Now that you've learned how a summary of information should look and sound, try summarizing an article from NASA's blog. The Martian Diaries features a different writer each week, and all of the writers are members of the team that conducts NASA's exploration of the Red Planet. The blog post you will read in this lesson is titled "Solar Conjunction: When the Sun Gets in the Way." It was posted on March 11, 2013, by Jessica Williams, an engineer at NASA.
Some of the language in Williams's blog post is rather technical--the post is related to rocket science, after all! Use the activities on this page to make yourself more familiar with some of the less common but very important words that appear in the blog post.
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Make a Guess
Pick and Choose
Flash Study
First, see if you already know some of the words in this lesson's list. Read each of the words below and guess at what it means. (Say the meaning to yourself, or write it down.) Then click the word to check your answer.
| solar | belonging to the sun or related to the sun |
| conjunction | the coming together of two things or events |
| navigation | planning and maintaining a route of travel |
| propulsion | the process or method of moving something forward |
| reconnaissance | close observation, exploration |
| corona | circles of light around the sun or another light-giving object |
| interference | the act of getting in the way |
| transmitted | communicated from one device to another |
How is each of these words used in context? Read each passage below. Then select the word that belongs in the blank. Click the Lookup button if you're not sure what any word means.
Our science teacher, Mr. Alvarez, decided that we should learn about rocket ___________________ by trying to build a rocket that would actually take off and fly.
- solar
- conjunction
- navigation
- propulsion
belonging to the sun or related to the sun
the coming together of two things or events
planning and maintaining a route of travel
the process or method of moving something forward
Nice Job!
First, Mr. Alvarez explained that we would have very little control over where our rockets went once they lifted off from the ground. Thus, ___________________ would not be part of the project.
- solar
- conjunction
- navigation
- propulsion
belonging to the sun or related to the sun
the coming together of two things or events
planning and maintaining a route of travel
the process or method of moving something forward
Nice Job!
Mr. Alvarez suggested that we pay particularly close attention to the part of the rocket where the body tube met the fuel source because this ______________ was usually the weakest part of a model rocket.
- interference
- conjunction
- reconnaissance
- corona
the act of getting in the way
the coming together of two things or events
close observation, exploration
circles of light around the sun or another light-giving object
Nice Job!
We also had to make sure that the rocket would not encounter any _____________________ in its path, such as tree limbs or buildings. If it hit something besides the soft grass, we would not be able to repeat our experiments.
- interference
- conjunction
- reconnaissance
- corona
the act of getting in the way
the coming together of two things or events
close observation, exploration
circles of light around the sun or another light-giving object
Nice Job!
There was a person in each group whose main task was _____________________ of the mission. He or she had to watch very closely and write down everything that happened--or didn't happen.
- interference
- conjunction
- reconnaissance
- corona
the act of getting in the way
the coming together of two things or events
close observation, exploration
circles of light around the sun or another light-giving object
Nice Job!
Someone in my group actually brought a walkie-talkie set to school, so we _____________________ directions to each other from various points around the launch site. That made the experiment seem much more like what happens at NASA.
- interference
- conjunction
- transmitted
- corona
the act of getting in the way
the coming together of two things or events
communicated from one device to another
circles of light around the sun or another light-giving object
Nice Job!
Summary
Questions answered correctly:
Questions answered incorrectly:
Think you have these words figured out? See if you can guess the word that is being described on each of these cards. (Look at the top of this page to see all of the word choices listed.) Once you've figured out the word, click the card to check your answer.
keeping a close eye on things
reconnaissance
up, up, and away
propulsion
powered by sunshine
solar
point where two things join
conjunction
rings around the sun
corona
mapping
navigation
sent a message
transmitted
what's stopping the flow
interference
Summary
Correct:
Incorrect:
