Comet Missions Reading Answers

Aug 13, 2024

Comet Missions Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Comet Missions Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the questions, you have to choose the correct word from the options. In the next section, you have to fill in the blanks with correct answers.

Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly to recognise synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS Reading practice papers, which feature topics such as Comet missions Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

Section 1

COMET MISSIONS

Humans have long been fascinated by the universe around us, but it has only been relatively recently that we have been able to observe it up close. The spacecraft launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in March 2004 is just one of many missions which travel to comets: rather than planets. Following separate missions run by the former Soviet Union and NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the US, the probe Sakigake, the inaugural Japanese spacecraft, was launched in 1985. Considered a success, the Sakigake mission took place mainly to showcase the new vehicle as well as to take measurements of magnetic fields. Unlike its twin, Suisei, which was launched months later, Sakigake did not carry any photographic equipment and therefore, did not produce pictorial data. In the same year, the ESA's Giotto was able to make unprecedented observations of a comet during its seven-year mission and was also the first spacecraft to be reactivated for an extended mission. The comet in question was Halley's Comet, which Sakigake had flown past but did not get as close to as Giotto. While these two missions were successful, not all missions to comets are.

The CONTOUR probe was intended to fly past two comets in the hope of discovering a third, but its mission was cut short when it failed soon after launching in 2002. NASA, the probe's constructor, did not give up, and only three years later they launched Deep Impact. What made this mission different from the others was that it was able to force material off a comet's surface by launching an impactor which collided with the comet's surface, creating a crater approximately 150 metres in diameter. The material was then studied by scientists who wanted to learn more about the substances that comets are composed of. Another spacecraft to make close contact with a comet was the Rosetta, which was the first to successfully orbit a comet. Rosetta's journey was a remarkable one. Not only did it orbit Comet 67P, but it also launched the probe Philae, which was the first man-made technology to land on any comet, although it bounced three times before coming to rest. Originally set to launch in 2003, Rosetta was delayed due to technical faults of another craft and as a result, a different target comet needed to be chosen. Rosetta was finally launched on the 2nd of March in 2004 from French Guiana. The mission used gravity to help propel it through space and it flew past Earth on three occasions. Perhaps the most dangerous fly-by was when it had to navigate close to Mars in 2007. The solar panels on the craft could not be used because Rosetta was in the shadow of Mars, but this was successfully managed. On its journey, the craft passed a couple of asteroids, of which Rosetta sent back images to Earth. Images of the Steins asteroid in 2008, followed by Lutetia two years later, provided scientists with more data to work with.

In 2011, as Rosetta was making its way through the orbit of Jupiter, there was very little solar energy to power the vehicle, so it was put into hibernation while in deep space. The craft was then reactivated three years later as it neared its target, before finally entering orbit around 67P in August of that year. A few months later, in November 2014, Philae landed on the surface of the comet and observations began and continued for a few years. Rosetta's mission came to an end in September 2016, when it was sent crashing into the comet, taking images during its descent. Thanks to the ground-breaking missions of Rosetta and Philae, scientists now have a wealth of information about this type of comet and will be analysing the data for many years to come. In addition to a multitude of images to process, Rosetta witnessed the change in colour and brightness of the comet as it neared the Sun in its orbit. It became apparent that the outer and older surface of 67P was stripped away by the sheer heat of the Sun. This exposed fresh material increased the comet's brightness and made it much bluer than had previously been observed. Scientists were also now aware that the shape of 67P is an unusual one. Through this mission, experts were able to determine that the shape was a result of two independent bodies fusing into a shape that resembles a duck.

Much of the data collected came from measurements made by Philae on the surface of 67P. This was collected before Philae malfunctioned and stopped communicating after only around three days in position. Evidence of water vapour was discovered, and although this was exciting scientists ruled out the possibility that water on Earth derived from these sources on comets. This was due to the different chemical compounds found in the vapour when compared with water on our planet. However, the mission also uncovered traces of one of the simplest amino acids which is also found in many organisms on Earth. This tends to suggest that comets may have played a role in providing our planet with the raw materials for life. The discovery of molecular oxygen, found in abundance on our planet, in the gas surrounding 67P, was probably the biggest revelation of the mission.

It was initially thought that the oxygen had lain dormant under the frozen surface of the comet, but a recent study suggests that it is being produced by the comet itself. Although there is no evidence to suggest that life exists on 67P, this theory argues that oxygen can be produced without some form of life being present. There are bound to be countless more discoveries to come after the Rosetta and Philae missions, with the quest for answers as to the make-up of comets and the part they played in creating life on Earth certain to keep scientists at work for a long time to come. With each successful and even unsuccessful - mission, scientists edge ever close to finding the truth.

Questions 14-18

Match each fact with the spacecraft it is associated with, A-E.

Write the correct letter, A-E.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

14. This spacecraft is noted for being reactivated

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “......The ESA's Giotto...was also the first spacecraft to be reactivated for an extended mission.......”

Keywords: reactivated, extended

Keyword Location: para 1, line 6-7

Explanation: Giotto was the first spacecraft to be reactivated for an extended mission. This fact is mentioned in the passage, highlighting that after its initial mission, Giotto was brought back online to continue its work. This reactivation is a significant achievement in space exploration, making Giotto the correct answer.

15. An object was fired at a comet by this spacecraft.

Answer: E

Supporting statement: “.......Deep Impact...was able to force material off a comet's surface by launching an impactor which collided on the comet's surface.....”

Keywords: impactor, collided

Keyword Location: para 2, line 5-6

Explanation: Deep Impact is famous for its mission where it launched an impactor to collide with a comet's surface. The purpose of this was to create a crater and expose materials beneath the surface, allowing scientists to study them.

16. This was a particular country's first spacecraft.

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “......the probe Sakigake, the inaugural Japanese spacecraft, was launched in 1985......”

Keywords: inaugural, Japanese

Keyword Location: para 1, line 3-4

Explanation: Sakigake was Japan's first spacecraft, marking a significant milestone in the country’s space exploration efforts. The passage highlights this by mentioning that Sakigake was Japan's inaugural spacecraft, launched in 1985, mainly to showcase the country’s technological capabilities.

17. This mission failed.

Answer: D

Supporting statement: “......The CONTOUR probe...failed soon after launching in 2002.......”

Keywords: CONTOUR, failed

Keyword Location: para 2, line 3-4

Explanation: The CONTOUR mission was intended to study multiple comets, but it failed shortly after launch in 2002. This failure is emphasized in the passage, which discusses how the mission was cut short and did not achieve its objectives, making CONTOUR the correct answer.

18. This spacecraft could not return images.

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “......Sakigake did not carry any photographic equipment and therefore, did not produce pictorial data......”

Keywords: equipment, no pictorial

Keyword Location: para 1, line 5-6

Explanation: Sakigake did not carry any photographic equipment, and as a result, it was unable to produce any pictorial data. This detail is crucial in understanding why Sakigake did not return images, setting it apart from other missions that focused on capturing visual data.

SPACECRAFT

A. Sakigake

B. Suisei

C. Giotto

D. CONTOUR

E. Deep Impact

Questions 19-22

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

- Rosetta 19...... into space, March 2004

Answer: LAUNCHED

Supporting statement: “......Rosetta was finally launched on the 2nd of March in 2004 from French Guiana......”

Keywords: Rosetta, launched

Keyword Location: para 2, lines 11-13

Explanation: The passage clearly states that the Rosetta spacecraft was launched into space on the 2nd of March in 2004. This launch date marks the beginning of Rosetta’s mission, making "launched" the correct answer.

- Mars Fly-by, February 2007

- Steins Fly-by, 2008

- 20........ Fly-by, 2010

Answer: LUTETIA

Supporting statement: “.....Images of the Steins asteroid in 2008, followed by Lutetia two years later.......”

Keywords: Lutetia, fly-by

Keyword Location: para 2, lines 15-16

Explanation: Rosetta's mission included several fly-bys of celestial bodies, one of which was the Lutetia asteroid in 2010. This fly-by provided valuable data and images, making "Lutetia" the correct answer.

- Put into 21... …….hibernation, June 2011

Answer: DEEP SPACE

Supporting statement: “.......Rosetta was put into hibernation while in deep space.....”

Keywords: hibernation, deep

Keyword Location: para 3, line 2-3

Explanation: The passage mentions that Rosetta was put into hibernation while it was in deep space, particularly because there was little solar energy available to power the spacecraft as it travelled through the orbit of Jupiter.

- Philae arrives at Comet 67P, 22…….... 2014

- Mission end, September 2016

Answer: AUGUST

Supporting statement: “......It entered orbit around 67P in August of that year......”

Keywords: arrived, August

Keyword Location: para 3, line 5-6

Explanation: The passage indicates that Philae, a probe launched by Rosetta, arrived at Comet 67P in August 2014. This arrival marked a significant milestone in the mission, as Philae was the first probe to land on a comet.

Questions 23-26

Complete each sentence with the correct ending A, below.

23. The exposure of new material on the surface of the comet

Answer: D

Supporting statement: “......The outer and older surface of 67P was stripped away by the sheer heat of the Sun......”

Keywords: away, heat

Keyword Location: para 3, lines 11-13

Explanation: The passage explains that as Comet 67P approached the Sun, the heat stripped away the older, outer surface, exposing fresh material underneath. This change increased the comet’s brightness and altered its colour, making it bluer.

24. Shortly after landing on 67P, the probe Philae

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “.......Philae malfunctioned and stopped communicating after only around three days.....”

Keywords: malfunctioned, stopped

Keyword Location: para 4, line 2-3

Explanation: After Philae landed on Comet 67P, it functioned for only around three days before malfunctioning and losing contact with Earth. This brief communication period limited the amount of data that could be collected directly from the comet's surface.

25. The discovery of water vapour

Answer: F

Supporting statement: “......Scientists ruled out the possibility that water on Earth derived from these sources on comets.......”

Keywords: out, connection

Keyword Location: para 4, line 4-5

Explanation: Scientists discovered water vapour on Comet 67P, but upon analyzing the chemical composition, they concluded that it was different from Earth's water. As a result, they ruled out the possibility that Earth’s water originated from comets like 67P.

26. The detection of a common Earth gas

Answer: E

Supporting statement: “......Although there is no evidence to suggest that life exists on 67P, this theory argues that oxygen can be produced without some form of life being present......”

Keywords: evidence, life

Keyword Location: para 5, line 3-5

Explanation: During the Rosetta mission, molecular oxygen was detected in the gas surrounding Comet 67P. Although oxygen is abundant on Earth and typically associated with life, scientists found no evidence of life on the comet, suggesting that oxygen can be produced through non-biological processes.

A. did not send back any useful data.

B. was not a surprise to scientists.

C. lost contact with teams on Earth.

D. was a direct result of heat from the sun.

E. does not indicate the presence of life elsewhere.

F. is unlikely to have any connection to Earth.

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