Question

EXAM PRACTICE TEST 2 READING TASK Task 1. (1 point per item.) You are going to read a newspaper article. Five sentences have been removed from the text. For questions 1-5 choose from sentences A-F the one which best fits each gap. There is one extra sentence you do not need. MARS ORBITER REACHES RED PLANETA. Hitting the atmosphere at the wrong speed means that it will bounce off and go off into deep space.

B. That means we can see things like a small spring of hot water coming out of the ground,

if such a thing exists. C. The public are in anticipation of tourist missions to the Red Planet.

D. The next phase for the mission will be to slowly shrink the spacecraft's path around the world until it achieves a tight, circular, two-hour orbit.

E. News of its success followed a tense period of radio silence while the spacecraft passed behind Mars.

F. About 20 minutes later, MRO switched from solar to battery power as it passed behind the planet and entered into a period of radio silence.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has survived a critical phase in its mission by parking itself in an elliptical orbit around the red Planet. 1. Over the next six months, the probe will steadily reduce the size of its orbit until it reaches an optimal position to start scientific studies. MRO will examine the Martial surface and atmosphere in unprecedented detail.

At 21.24 GMT, as the spacecraft approached the south-side of the planet, its engines fired, slowing its speed and allowing it to be captured by Mar's gravity. 2. The re- establishment of contact half an hour later was met with jubilation from the mission team at the USA space agency's (NASA) laboratory, in Pasadena, California. "I am very relieved," MRO project manager Jim Graft said. "It was perfect picture". Mr. Graft earlier described Mars as "unpredictable" - with two of the last four orbiters NASA sent to the planet not surviving the final approach. MRO is now in a 35-hour elliptical trajectory around Mars, where at its furthest point it will swing out to about 44,000 km above the planet's surface. 3. This process will take six months, and employs a technique known as aerobraking, whereby the spacecraft slows itself down by using the friction created each time it brushes past the Martian atmosphere. The orbiter will have to perform this technique more than 500 times and each manoeuvre is perilous, as Professor Collin Pillinger, who led the UK's Failed Beagle 2 mission to Mars in 2003, observed: "If it goes in the planet's atmosphere too far it heats up and crashes and burns".

4. In November 2006, once the orbiter is in the optimal position, the two- year science phase of the mission will commence. The spacecraft carries a pay-load of six scientific instruments and is equipped with cameras capable of taking close-up images of the planet's surface. Previous orbiters could see something the size of a double-decker bus on the surface of Mars, but this one can see a dinner table. 5. The NASA mission team says that MRO will return 10-times more data than all of the previous Mars missions together. The aim of the mission is to build up a detailed picture of how Mars has changed...​

Answer 1

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter successfully entered an elliptical orbit around Mars, overcoming challenges through aerobraking. The mission team's jubilation marked the triumph over Mars' unpredictability, paving the way for extensive scientific exploration during the upcoming two-year phase with advanced instruments.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) successfully navigated the critical phase of achieving an elliptical orbit around Mars by slowing its speed and utilizing Mar's gravity. As it approached the south side of the planet at 21:24 GMT, the spacecraft's engines fired, leading to a successful capture. The subsequent reduction of its orbit over the next six months is a significant action in preparation for scientific studies, aiming to examine Mars' surface and atmosphere in unprecedented detail.

The article highlights the challenges and techniques associated with the orbiter's orbital reduction, emphasizing the use of aerobraking. This technique involves the spacecraft slowing itself down by leveraging friction with the Martian atmosphere during more than 500 maneuvers. The perilous nature of each aerobraking maneuver is underscored, with the risk of the spacecraft heating up and potentially crashing if it enters the planet's atmosphere too far.

The jubilation and relief expressed by the mission team in Pasadena, California, occurred half an hour after the re-establishment of contact with MRO. This momentous event marked the successful navigation through Mars' unpredictable conditions, acknowledging the planet's history of causing challenges for previous orbiters.

MRO is currently in a 35-hour elliptical trajectory around Mars, swinging out to approximately 44,000 km above the planet's surface at its furthest point. The upcoming two-year science phase, beginning in November 2006, involves the orbiter utilizing its payload of six scientific instruments and advanced cameras to capture detailed images of Mars' surface. The mission team anticipates MRO returning ten times more data than all previous Mars missions combined, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of how Mars has changed over time.

In summary, MRO's successful orbital insertion, coupled with aerobraking maneuvers, reflects a triumph over Mars' challenges, setting the stage for groundbreaking scientific exploration and data collection.

The question probable may be:

What critical phase did NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) successfully navigate, and what significant actions were taken during this phase to achieve an elliptical orbit around Mars? Additionally, what challenges and techniques does the article highlight regarding the orbiter's orbital reduction, and what pivotal role does aerobraking play in this process? Furthermore, describe the jubilation and relief expressed by the mission team following a specific event, and what observations are made about Mars' unpredictability based on past orbiter missions? Lastly, what key details are provided about MRO's trajectory, its upcoming scientific phase, and the advanced capabilities that set it apart from previous Mars orbiters?