Disaster in Space Jan. 17 Scope

Which section of the article explains what caused the crisis described in the opening section?

• “A Mission to the Moon” 
•  “A Space Race” 
• “Something Unexpected” 
• “A Catastrophe”

According to the article, how did competition between Russia and the U.S. affect the development of space travel?

• It pushed both countries to develop space travel technology more quickly.
• It caused the U.S. to take unnecessary risks in early space travel.
• It slowed down the advancement of space travel.
• It caused Americans to lose interest in space travel.

Which line from the text best supports your answer to question 2?

• “At the time, America and Russia (then part of the Soviet Union) were sworn enemies.” (p. 7)
• “The countries were vying to become the most powerful nation on Earth.” (p. 7)
• “Soon the two countries were racing toward a new goal: to put a human being in space.” (p. 7)
• “Many Americans lost interest in space travel.” (p. 8)

At the time of the Apollo 13 mission, Americans’ interest in space travel was

• low, because Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon was a disappointment to many people.
• low, because Americans were focused on issues like war and poverty
• high, because no one had ever landed on the moon before.
• high, because people knew that Apollo 13 was an especially risky mission.

On page 8, author Lauren Tarshis writes,“These men knew Apollo 13’s systems better than they knew their own bedrooms.” What point is Tarshis making about the engineers?

• They did not know Apollo 13’s systems well.
• They knew Apollo 13’s systems very well.
• They did not know their bedrooms well.
• They worked so much that they rarely slept.

Tarshis wrote “Disaster in Space” mainly to

• convince readers that we should stop sending people into space.
• teach readers how to handle an accident aboard a spacecraft.
• inspire and amaze readers with a story about human ingenuity and survival.
•  inform readers about the science of space travel.