IGCSE (First Language) Extended Response Practice 3, November 2017

 

Passage : The Spacesuit

 

Astronaut A is based at a station in space and is sent on a mission to remove some hazardous debris which is occupying an orbit path.

 

When Satellite Control called me, I was in the observation bubble – the glass-domed office that juts out from the axis of the space station like the hubcap of a wheel. Only a few yards away I could see the construction teams performing their slow-motion ballet as they put the station together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. And beyond them, four hundred kilometres below, was the blue-green glory of the full Earth, floating against the ravelled star clouds.

 

‘Astronaut A here,’ I answered. ‘What’s the trouble?’

 

‘Our radar’s showing some metallic debris three kilometres away, almost stationary, about five degrees west of Sirius. Someone needs to go out and haul it aboard; get it out of orbit.’

 

Hastily, I clambered into my spacesuit. Our suits are really baby spaceships, just big enough to hold one person. They are cheerfully coloured stubby cylinders, about two metres long, and fitted with softly chattering, low-powered propulsion jets. Their accordion sleeves at the upper end fit with hospitable snugness around an astronaut’s arms and the gentle contours of the helmet’s visor finish the feeling that you are being looked after by a responsible friend.

 

Inside, I switched on the power and checked the gauges on the tiny instrument panel. All my needles were well in the safety zone, so I lowered the transparent hemisphere over my head and sealed myself in. For a short trip like this, I did not bother to check the suit’s internal lockers, which were used to carry food and special equipment for extended missions. The conveyor belt decanted me into the air lock. Then the pumps brought the pressure down to zero, the outer door opened, and the last traces of air swept me out into the stars, turning me very slowly head over heels.

 

I was now an independent planet – a little world of my own. I was sealed up in a tiny mobile cylinder, with a superb view of the entire universe, but I had practically no freedom of movement inside the suit. The padded seat and safety harness prevented me from turning around, though I could reach all the controls and lockers with my hands or feet.

 

In space the great enemy is the Sun, which can blast you to blindness in seconds. Very cautiously, I switched the helmet’s external sunshade to automatic, so that whichever way the suit gyrated, my eyes would be shielded.

 

Presently, I found my target, a bright fleck of silver whose metallic glint distinguished it clearly from the surrounding stars. I stamped on the jet control pedal and felt the mild surge of acceleration as the low-powered rockets set me moving away from the station. After ten seconds of steady thrust, I cut off the drive. It would take me five minutes to coast the rest of the way, and not much longer to return with my salvage.

 

And it was at that moment that I knew that something was horribly wrong!

 

It is never completely silent inside a spacesuit: you can always hear the gentle hiss of oxygen, the faint whirr of fans and motors, the susurration of your own breathing. These sounds are the unnoticed background of life in space, for you are aware of them only when they change.

 

They had changed now. To them had been added a sound which I could not identify. It was an intermittent, muffled thudding, sometimes accompanied by a scraping noise.

                         

I froze instantly, holding my breath and trying to locate the alien sound with my ears. The meters on the control board gave no clues; all the needles were rock-steady on their scales; no flickering red lights warned of impending disaster.

 

Three things had gone wrong at once. The oxygen regulator had run wild and sent the pressure soaring; the safety valve had failed to blow, and a faulty joint had given way.

 

Blind panic meant that it took me several attempts before I could press the right button and switch my transmitter to the emergency wavelength. ‘Station!’ I gasped. ‘I’m in trouble…’.

 

I never finished; they say my yell wrecked the microphone.

 

I must have lunged forward despite the safety harness and smashed against the upper ledge of the control panel. When the rescue squad reached me a few minutes later, I was unconscious, with an angry bruise across my forehead. Coming to my senses an hour later, I saw our medical staff gathered round my bed.

 

Question

Imagine you are the Commander of Satellite Control. After this incident, you decide to write a letter to all satellite stations about safety issues for astronauts who go on missions.

 

Write the letter from the Commander of Satellite Control to all satellite stations.

 

In your letter you should:

 

•         briefly describe what happened to Astronaut A while out on the mission and why it is a matter of concern

 

•         explain the existing safety features of the spacesuits and how they are adapted to perform missions

 

•         provide advice on additional measures that need to be taken to ensure astronauts’ safety.

 

Base your letter on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words.

 

Address each of the three bullet points.

 

Begin your letter:

 

‘Dear Colleagues,

 

Last week we had a serious incident involving Astronaut A who had been sent out on an important mission…’.

 

Write about 250 to 350 words.

 

Suggested plans for your letter:

A1: What happened to Astronaut A and why it is a matter of concern
Answers	Supporting Details	Development
identified the target	metallic debris, hazardous, 3 km away	important to perform such retrievals for safety of whole crew
activated jet control	pedal, low-powered rockets	should have been a quick and simple job to get there and back
new sound(s), usual sounds change(d	intermittent, muffled thudding; occasional scraping noise	indicates a problem
equipment failure / more than one component fails	needles had not moved on gauge; oxygen regulator, safety valve and faulty joint	unusual for all three to go at once
panic	several attempts to find the button	might have failed to make contact
knocked unconscious / injured / nearly died	bruise on forehead	safety harness should have prevented this
rescued	rescue squad, medical staff	no permanent injury

 

 

A2: Safety features of space-suits and how they are adapted for missions
Answers	Supporting Details	Development
comfort	snugness of sleeves, padded seat	allows concentration on longer missions
gauges	instrument panel, control board	red light would flash if there was a problem
internal lockers	food and special equipment for extended missions	allows astronaut(s) to spend longer in space
safety harness	restricted movement	should prevent accidents inside suit
ergonomic / designed to be practical	could reach all the controls or lockers with hands or feet	need to be able to complete missions without tiring
helmet’s external sunshade	visor shields eyes	stops too much light coming into the transparent hemisphere
means of communication	transmitter, microphone, emergency wavelength)	has worked well up to now

 

 

A3: Advice on additional measures that need to be taken to ensure astronauts’ safety
Answers	Supporting Details	Development
do not send astronauts out alone / do not send out unmonitored /		safety crew on standby
astronaut’s responsibility to check	lockers	have to sign off/ fill in a form/ will not be authorised
improve safety harness		fit correctly / review use of / replace
(re)train astronauts	wrecked microphone	stay calm in an emergency
improve technology	no need to trigger emergency wavelengths	automate alarms, make microphone more durable; automatic sunshield as default