Seven Minutes of Terror/From Earth to Outer Space

The most impressive thing about MSL is that no mission this ambitious had ever been attempted in the past.
What does ambitious mean?  

• impossible and pointless
• daring and complex
• futuristic and forward thinking
• exciting and inspiring

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CCSS.RI.1.4

CCSS.RI.2.4

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RI.K.4

CCSS.RL.3.4

What is the main idea of this passage? 

• The jet propulsion laboratory is a place where scientists can go to test daring approaches. 
• NASA is stepping up its efforts to explore Mars.
• The landing of the Mars Curiosity Rover took several years of careful planning and daring thinking to work.  
• The exploration of other planets is becoming more and more important to humanity's future.  

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CCSS.RI.K.2

CCSS.RL.1.2

CCSS.RI.1.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

Which of the following sentences best represent the main idea?  

• The seven minutes explored in that story—and experienced by the world in early August 2012—took place after seven years of engineering, one year of space flight, and countless hours of collaboration on the perfect landing.
• “Sometimes when we look at it, it looks crazy,” remarked Adam Steltzner, an engineer whoworks for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration—known more commonly to theworld as NASA. “It is the result of reasoned engineering thought. But it still looks crazy.”
• In a video story entitled “Seven Minutes of Terror,” Steltzner was joined on camera by aneloquent cast of entry‐descent‐landing engineers (or “EDL Engineers”).
• The most impressive thing about MSL is that no mission this ambitious had ever beenattempted in the past.

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CCSS.RI.K.2

CCSS.RL.1.2

CCSS.RI.1.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

What is the purpose of this article?

• to entertain
• to explain
• to persuade
• to question

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CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.6.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

Blasting from the Earth at a speed of12,582 miles per hour, the rockets that broke free of Earth’s orbit and sent the Mars‐bound spacecraft with the rover on its way were the most routine part of the mission. For decades NASA has specialized in space launches, drawing on some of the brightest minds on the planet to determine what it takes to bring a spacecraft to the stars.
What does routine mean in this sentence?

• difficult
• daunting
• crazy
• practiced

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CCSS.RI.1.4

CCSS.RI.2.4

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RI.K.4

CCSS.RL.3.4

Fortunately, NASA had taken on this challenge before. Its engineers had both the experience and the tenacity to succeed again.
What does tenacity mean?  

• budget
• determination
• sadness
• intelligence

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CCSS.RI.1.4

CCSS.RI.2.4

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RI.K.4

CCSS.RL.3.4

Which of the following sentences describes what was at stake for the engineers?

• Drawing on centuries of knowledge of the laws of physics, scientists designed rockets and a spacecraft to accommodate Curiosity. 
• Years of calculation, construction, careful planning and computer modeling resulted in a vessel that cruised purposefully through space, reaching the orbit of Mars at just the right time to attempt a landing.
• The movement of interplanetary bodies in space is much more demanding than the movement of cars on a highway, or even airplanes in the stratosphere.
• Miscalculating a vector or failing to account for any aspect of the orbits could lead to a $2 billion failure.

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CCSS.RI.K.2

CCSS.RL.1.2

CCSS.RI.1.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

Which of the following sentences best supports the idea that NASA was well prepared to meet the challenge of landing the Curiosity rover?

• Spirit and Opportunity, the two NASA rovers that landed on Mars in 2004, used a combination of parachutes, rockets, and hi‐tech airbags to protect themselves.
• Fortunately, NASA had taken on this challenge before. Its engineers had both the experience and the tenacity to succeed again.
• Unfortunately, the specific requirements of MSL made it difficult to depend on past experience.
• Curiosity outweighed any earlier rover and contained over 150 pounds of sensitive scientific devices, so an airbag solution was ruled out.

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CCSS.RI.K.2

CCSS.RL.1.2

CCSS.RI.K.1

CCSS.RL.K.1

CCSS.RL.K.2

Which of the following sentences supports the idea that landing the curiosity Rover was more challenging than landing other Mars rovers in the past?

• Fortunately, NASA had taken on this challenge before. 
• Curiosity outweighed any earlier rover and contained over 150 pounds of sensitive scientific devices, so an airbag solution was ruled out.
• NASA had already landed two rovers, named “Spirit” and “Opportunity,” on the surface of the red planet. Based on the principles of astronomy, the launch engineers at JPL had very precise requirements for making the journey from Earth to Mars.
• Planning the rover’s trip to the red planet (Mars’s nickname, due to its color)—a voyage lasting about 36 weeks at maximum cruise velocity—was also not exactly a new challenge for engineers working on the MSL mission.

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CCSS.RI.K.2

CCSS.RL.1.2

CCSS.RI.K.1

CCSS.RL.K.1

CCSS.RL.K.2