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A Helicopter on Mars

4th grade reading

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A Helicopter on Mars

In February 2021, NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars. Tucked underneath it was a passenger: a tiny helicopter called Ingenuity. It weighed only about 1.8 kilograms, a little less than a big bag of flour. Flying on Mars is much harder than flying on Earth. The air on Mars is extremely thin, about one hundredth as thick as the air we breathe. Helicopter blades push against the air to lift off, so with so little air, Ingenuity's blades had to spin very fast: about 2,400 times a minute. On 19 April 2021, Ingenuity rose about three metres into the Martian sky, hovered for about forty seconds and landed again. It was the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. Engineers on Earth cheered, even though the radio signals took several minutes to reach them. Ingenuity was only meant to make five test flights. Instead, it made 72. It scouted ahead for the rover, taking photos of rocks and slopes so that drivers on Earth could choose safe routes. In January 2024, one of Ingenuity's blades was damaged during a landing, and the mission ended. The little helicopter still sits on Mars today, and engineers are already using what they learned to design bigger flying machines for future missions.

  1. Question 1

    Read "A Helicopter on Mars". How did Ingenuity get to Mars?

    • A. tucked underneath the Perseverance rover
    • B. on a separate rocket a year later
    • C. carried by astronauts
    • D. it flew there by itself

  2. Question 2

    Read "A Helicopter on Mars". Why did Ingenuity's blades have to spin so fast?

    • A. Because the air on Mars is very thin.
    • B. Because Mars is very hot.
    • C. Because the helicopter was heavy.
    • D. Because the rover was chasing it.

  3. Question 3

    Read "A Helicopter on Mars". Ingenuity "scouted ahead" for the rover. What does scouted mean?

    • A. followed behind
    • B. slept
    • C. fixed broken parts
    • D. went first to look and gather information

  4. Question 4

    Read "A Helicopter on Mars". How is this text mainly organised?

    • A. as a list of opinions
    • B. in time order, from landing to the end of the mission
    • C. as a problem with no solution
    • D. as a comparison of two planets

  5. Question 5

    Read "A Helicopter on Mars". Is this a first-hand or a second-hand account?

    • A. second-hand: the writer reports facts but was not there
    • B. first-hand: it is the helicopter's diary
    • C. first-hand: the writer flew the helicopter
    • D. first-hand: the writer lives on Mars

  6. Question 6

    Read "A Helicopter on Mars". Which is the best summary?

    • A. Mars has thin air.
    • B. A small helicopter made the first powered flight on Mars and flew far more times than planned, helping future missions.
    • C. Ingenuity weighed about 1.8 kilograms.
    • D. Helicopters are the best way to travel.

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Answer key: A Helicopter on Mars

  1. 1. A. tucked underneath the Perseverance rover

    • The answer is stated directly in the text.
    • Paragraph 1: 'Tucked underneath it was a passenger: a tiny helicopter called Ingenuity.'
    • So the answer is: tucked underneath the Perseverance rover

  2. 2. A. Because the air on Mars is very thin.

    • The answer is stated directly in the text.
    • The blades push against the air, and with so little air they had to spin very fast.
    • So the answer is: Because the air on Mars is very thin.

  3. 3. D. went first to look and gather information

    • The words around an unfamiliar word help show its meaning.
    • It took photos of the way ahead so drivers could choose safe routes.
    • So the answer is: went first to look and gather information

  4. 4. B. in time order, from landing to the end of the mission

    • Text structure is how a writer organises ideas.
    • It moves from 2021 to the first flight, the extra flights and the end in 2024.
    • So the answer is: in time order, from landing to the end of the mission

  5. 5. A. second-hand: the writer reports facts but was not there

    • The writer's choices show their purpose.
    • The writer gives facts and dates about events they did not take part in.
    • So the answer is: second-hand: the writer reports facts but was not there

  6. 6. B. A small helicopter made the first powered flight on Mars and flew far more times than planned, helping future missions.

    • The main idea covers the whole text; details only cover a part.
    • A summary covers the whole text: the first flight, the 72 flights and what was learned.
    • So the answer is: A small helicopter made the first powered flight on Mars and flew far more times than planned, helping future missions.