Conquering Earth’s Space Junk Problem – IELTS Reading Answers

The ‘Conquering Earth’s Space Junk Problem’ Academic Reading passage is a good resource for anyone who is preparing for the IELTS Reading test. This passage will help you understand what kind of reading passages you will encounter and the questions that you will be asked to solve.

By taking the ‘Conquering Earth’s Space Junk Problem’ IELTS Reading Answer, you can acquaint yourself with the types of questions that you will be asked and the level of difficulty that you can expect.

The question types in this Reading Passage include:

• IELTS Matching Information (Q. 1-5)
• IELTS Summary Completion (Q. 6-9)
• IELTS Matching Features (Q. 10-13)

For more IELTS Reading practice, take more IELTS reading practice tests.

Reading Passage

Conquering Earth’s Space Junk Problem

Last year, commercial companies, military and civil departments, and amateurs sent more than 400 satellites into orbit, over four times the yearly average in the previous decade. Numbers could rise even more sharply if leading space companies follow through on plans to deploy hundreds to thousands of large constellations of satellites to space in the next few years.

All that traffic can lead to disaster. Ten years ago, a US commercial Iridium satellite smashed into an inactive Russian communications satellite called Cosmos-2251, creating thousands of new pieces of space shrapnel that now threaten other satellites in low Earth orbit – the zone stretching up to 2,000 kilometers in altitude. Altogether, there are roughly 20,000 human-made objects in orbit, from working satellites to small rocket pieces. And satellite operators can’t steer away from every potential crash, because each move consumes time and fuel that could otherwise be used for the spacecraft’s main job.

Concern about space junk goes back to the beginning of the satellite era, but the number of objects in orbit is rising so rapidly that researchers are investigating new ways of attacking the problem. Several teams are trying to improve methods for assessing what is in orbit so that satellite operators can work more efficiently in ever-more-crowded space. Some researchers are now starting to compile a massive data set that includes the best possible information on where everything is in orbit. Others are developing taxonomies of space – working on measuring properties such as the shape and size of an object so that satellite operators know how much to worry about what’s coming their way.

The alternative, many say, is unthinkable. Just a few uncontrolled space crashes could generate enough debris to set off a runaway cascade of fragments, rendering near-Earth space unusable. ‘If we go on like this, we will reach a point of no return,’ says Carolin Frueh, an astrodynamical researcher at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Even as our ability to monitor space objects increases, so too does the total number of items in orbit. That means companies, governments, and other players in space are collaborating in new ways to avoid a shared threat. International groups such as the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee have developed guidelines on space sustainability. Those include inactivating satellites at the end of their useful life by venting pressurized materials or leftover fuel that might lead to explosions. The intergovernmental groups also advise lowering satellites deep enough into the atmosphere that they will burn up or disintegrate within 25 years. But so far, only about half of all missions have abided by this 25-year goal, says Holger Krag, head of the European Space Agency’s space debris office in Darmstadt, Germany. Operators of the planned large constellations of satellites say they will be responsible stewards in their enterprises in space, but Krag worries that problems could increase, despite their best intentions. ‘What happens to those that fail or go bankrupt?’ he asks. They are probably not going to spend money to remove their satellites from space.’

In theory, given the vastness of space, satellite operators should have plenty of room for all these missions to fly safely without ever nearing another object. So some scientists are tackling the problem of space junk by trying to find out where all the debris is to a high degree of precision. That would alleviate the need for many of the unnecessary maneuvers that are carried out to avoid potential collisions. ‘If you knew precisely where everything was, you would almost never have a problem,’ says Marlon Sorge, a space-debris specialist at the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California.

The field is called space traffic management because it’s similar to managing traffic on the roads or in the air. Think about a busy day at an airport, says Moriba Jah, an astrodynamics at the University of Texas at Austin: planes line up in the sky, landing and taking off close to one another in a carefully choreographed routine. Air traffic controllers know the location of the planes down to one meter in accuracy. The same can’t be said for space debris. Not all objects in orbit are known, and even those included in databases are not tracked consistently.

An additional problem is that there is no authoritative catalog that accurately lists the orbits of all known space debris. Jah illustrates this with a web-based database that he has developed. It draws on several sources, such as catalogs maintained by the US and Russian governments, to visualize where objects are in space. When he types in an identifier for a particular space object, the database draws a purple line to designate its orbit. Only this doesn’t quite work for a number of objects, such as a Russian rocket body designated in the database as object number 32280. When Jah enters that number, the database draws two purple lines: the US and Russian sources contain two completely different orbits for the same object. Jah says that it is almost impossible to tell which is correct unless a third source of information makes it possible to cross-correlate.

Jah describes himself as a space environmentalist: ‘I want to make space a place that is safe to operate, that is free and useful for generations to come.’ Until that happens, he argues, the space community will continue devolving into a tragedy in which all spaceflight operators are polluting a common resource.

Questions 1- 5

1. a reference to the cooperation that takes place to try and minimise risk
2. an explanation of a person’s aims
3. a description of a major collision that occurred in space
4. a comparison between tracking objects in space and the efficiency of a transportation system
5. a reference to efforts to classify space junk

Questions 6-9

Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet.

THE INTER-AGENCY SPACE DEBRIS COORDINATION COMMITTEE

The committee gives advice on how the 6 ……………….. of space can be achieved. The committee advises that when satellites are no longer active, any unused 7 ……………….. or pressurised material that could cause 8 ……………….. should be removed.

Although operators of large satellite constellations accept that they have obligations as stewards of space, Holger Krag points out that the operators that become 9 ……………….. are unlikely to prioritise removing their satellites from space.

Questions 10-14

10. Knowing the exact location of space junk would help prevent any possible danger.
11. Space should be available to everyone and should be preserved for the future.
12. A recommendation regarding satellites is widely ignored.
13. There is conflicting information about where some satellites are in space.
14. There is a risk we will not be able to undo the damage that occurs in space.

Answer For Conquering Earth’s Space Junk Problem IELTS Reading Answers with Location and Explanations

Don’t miss the answer key for the Conquering Earth’s Space Junk Problem IELTS Reading passage, complete with detailed explanations, and prepare to score a high IELTS Reading band score.

1. Answer: C

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer Location: para C, lines 2-4

Answer Explanation: It is given that a lot of collaboration has been done by different countries in order to clean the dust present in space. Hence, the answer is

2. Answer: F

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer Location: para F, line 1

Answer Explanation: It is given that the people working on the problem are not working together. There is not a single catalog that accurately lists the orbits of the space junk.

3. Answer: A

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer Location: para A, line 6

Answer Explanation: It is given that 10 years ago there was a collision. The US commercial satellite collided with the Russian communication satellite named Cosmos.

4. Answer: E

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer Location: para E, line 1

Answer Explanation: It is given that the field of space is named as space traffic management. This paragraph compares the methods of tracking objects in space and managing the movement of satellites just like cars in roads.

5. Answer: B

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer Location: para B, line 5

Answer Explanation: It is given that the researchers are trying to compile a data set that contains the details of the junk present in the space according to the criticality of collision and other factors.

6. Answer: SUSTAINABILITY

Question Type: Summary Completion

Answer Location: para C, line 3

Answer Explanation: It is given that the inter-agency space Debris coordination committee made some guidelines and policies on space sustainability.

7. Answer: FUEL

Question Type: Summary Completion

Answer Location: para C, line 5

Answer Explanation: The committee says that the pressurized materials and unused fuels should be removed from the satellite if it is inactive.

8. Answer: EXPLOSIONS

Question Type: Summary Completion

Answer Location: para C, line 5

Answer Explanation: It is advised by the committee that any item that can cause an explosion should be removed from the area.

9. Answer: BANKRUPT

Question Type: Summary Completion

Answer Location: para C, line 13

Answer Explanation: It is given that the company that goes bankrupt has no money to remove the junk from the space.

10. Answer: C

Question Type: Matching Features

Answer Location: para B, line 7

Answer Explanation: It is given that measuring properties such as shape and size are used to classify objects. The location is stored in the database to prevent any danger in the future.

11. Answer: D

Question Type: Matching Features

Answer Location: para F, line 12

Answer Explanation: It is given that the scientist wants to make space accessible to future generations also.

12. Answer: B

Question Type: Matching Features

Answer Location: para D, line 2

Answer Explanation: It is given that the recommendation to the companies that the junk should be cleared by them is mostly avoided. Hence the junk keeps increasing in the space.

13. Answer: D

Question Type: Matching Features

Answer Location: para E, line 5

Answer Explanation: It is given that the air traffic controllers know the exact location of planes. But it cannot be said about the space debris.

14. Answer: A

Question Type: Matching Features

Answer Location: para C, line 12

Answer Explanation: It is given that a single collision creates a lot of debris in space. If it is not cleaned then the near-earth area will become unusable to future generations.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in Conquering Earth’s Space Junk Problem Reading Answers

Now let’s get started with the IELTS exam preparation tips for each question type of Conquering Earth’s Space Junk Problem!

Matching Information

Retrieve the required information from the reading passages with the help of these invaluable tips that you can leverage to get a better score in IELTS. Check out the tips below:

• Read the instructions carefully: Before you start, make sure you understand what you need to match. Sometimes, you’ll be asked to match headings to paragraphs or statements to sections, so be clear on the task.

• Skim the passage: Quickly read through the passage to get a general sense of the content and layout. This will help you identify where the information you need might be located.

• Use keywords: Look for keywords or key phrases in the question and the passage. These words are often repeated or paraphrased in the text and can guide you to the correct answer.

• Underline or highlight: As you find information that matches the question, underline or highlight it in the passage. This will make it easier to refer back to when answering the questions.

• Check for synonyms: Be aware of synonyms and paraphrases. Sometimes, the exact words from the question may not appear in the passage, but similar words or phrases will. Keep an eye out for these.

Summary Completion

Fill in the sentences with keywords hidden in the reading passages with the following tips as they’ll come in handy for your preparation.

• Read the sentence carefully: Begin by reading the sentence with the gap or blank. Try to understand the context and the type of word that should fit the gap (e.g., noun, verb, adjective).

• Look for clues: Scan the surrounding sentences for clues that can help you determine the missing word. Sometimes, the sentence structure or the words nearby can provide hints.

• Identify grammatical clues: Pay attention to the grammar of the sentence. If the sentence requires a verb, make sure you choose a verb form that fits the context. The same goes for nouns, adjectives, and other parts of speech.

• Use your vocabulary: Draw on your vocabulary to come up with a suitable word for the gap. Ensure that the word you choose makes sense in the context of the sentence.

• Check for coherence: After you’ve filled in the gap, read the entire sentence to ensure that it flows naturally and makes sense. The completed sentence should be grammatically correct and logically coherent.

Matching Features

These questions typically require you to connect specific features or characteristics mentioned in the passage with corresponding options provided in the question. Here are some effective tips to navigate and excel in this task.

• Scan the Passage First: Quickly skim through the passage to get an overall idea of its structure and main points. Pay attention to headings, subheadings, and any formatting features that may signal where specific information is located.

• Underline Key Phrases: As you read the questions and answer choices, underline or highlight key phrases or keywords that are important for matching. This will help you quickly identify relevant information in the passage.

• Use Contextual Clues: Look for contextual clues within the passage that provide hints about the relationship between the features or items being matched. Often, the passage will provide clues through words like “however,” “similarly,” “on the other hand,” etc.

• Eliminate Incorrect Options: If you’re unsure about an answer, try to eliminate obviously incorrect options first. Sometimes, you can rule out choices by comparing them to the passage or to other answer choices, even if you’re not entirely sure about the correct answer.

• Double-Check Matching: Once you’ve matched features, double-check your answers to ensure they make logical sense within the context of the passage. Sometimes, a quick review can help catch any errors or mismatches you may have made in your initial attempt.

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