protest_in_space.pdf
protest_in_space.mp3
Neil
Hello This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English I’m Neil
Georgina
?And I’m Georgina Have you finished writing that report yet, Neil
Neil
Err, not quite – it’s almost done
Georgina
Well, finish it this morning please, then make sure you’ve planned all the studio
?sessions for the week and show me so I can double check, OK
Neil
[Sigh] OK ?Has this ever happened to you? Being micromanaged by someone
That’s what it’s called when your boss wants to control everything, down to the
smallest detail
Georgina
…and I notice you’ve written the report in font size 11 when I told you to use size
12!
Neil
[Sigh] If this keeps up I’m might go on strike It wouldn’t be the first time
someone has refused to continue working because of an argument with their
boss
Georgina
Hmm, maybe I’d better go easy on Neil After all, I don’t want a repeat of what
happened on the American spaceship, Skylab - the subject of this programme
Neil
In 1973, three US astronauts on board the Skylab space station had a
disagreement with mission control over their workload in an incident that has,
incorrectly, been called the Skylab space ‘strike’ But before we find out more, let
?me ask you my quiz question – if that’s OK, boss
Georgina
Go ahead
Neil
Well, the Skylab astronauts felt they had been given too much work to complete
during the space flight But how did they protest to their bosses at ground
control? Did they…
?a) pretend the radio had broken
b) stop shaving and grow beards?, or,
?c) fake the results of their experiments
Georgina
I guess, a) pretending the radio had broken, would show them who’s boss –
although floating in space without radio contact sounds a bit dangerous to me!
Neil
OK, Georgina, we’ll find out what really happened later Now, Skylab was
planned to be the fourth – and final - crewed flight to orbit the Earth
Georgina
For scientists it was the last chance to test out their theories in space and the
Skylab crew were asked to study everything about space travel, from its effects
on the human body to how spiders make webs
Neil
Here’s one of the Skylab astronauts, Ed Gibson, telling Lucy Burns, presenter of
BBC World Service programme, Witness History, how they communicated with
ground control:
Ed Gibson
We got our instructions over a teleprinter One morning we had about 60 feet of
teleprinter message to cut up and divide up and understand before we even get
to work
Lucy Burns
All space missions run to a tight schedule all the way down to exercise times and
meal breaks but the Skylab 4 astronauts felt their ground control team was
being particularly bossy
Ed Gibson
I don’t know if any of you have ever had to work… do something under the
conditions of micromanagement – it’s bad enough for an hour, but try 24 hours a
day… we’re just not constructive that way, we’re not getting things done the way
we should because we couldn’t use our own judgment
Neil
With so many experiments to carry out and a limited time in space, the Skylab
crew had a tight schedule - a small amount of time to finish a job
Georgina
Bosses at ground control sent radio messages every morning, detailing exactly
their duties for that day They sound like real micromanagers, Neil!
Neil
Absolutely! Or in other words, bossy - always telling people what to do!
Georgina
Astronaut, Ed Gibson, wanted to use his professional judgement to complete the
work, not be bossed around by ground control 24 hours a day – an expression
meaning, all day and night
Neil
When one of the astronauts got sick, it was decided that they would take turns
talking to ground control
Georgina
But one day, all three of them missed the daily radio meeting and some Nasa
bosses thought they’d gone on strike!
Neil
In the crisis talks that followed, both crew and ground control agreed better
ways of working and communicating – and less micromanagement!
Georgina
But the newspapers had already got hold of the story, and to this day the
incident is misremembered as the ‘strike’ in space
Neil
Here’s Ed Gibson again, speaking to BBC World Service’s, Witness History, on
what he learned from the experience:
Ed Gibson
We all conclude that we learned something from it – micromanagement does
not work, except when you’re in a situation that demands it like a lift-off or a re[1]entry… and fortunately I think that’s been passed down to the space station
people and they learned that that’s the way to go
Georgina
In the end Nasa agreed that trusting people to do their jobs was the way to go –
the best method for doing a particular thing
Neil
I told you, Georgina – no-one likes being bossed around!
Georgina
Including the Skylab astronauts! But was my answer correct? About how they
protested?
Neil
Ah yes, in my quiz question, I asked how the Skylab astronauts protested to their
bosses What did you say?
Georgina
I thought the astronauts, a) pretended the radio had broken
Neil
Ah, good guess, Georgina, but actually the answer was… b) they stopped shaving
?and grew beards Unless that was just another experiment
Georgina
Let’s recap the vocabulary, starting with micromanage – control everything,
down to the smallest detail
Neil
If you’re bossy, you’re always telling people what to do
Georgina
But be careful, because your workers might go on strike – refuse to work
Neil
The Skylab astronauts had a tight schedule – a small amount of time to
complete their jobs They felt their bosses were watching them twenty-four
hours a day, or all the time
Georgina
But in the end, trusting people is the way to go – the best method of doing
something
Neil
That’s all for now, but watch this space for more trending topics and useful
vocabulary, here at BBC 6 Minute English
Georgina
And if you like topical discussions and want to learn how to use the vocabulary
found in headlines, why not try out our New Review podcast? Don’t forget you
can also download the app for free from the app store And remember to check
us out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Neil
Over and out!
Georgina
Bye!
VOCABULARY
micromanage
control every part of a situation, including small details
go on strike
refuse to continue working because of an argument with an employer, usually
about working conditions or pay
tight schedule
a small amount of time to complete a job or task
bossy
always telling people what to do
twenty-four hours a day
all day and night; all the time
the way to go
the best method for doing a particular job
