three weeks? you can't fix it any sooner than that?
D: you don't quite seem yourself today.
L: I'm just not sleeping much. Just a little bit stressed. Anyway, how did the trip to the Space Agency go? Any major problems?
D: Unfortunately, there were a few minor glitches--Major glitches, I mean. I thought all of that equipment was for simulated space flight. I had no idea some of it is actually for real.
I arrived at the Canadian Space Agency full of confidence and ready to try out some of the cool machines and simulators that they use to train astronauts. Hi, I'm dashan. I'm here for my test drive.
Rejean: Bonjour. I can see you've made yourself comfortable.
Rejean: so, you've seen the virtual reality simulator?
R: It is, eh. There is a lot more to see here at the Space Agency. So please come along. I'll show you more. Dashan, this is the space station arm that Canada is building for the International Space Station and I'll show you the training facilities for the astronauts and cosmonauts.
Rejean: And this here is a full-sized replica of the space station arm. It's the next generation Canada.
Dashan: it is similar to the one on the space shuttle?
R: No, actually it's bigger, stronger and more versatile than the Canada. Let's see the simulator now. This is a real lifeboat, part of the system in the Space Station that we use. It's a great thing.
Dashan: Can I give it a try?
Rejean: and this is radarsat mission control center. This is where we control the satellite. And we can send satellite tape radar images of the surface of the earth.
D: I understand that with a radar satellite, you can take images of the earth in light or in total darkness or right through cloud.
D: where is the satellite dish?
R: and this is the computer station for the dish. This is where we actually control the satellite dish from.
R: you didn't touch the control, did you?
D: like I said earlier, I thought it was just a simulator for practicing. I never would have touched it if I had known it actually controlled the satellite.
Leah: I've got to hand it to you. Dashan, when you make a mistake, you really make a mistake.
Dashan: And luckily, it's all captured on video.