Space Trash Excerpt

What has left tons of "space junk" in orbit around the earth?

• robots sent on space missions

• years of space exploration

• lack of recycling

• missiles in outer space

Countries around the world have agreed to limit the time their space tools stay in orbit to 25 years. As explained in the passage, what problem does this solution address?

• the increasing amount of space junk in orbit around the earth

• space agencies exploring space

• Chinese efforts to blow up a satellite

• objects moving around the planet at very high speeds

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

Trash has become a problem in outer space too.

What evidence from the text best supports this statement?

• The Chinese tried to blow up one of its satellites with a missile in 2007.

• In England, a metal harpoon is being tested that can be fired into space, gripping space trash and pulling it back into the earth's atmosphere to burn up.

• The Germans have been planning a space mission with robots to collect some space trash and bring it back to Earth.

• According to BBC News, there are more than 22,000 pieces of junk in space around the earth.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.8

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

Why have countries agreed to build space tools that must fall safely into the earth's atmosphere?

• so that the tools can remove pollution from the atmosphere after returning from space

• so that the tools burn up in the atmosphere and don't become space junk

• so that the tools pollute the atmosphere instead of outer space

• so that the tools can analyze the different gases that make up the atmosphere after

  returning from space

What was the passage mostly about?

• different missions scientists are trying in space

• the effects that tiny pieces of space junk could have on the earth

• the problem of space junk and scientists' attempts to solve this problem

• the problem of trash on planet Earth

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Read the following sentences: "'In our opinion the problem is very challenging and it's quite urgent as well,' said Marco Castronuovo, an Italian Space Agency researcher who is working to solve the problem. One reason that it's urgent is that countries are sending more and more objects into space. Many of these objects are tools that help people use their cell phones or computers."

What does the word urgent most nearly mean?

• easy to solve

• unnecessary

• needs immediate attention

• minor

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Years of space exploration have left tons of "space junk," _______ many scientists are trying to find a way to clean up outer space.

• so

• instead

• because

• similarity

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2