HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC -- a program in VOA Special Englishabout music and American life. And we answer your questions.

(THEME)

This is Doug Johnson.

On our show today, we answer a question about the American spaceagency. And we continue our series about music nominated this yearfor a Grammy Award.

But first, some help for anyone who has trouble with names. Namesin the news, that is.

VOA Pronunciation Guide

HOST:

Every second of the day, someonesomewhere in the world is using the Web site for the VOAPronunciation Guide. In fact, it is one of the most visited placeson the Internet. Here's more from Shep O'Neal.

ANNCR:

The Pronunciation Guide began as a tool for VOA announcers. Itlists more than four-thousand-five-hundred names. There are names ofpolitical leaders, scientists and other people who appear in thenews. There are also names of places and organizations. The siteshows the correct way to say the name and plays a recording. JimTedder is the VOA announcer who developed the online PronunciationGuide. Yes, the same Jim Tedder who reads Special English!

When a new name appears in the news, Jim quickly tries to findthe correct pronunciation, so he can add the name to the list. Hefinds a lot of help right here inside the building.

VOA broadcasts in more than fifty languages. So if, for example,someone new from China is in the news, Jim calls the China service.

Sometimes, other broadcasters may not be sure how to say thename. Jim may try to call the person directly, if possible. Or hecalls an embassy here in Washington. Or a delegation in New York atthe United Nations.

The Pronunciation Guide is an important tool for VOA announcers.But it has also become extremely popular with other radio andtelevision stations throughout the world. Students and teachers alsouse the guide. So do businesspeople. It has become popular withanyone who needs to learn how to say a name correctly.

So how can you find the VOA Pronunciation Guide? One way is to goto the Special English Web site and click on the link. The addressis voaspecialenglish-dot-com.

NASA

HOST:

Our question this week comes bye-mail from China. A listener who asks that we not use his namewants to know more about NASA.

NASA is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It hasmany jobs involving flight. But it is best known as the agency thatplans and supervises the exploration of space by the United Statesgovernment. Thousands of scientists, engineers and others work forNASA at ten major centers across the country.

NASA began in nineteen-fifty-eight. Its first big program wasProject Mercury. That was an effort to learn if humans could survivein space. Next came Gemini, which used spacecraft only big enoughfor two astronauts. Later, Project Apollo aimed to explore the moon.The flight of Apollo Eleven put the first humans on the moon innineteen-sixty-nine.

Since the nineteen-eighties, NASA has flown space shuttles.Astronauts from the United States and other countries have usedthese to do research and to build the International Space Station.

Last February first, Space Shuttle Columbia broke up as itreturned to Earth. Seven astronauts were killed. NASA immediatelysuspended shuttle flights until scientists could discover the causeof the accident.

A special committee said the main cause involved a piece ofheat-resistant foam. This material broke away from the supportstructure that connects the shuttle to its launch rocket. The objecthit the edge of the left shuttle wing with strong force and createda hole. Images of the launch showed the strike. But NASA engineersdecided that the crew was not in danger.

The investigating committee found problems in the way NASA dealtwith the situation. Problems with supervision were also found afterthe space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch innineteen-eighty-six.

This past September, NASA released a plan that includedsuggestions made by the committee. NASA's top official said theagency would work to return the remaining three shuttles to flightas soon as possible. But last week, President Bush proposed tocomplete the space station in two-thousand-ten and then retire theshuttles. He proposed a new spacecraft to fly to the moon betweentwo-thousand-fifteen and two-thousand-twenty. Mister Bush called forestablishing a base there to help astronauts reach Mars and beyond.

Rosemary Clooney's "Last Concert"

HOST:

The Grammy Awards in music will begiven out next month in Los Angeles. One of the nominees this yearwas nominated for an album recorded before her death. The singer isRosemary Clooney. The album is "The Last Concert." Steve Ember hasmore.

ANNCR:

Rosemary Clooney died in June of two-thousand-two at the age ofseventy-four. She recorded the Grammy-nominated album in November oftwo-thousand-one at a concert in Hawaii. One of the songs she sangwas "You Go to My Head."

(MUSIC)

Rosemary Clooney talked to her audience that night about otherfamous singers she had worked with over the years; singers like BingCrosby and Frank Sinatra. She remembered them in this song, called"They Can't Take That Away from Me."

(MUSIC)

Rosemary Clooney worked in the music business for more than fiftyyears. In two-thousand-two she received a Grammy for LifetimeAchievement. Yet she never won a Grammy for her music. The producersof her last album hope that will change at the awards ceremony onFebruary eighth.

We leave you with another song from "Last Concert." This onedescribes her feelings about doing the performance and returning toHawaii. Here is "Sentimental Journey," sung by Rosemary Clooney.

(MUSIC)

HOST:

This is Doug Johnson.

Today's program was written by George Grow, Nancy Steinbach andPaul Thompson, who was also our producer. The engineer was AndreusRegis. I hope you enjoyed AMERICAN MOSAIC. Join us again next weekfor VOA's radio magazine in Special English.