A 13-year-old American girl named Stephanie wanted to send her dad, who works on the International Space Station, a note. But rather than transmitting it electronically, she had the help of Hyundai in sending it via tire tracks made in sand by nearly a dozen Genesis sedans, with the automaker setting a new Guinness’s World Record in the process.

The first step was to identify the ideal location “based on numerous geographical and meteorological factors,” Hyunday said in a statement. It also had to be large enough to write the massive message – which covers an area of more than two square miles, or equivalent to one and a half times the size of New York City’s Central Park – so that Stephanie’s dad could view it from space.

The Delamar Dry Lake in Nevada was selected, and Hyundai dispatched 11 Genesis sedans to the area’s flat, featureless desert floor, along with an international team that included a film crew,drivers, surveyors and others. After the location was surveyed, the vehicles were fitted with special studded tires to make the tracks in the sand that could be seen from space.

The path of the vehicles had to be perfectly synchronized to recreate Stephanie’s original hand-written message. Everyone involved also had to hope for good weather, since rain and wind could easily wipe the message away, and clear skies so that Stephanie’s astronaut dad could read it from space.

The mission was not only successful since it could be seen by Stephanie’s dad, but was officially recognized as “the largest tire track image” ever by Guinness World Records. It also showed that cars can be used to connect even with people in space and, as Hyundai’s creative director on the project, Gunn Ho Park, says in a behind-the scenes video that “a car can be more than just a means of transportation.”

Ismételjük át a történetet röviden magyarul is az alábbi kérdések segítségével!

1. Hol dolgozik Stephanie édesapja és hogyan üzent neki a lánya?

2. Milyen helyszínt választottak ki az üzenet továbbítására és milyen tényezőket kellett figyelembe venni?

3. Mivolt szükséges az üzenet sikeres létrehozásához és továbbításhoz?

4. Milyen tanulsággal szolgált, mit mutatott meg a kísérlet?

Válaszok:

1. Egy űrállomáson. Keréknyomokkal írt szöveggel.

2. Egy lapos, jellegtelen sivatagot, földrajzi és meteorológiai tényezők figyelembe vételével.

3. Az autókra speciális szöges gumiabroncsok kellettek, a mozgásukat tökéletesen szinkronizálni kellett és jó, szél- és esőmentes időjárásra is szükség volt, tiszta éggel.

4. Azt, hogy autók segítségével még az űrben levő emberekkel is kapcsolatot lehet teremteni, és hogy az autó több is lehet, mint közlekedési eszköz.

December is the busiest time of the year, as Santa, his elves and the reindeer prepare for the one-day-around-the world journey on Christmas Eve.

The village post office receives letters from children from all over the world. Helper elf Elina helps sort out the many thousand wish lists.

‘Santa Claus has received so far about 280,000 letters so far and every year he receives about half a million letters from all around the world and we elves here at Santa’s main post office, we are working hard to make sure all the wishes to Santa Claus are delivered,’

Before embarking on this year’s trip around the world, Santa Claus himself took the time to reach out to the people of the world with a heartfelt Christmas message:

‘So that’s it. Another year coming to its end.

‘This was not an easy year, financial problems all over the world, but I was very happy to see that parents still didn’t have to save on the children.

‘This was a restless year too, problems in different parts of the world, so my great wish – world peace – was not gained yet. But I still look forward with a positive mind towards the world leaders to be working on this one.

‘I hope all of you will be able to spend Christmas time with your loved ones, find time to reach out, give a helping hand to the others, take care. Love, that’s the main thing.

‘I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year,’

village – falu
truly – valóban
busiest – legforgalmasabb
elves – manók/tündék
reindeer – rénszarvas
to receive – kapni/fogadni
to sort out – kiválasztani/elrendezni
wish – kívánság
so far – ezidáig
to make sure – biztosítani/meggyőződni
to deliver – kézbesíteni/szállítani
to embark on – elindulni (útra)
heartfelt – szívből jövő
financial – anyagi/pénzügyi
to save on – takarékoskodni/spórolni vmin
restless               – nyugtalan
to gain – elérni
mind – elme
leader – vezető