★Cite Evidence From the Text
Grade 4 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Read the text. Circle the detail that supports each claim.
Read this first
Living on Mars Time
When NASA landed two rovers on Mars in 2004, the people who drove them had to change their whole lives. The rovers, named Spirit and Opportunity, were each about the size of a golf cart. They ran on solar power. They worked during the Martian day and rested at night. So the team on Earth had to follow the Martian clock, too.
That sounds simple, but there is a catch. A day on Mars, called a sol, lasts about 24 hours and 40 minutes. That is only 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth. Yet those minutes add up quickly. If the team started work at 9:00 one morning, they would start at 9:40 the next day. After about a week, they would begin work in the early afternoon. A few weeks later, they would be starting in the middle of the night. Over three months, the team's start time crept all the way around the clock more than twice.
Team members tried many tricks to keep up. Some wore special watches that ran slow, so the dial would match the time on Mars. Others covered their bedroom windows with black plastic so they could sleep during sunny afternoons. The team kept the windows in their workroom covered, too. Some people hung charts that showed Earth time and Mars time side by side. Even so, many team members felt tired and foggy. One engineer said she sometimes lost track of what day it was on Earth.
Families had to adjust as well. Some team members ate breakfast while their children ate dinner. Years later, an engineer on a newer rover team took his whole family on Mars time for a month. They stayed up late, went on outings in the middle of the night and watched a meteor shower before dawn. The family treated it as a summer adventure.
Living on Mars time could not last forever. After about three months, most of the 2004 team switched back to Earth time. By then, the rovers had already finished their planned missions. Yet the rovers kept working. Opportunity explored Mars for almost fifteen years, far longer than anyone expected. Spirit lasted about six years, even though each mission was planned for only about ninety sols.
Newer rover teams have also followed Mars time for their first few months. Those early weeks are when every minute of Martian sunlight matters most. A rover that has just landed has many tests to run and new places to explore.
A reader claims that living on Mars time was hard on the team. Which detail is the strongest evidence?
- The rovers had finished their planned missions.
- An engineer sometimes forgot what day it was on Earth.
- Newer rover teams also follow Mars time at first.
- A day on Mars is called a sol, and it runs longer.
A reader claims that Mars time affected people outside the team itself. Which detail is the best evidence?
- Some team members wore special watches that ran slow.
- The team covered the windows in their own workroom.
- An engineer lost track of what day it was on Earth.
- A parent might eat breakfast while the kids ate dinner.
A reader claims that the rovers lasted far longer than the team planned. Which detail best supports this?
- The rovers ran on solar power and rested at night.
- Opportunity explored Mars for almost fifteen years.
- Newer teams follow Mars time for their first few months.
- The team followed Mars time for about three months.
A reader claims that Mars time was a fun adventure for one family. Which detail best supports this?
- Team members covered their bedroom windows with black plastic.
- The family treated the month as a summer adventure.
- Some team members ate breakfast while their children ate dinner.
- Many team members felt tired and foggy, even with the tricks.
