There is a growing problem of space debris, to the extent that it could pose a danger to people. Earlier this week, an enormous metal ring crashed into the Kenyan village of Mukuku, 116 km southeast of the capital Nairobi. The mystery object was approximately 2.5 metres wide, and weighed 500 kilograms. It had the potential to cause significant loss of life and damage to property. Fortunately, it landed in a small wood. Kenya's Space Agency said the hunk of metal was probably the separation ring from a recently-launched rocket. An official said: "Our experts will analyze the object…and keep the public informed of the outcome." It said this was "an isolated case".
The problem of space debris will get bigger as more companies and countries launch rockets into the heavens. There has been a heating up of the space race in the past decade. Many satellites from the USA, China, India and other nations are now orbiting Earth and probing deep space. Commercial companies, such as Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin have sent dozens of rockets into low-Earth orbit. The European Space Agency estimated that there are currently more than 14,000 tons of debris circling our planet. This includes over 170 million pieces of space junk that are wider than one millimetre. Most of these harmlessly burn up upon re-entry into our atmosphere.
| 1. | to the extent that | a. | How much something happens or is true. |
| 2. | pose | b. | The result of something. |
| 3. | potential | c. | To be or cause a problem or danger. |
| 4. | significant | d. | A very large piece of something. |
| 5. | hunk | e. | Something that could happen or be possible. |
| 6. | outcome | f. | Very important or big. |
| 7. | isolated | g. | Single; exceptional. |
| 8. | the heavens | h. | Related to business or making money. |
| 9. | a heating up | i. | Looking or searching for something carefully. |
| 10. | the space race | j. | The sky or space above us. |
| 11. | probing | k. | To move around something, like the earth or a planet. |
| 12. | commercial | l. | When something gets warmer. |
| 13. | orbit | m. | Things that are not useful or valuable. |
| 14. | junk | n. | A competition to explore space, especially between countries. |
The article says more items of space debris are falling to Earth. T / F
A huge block of metal crashed into a village near Nairobi. T / F
The space debris damaged a lot of property. T / F
A space agency said the debris was from a rocket launched recently. T / F
A space rocket was launched to search for heaven. T / F
The space race is becoming more competitive. T / F
Commercial companies are now exploring deep space. T / F
Most space debris burns up when it re-enters Earth's atmosphere. T / F
How far from Kenya's capital city did the space debris land?
What was the width of the debris?
Where in the village of Mukuku did the debris land?
Who said the debris was probably a separation ring from a rocket?
Who will analyze the debris?
What has been heating up in the past ten years?
What are satellites probing?
What kind of companies has sent rockets into space?
How many pieces of space debris are there in space?
What happens to most space debris when it re-enters our atmosphere?