WorksheetsFuture of Space Exploration
Total questions: 15
Worksheet time: 8mins
As explained in “Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars,
Alien Planets,” who is Mae Jemison?
the head of the 100-Year Starship project
an astronaut training to travel in the first expedition to Mars
a fundraiser trying to obtain money to fund NASA’s programs
a scientist working on new technologies for exploring the moon
According to “Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien Planets,” what are the main purposes of the 100-Year Starship project? Choose two options.
to generate support for NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft
to enable human beings to establish colonies on Mars
to help humanity overcome its problems with political instability
to encourage public enthusiasm for travel beyond our solar system
to develop the new technology needed to travel beyond our solar system
According to “Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien Planets,” the 100-Year Starship project includes artists and science fiction writers, as well as scientists and engineers. What is the main reason for including people from the arts?
Artists and science fiction writers are among the greatest critics of space travel, so changing their opinions is crucial to the success of the project.
Artists and science fiction writers are great supporters of space travel, and they are willing to lend their time and effort to the project.
The skills of artists and science fiction writers can help in the program’s aim of increasing public enthusiasm for space exploration.
The program is so experimental that artists and science fiction writers
understand it better than scientists and engineers do.
In “Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien Planets,”
what main point does Mae Jemison make regarding Proxima Centauri, the nearest star?
It probably will be reached by NASA’s Voyager
1 spacecraft within her children’s lifetime.
It cannot be reached for thousands of years, given our present technology.
It is unlikely to have a planetary system that can support human life
It is farther away than the distance from New York to Los Angeles
According to “Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien Planets,” which of the following specific ideas is the 100-Year Starship program looking at closely? Choose two options
ways to lower the cost of space travel
ways to enable spaceships to travel more rapidly
ways to shrink the amount of time space travel takes
ways to adapt spaceships for public transportation on Earth
ways to improve the human body to help it endure long space trips
If humans someday colonize Mars, what must they do?
write about it
remember it
improve it
settle it
Which of these actions is an example of planetary motion?
the sun’s movements
the Earth’s movements
rockets moving through space
astronauts moving in spaceships
If future astronauts engage in interstellar travel, where will they go?
from star to star
between Earth and Mars
between Earth and the moon
anywhere within our solar system
The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.
Part A In “Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien Planets,” how important does Mae Jemison think the support of the general population is to the success of space programs?
The dedication and support of the general population is needed for a space program to succeed
A space program can succeed without public support, but getting funding is easier with it
The general population’s support has less of an impact than the government’s support.
Technology is the key to a space program’s success, not the support of the public.
Part B Which sentence from the news article best supports the answer to Part A?
Mars may be one of the closest planets humans want to colonize, but it certainly isn’t the only one
Mae Jemison described the 100-Year Starship project to an interested audience.
“The reason we’re not on the moon has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with public will and commitment,” Jemison said.
“I believe that pursuing an extraordinary tomorrow will create a better world today,” she said.
Read this paragraph from “Future of Space Exploration Could See
Humans on Mars, Alien Planets.”
Without the development of a method to warp or shrink space-time, or a new propulsion system—both ideas that the 100-Year Starship program is exploring—humanity would need to find a way to overcome some of its instability problems . According to this paragraph, what is most likely to happen to space exploration if political instability continues?
New technologies for space travel will not be developed.
There will be no lasting economic benefits from space travel.
Lengthy journeys through space will be threatened by a lack of cooperation
Nations that colonize other planets will merely move their political problems there
The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.
Part A In “Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien Planets,” how does Mae Jemison justify funding space programs when so many problems on Earth need support?
Research for space programs often results in inventions that improve everyday life.
By supporting space programs, governments can gain important public support.
Funding a space program will provide jobs that will support economic growth
Creating a goal shared by many nations will result in global political stability
Part B Which of these quotations from “Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien Planets” best supports the answer to Part A?
“It has to be an inclusive journey,” she said
Jemison points out that such exploration often leads to innovation and unexpected technology that make an impact on Earth-based programs
“I can’t really think of a country that’s been stable for 1,000 years.”
“The public did not leave space,” she said while discussing the reduced enthusiasm. “The public was left out of space.”
Read this quotation from “Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien Planets.”
[T]he 100-Year Starship project aims to develop the tools and technology necessary to build and fly a spaceship to another planetary system within the next 100 years.
How does this statement most clearly help develop the ideas in the news article?
It presents the central idea of the article
It provides a transition that links two key ideas in the article.
It identifies the order in which the information in the article will be presented.
It provides background information that the reader needs to understand the rest of the article.
Which of these quotations from “Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien Planets” most clearly develop the idea of including many people in the space program? Choose three options.
Mars may be one of the closest planets humans want to colonize, but it certainly isn’t the only one
The program isn’t necessarily concerned with building the ship itself as much as it seeks to foster innovation and enthusiasm for interstellar travel.
The 100-Year Starship program not only includes engineers and astrophysicists, but also artists and science fiction writers.
“I can’t really think of a country that’s been stable for 1,000 years.”
To get there, Jemison emphasized that everyone must be involved in the process
