Science & work · News English
An astronaut at work
A NASA photograph shows work inside a space laboratory.
Read the story, check the words, then answer the questions and speak.
Look inside the laboratory
What is Jessica doing?
1NASA shared a photograph of Jessica Watkins on 21 October. Jessica is an astronaut. In the picture, she is working in a laboratory on the International Space Station.
2She is using a glovebox. Her hands are inside the box. She is mixing living cells with a special ink. Then she puts the mixture into a small container.
3This work is part of an experiment about making tissue in space. The photograph was taken on 9 October. It does not show what Jessica is doing today.
4Now look at the picture. Describe her hands and her work. Say: She is working. She is using a box. These are English practice sentences about the photograph.
Original teaching summary. Learning examples and models are illustrative, not news quotations.
Word help · Three useful words
Read the meanings and examples. Choose one word to use in your own sentence.
astronaut
a person who travels and works in space
The astronaut is working.
mix
put things together
Mix the colours.
inside
in the inner part of something
Her hands are inside the box.
Check your reading · Three questions
Choose one answer for every question, then check. You can change an answer and check again.
Useful English
She is working. She is mixing cells and ink. Use is plus a verb ending in -ing to describe an action in a picture.
Speak for 20 seconds
Describe the action in the photograph. Start with She is. Then describe an action in an imagined classroom.
Speak: your ideas
Describe the action in the photograph. Start with She is. Then describe an action in an imagined classroom.
Labelled model answer
Model: She is working. In my imagined classroom, a teacher is writing.
Illustrative learning example, not a news quotation.
Alone: repeat without the model. Tutor: ask a follow-up question.
Mastery check · Three questions
Choose one answer for every question, then check. You can change an answer and check again.
Sources and reporting date
NASA image article visibly dated 21 October 2026. Exact publication time and timezone unavailable; conservative earliest worldwide start is 20 October at 10:00 UTC. Photograph taken 9 October 2026.
- Science on the Space Station with NASA Astronaut Jessica Watkins
NASA image article visibly dated 21 October 2026. Exact publication time and timezone unavailable; conservative earliest worldwide start is 20 October at 10:00 UTC. Photograph taken 9 October 2026. - Photograph source
Photograph taken 9 October 2026, released 21 October. Not a live view of the astronaut’s work.