Article of the Week - due Mon., April 13
Mastery: __________/12
Name ______________________________
Habits: _____/6 On time ___ Complete ___ Annotation ___ Parent signature ___
Space dream is a little closer for Maryland woman
By the Baltimore Sun, 03.30.15
(1) BALTIMORE — Laura Smith-Velazquez has been
dreaming of going to space since the first time she
looked into a telescope as an 8-year-old. She grew up
watching “Star Trek" and imagined herself commanding a
starship.
(2) Every year, she tries for a shot at becoming an
astronaut at NASA, the U.S. space agency, but with no
luck.
(3) But now, Smith-Velazquez’s chances of getting to
Laura Smith-Velazquez is one of 100 semi-
space may have improved. A Dutch organization called
finalists in the Mars One program, which
Mars One selected the 38-year-old engineer as one of
hopes to establish a permanent human
100 semi-finalists for a new kind of space mission. Mars
settlement on Mars.
One wants to send people to establish a permanent colony on Mars by 2025.
In Support Of The Dream
(4) Smith-Velazquez and her husband, 43-year-old aerospace engineer Matthew Velazquez, applied
for the program together in 2013. When they signed up, the couple agreed that they would either go
to Mars together or neither of them would go.
(5) About 200,000 people signed up to be a part of the Mars One program. Smith-Velazquez made
the cut, but her husband did not. Now Smith-Velazquez says she is prepared to leave him behind and
her husband says he understands. “Do you demand that you continue to have a wife on this planet,
or do you let your wife do something she’s always wanted to do?” he said. “You have to be
supportive of that.”
Wanted: Curious, Creative Astronauts
(6) Mars One says it is looking for astronauts who are curious, trusting and creative. They need people
who are good at solving problems and bouncing back from challenges. Candidates must also be at
least 18 years old and physically capable. They must go through a long sign-up process that includes
writing essays, making a video, and studying 40 pages of facts about Mars.
(7) Smith-Velazquez was also interviewed by Dr. Norbert Kraft, Mars One’s chief medical officer and a
legend in selecting astronauts for NASA. Dr. Kraft asked Smith-Velazquez whether she would ever
come back from Mars and why. She quickly answered no, “because the people you go with become
your family.”
(8) Smith-Velazquez said isn’t exactly sure why she has gotten so far in the selection process. She has
a pilot’s license and designs parts for planes, so she is used to confined spaces and zooming through
the air. Smith-Velazquez said her Cherokee Indian background and ability to get along with others
might also have helped her to stand out.
(9) Even if she makes the final cut, Smith-Velazquez knows her chances of ending up on Mars are still
quite slim. Many say the Mars One mission is nothing more than a publicity stunt. The Dutch space
scientist who devised it plans to pay for the project by making it into a TV show.
Staying Alive Could Be Tricky
(10) NASA refuses to comment on Mars One, but the scientists who are willing to talk about it say the
project's timeline sounds far too short. “To get to Mars you need rockets (and) spaceships,” said John
M. Logsdon, a professor at George Washington University who studies space policy. “None of that
exists.”
(11) Mars’ atmosphere is also dramatically different from Earth’s, so oceans cannot form on its surface.
Mars radiates heat away more effectively than Earth. Temperatures on Mars range from a comfortable
50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the sunshine, to 100 degrees below zero at night. “How do you pack
in enough supplies and figure out how to generate your own supplies — air, heat and oxygen —
when you get there?" astrophysicist Frank Summers asked. "That’s the major problem to solve.”
(12) A study by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that Mars One
needs to rework some of its plans to keep settlers alive. For example, the team plans to pull water out
of the soil on Mars. They also plan to grow crops that will give off oxygen. According to MIT, those
plans will only work for a couple months at best.
Location, Location, Location
(13) Mars One admits that the mission is incredibly ambitious and will require constant efforts to
prevent delays and failures. The team plans to start with a demonstration mission in 2018. That's how
they will prove that they have the technology for humans to survive there. In 2020, Mars One plans to
send rover vehicles to select the best location for settlement. The rovers would also prepare the
surface for the arrival of more equipment in 2022. Four-person crews are scheduled to start leaving in
2024. It will take each crew seven months just to get from Earth to Mars.
(14) Mars One faces another big challenge — money. Mars One estimates it will cost $6 billion just to
get its first crew to Mars. The team plans to raise money through sponsorships, partnerships, TV
rights and individual investors. So far, Mars One has struggled to find support.
(15) Still, Smith-Velazquez and other Mars One supporters are not giving up. Smith-Velazquez says it
has taken lots of failed missions to bring space exploration to the point where it is today. In fact, she
believes that all of the people who say the project will never work are making Mars One stronger
because they are bringing up good points. She also says we will never get there if we do not try.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of risk, but there’s a lot of risk no matter what you do,” she said. “I’m willing to
take that risk.”
Article of the Week Questions
Due Monday, April 13
Name ______________________________
Read each question carefully, then write your answer in the blank. (6 points)
1. Which paragraph in the section "Wanted: Curious, Creative Astronauts" BEST supports the idea that
Smith-Velazquez is serious about joining the Mars One team?
Write the paragraph number here: _______
2. Which section of the article discusses criticism of the Mars One program?
Write section subtitle here: __________________________________________________________________
_______ 3. Which two sentences from the section "Location, Location, Location" BEST support the idea that
Mars One is not completely sure that the goal of living on Mars is possible?
A. In 2020, Mars One plans to send rover vehicles to select the best location for settlement. Four-person crews
are scheduled to start leaving in 2024.
B. The team plans to start with a demonstration mission in 2018. That's how they will prove that they have the
technology for humans to survive there.
C. In 2020, Mars One plans to send rover vehicles to select the best location for settlement. The rovers would
also prepare the surface for the arrival of more equipment in 2022.
D. The team plans to start with a demonstration mission in 2018. It will take each crew seven months just to
get from Earth to Mars.
_______ 4. In the section "Staying Alive Could Be Tricky," what is the relationship between MIT scientists
and the Mars One program?
A. MIT scientists are developing methods for Mars One to use to keep settlers alive.
B. MIT scientists are planning on going to Mars as part of the Mars One team.
C. MIT scientists are evaluating some of the methods Mars One wants to use to keep settlers alive.
D. MIT scientists are advising Mars One to cancel plans for growing crops on Mars.
_______ 5. Based on the introduction [paragraphs 1-3], which BEST explains the relationship between
Smith-Velazquez's childhood and the Mars One program?
A. Her childhood prepared her for the challenges of going on the Mars One space mission.
B. Her childhood dream of going to space could possibly be realized by joining the Mars One team.
C. Her childhood interest in "Star Trek" led her to believe that she could command a Mars One starship.
D. Her childhood pastime of looking through a telescope led to her becoming an engineer for Mars One.
_______ 6. Read this sentence from paragraph 3: Mars One wants to send people to establish a permanent
colony on Mars by 2025. Which word is the best synonym for colony as it is used in this sentence?
A. home
B. space station
C. settlement
D. zone
For each statement below, circle/shade in whether the text/author would agree or disagree with it, and in the
space provided, give a quote from the text and explain how it supports your answer. (6 points)
Agree?
yes
no
yes
no
yes
no
Statements
Your Evidence (quote, paragraph #, briefly explain)
1. Smith-Velazquez
maintains that she will
not go to Mars without
her husband.
2. The selection process
for Mars One has been
rigorous/challenging.
3. The Mars One team is
ready to send people to
Mars.
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