The Mars Exploration Program

Read this conclusion from the article "New NASA rover lands on Mars with a helicopter"

Perseverance's mission to Mars will help scientists to better understand the planet's history.

Which sentence from the article provides the BEST support for the statement?

• "The rover traveled 470 million kilometers (300 million miles) journey over seven months."

• "It will search for evidence of microbial life that could have existed on Mars billions of years ago."

• "The mission will also test new technology that will help to lay the groundwork for future missions to Mars."

• "The hope is that the Perseverance mission, along with others, will help to achieve this goal."

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Which detail from the article "New NASA Rover lands on Mars with a helicopter" shows how NASA tried to solve the problem Inguinuity might face on Mars?

• It moves on its own by using two computers to navigate. One computer figures out where the rover needs to go and the other computer "sees" its surroundings.

• Density measures how tightly packed particles are. Because of this difference, flying on Mars could be difficult. The helicopter might have a harder time achieving lift.

• This is a mechanical force that holds an aircraft in the air by directly opposing its weight. Lift is the push that lets an object move up.

• For one thing, the helicopter is extremely light. And to generate lift, its blades are much larger and spin many times faster than a helicopter on Earth would.

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What is the MOST likely reason the author included the information about Viking 1 and 2 in the article "New NASA rover lands on Mars with a helicopter"?

• to highlight the first robotic vehicles to explore Mars back in 1976

• to highlight the earliest missions to Mars that arrived successfully

• to bring attention to the idea that many missions to Mars have failed

• to bring attention to the idea that NASA plans to send humans to Mars

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How is Mars different from Earth?

• Mars has a layer of gases around it.

• Mars has minerals on its surface

• Mars has high-tech instruments

• Mars has a thinner atmosphere

How did the announcement of Opportunity’s death affect members of Opportunity’s team?

• They were upset with the news that Opportunity had stopped working because it had only worked for a short amount of time.

• They were disappointed with the news that Opportunity had stopped working because it did not finish its mission.

• They were surprised by the news that Opportunity had stopped working because the news was so sudden.

• They were heartbroken over the news that Opportunity had stopped working because they had worked with it for many years.

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How did Opportunity affect what scientists know about Mars?

• It taught them to not send rovers to Mars.

• It taught them where to find life on Mars.

• It showed them that there was once water on Mars.

• It showed them that people can live on Mars.

Read the selection from the section "Opportunity's Greatest Achievements."

The two small rovers landed on Mars in 2004. Their mission was meant to last 90 Mars days. A Mars day is 39 minutes longer than an Earth day. In the end, Opportunity outlived its twin by eight years.

What does the word "outlived" mean?

• lasted longer

• landed earlier

• stopped more

• moved faster

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Read the following paragraph from the section "The Search For Life And Landing Pads Continues."

Three more landers are due to launch next year. Their main goal is to collect information. Scientists hope they will find signs of life. The landers will also look for places to send astronauts.

Which word could replace "signs" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the sentence?

• birth

• proof

• flyers

• symbols

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According to the article "Mars rover that just kept going and going and going finally shut down," why did Opportunity finally stop working?

• Opportunity had traveled too many miles after a dust storm.

• Opportunity was responding with scrambled signals after a dust storm.

• Opportunity's power was cut off by the team immediately following a dust storm.

• Opportunity's solar panels were likely blocked during a dust storm.

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Which sentence from the article "Helicopter flies on Mars" shows the MAIN problem scientists faced with getting Ingenuity to fly?

• "Because Mars has lower gravity, it might seem like it would be easier to fly on Mars."

• "Low density means that the air on Mars is extremely 'thin',

  so it is hard for the helicopter to achieve lift."

• "That high speed helps the aircraft achieve lift and get off the ground."

• "And while this may have been the first flight, it is not meant to be the last."

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