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Learning English
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Music in the News
Thursday 29 August 2002
Vocabulary from the world of music. Listen to and read the story then find explanations of difficult words below.

  Lance Bass
N'Sync's Lance makes first test space flight
Summary: Pop singer Lance Bass from the group N'Sync has taken his first step towards realising his dream of space travel. He experienced weightlessness over Russia, but still has to find the money to travel to the International Space Station.
   
The News Listen
 
  N'Sync's Lance Bass, who's trying to become the first popstar to go into space, has made his first test flight. During the one-hour flight over Russia on Thursday, he floated weightless inside an Ilyushin-76 aircraft.

A spokesperson said: "Lance was really great. He didn't get sick, and from what I understand he really enjoyed the experience."

But the 23-year-old's mission to the International Space Station - set for 28 October - still looks dodgy. He needs to pay £13m ($20m) to take part, but so far it appears he hasn't coughed up all the dosh.

A deadline to pay the money passed on Friday, and there's no news yet what's happened. If Lance doesn't go, a container weighing the same as him will have to be blasted off instead.

But if he does go, he'll be the youngest person and the first popstar ever to make it into orbit.


 
   
The Words Listen  
  test flight
here, a first trip in an aircraft to practise and get used to elements of space travel

 
   
  floated weightless
moved freely in the air without the pull of gravity

 
   
  dodgy
risky, not dependable

 
   
  hasn't coughed up
slang for not having provided money

 
   
  dosh
slang for money

 
   
  deadline
a time or day by which something must be done

 
   
  blasted off
launched into space

 
   
  orbit
the curved path through which objects in space move around a planet or star

 
   
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