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Difficulty: HardIdentifying Explicit Details

The following passage is adapted from an article on early atmospheric aviation.

On the morning of May 27, 1931, Swiss physicist Auguste Piccard and his assistant Paul Kipfer stepped inside a spherical, airtight aluminum gondola attached to a massive hydrogen-filled balloon named FNRS-1. Launching from Augsburg, Germany, their primary objective was to reach the stratosphere to measure cosmic rays.

Shortly after ascent, a critical mechanical failure occurred: a pressure valve malfunctioned, causing a sudden drop in cabin pressure. Working quickly in the cramped sphere, Kipfer sealed the leaking valve joint using a rudimentary compound of petroleum jelly and oakum fiber. Once the leak was secured, the balloon continued its climb into the upper atmosphere.

At 3:57 PM, the FNRS-1 reached a peak altitude of 15,781 meters (51,775 feet), making Piccard and Kipfer the first human beings to enter the stratosphere. However, a new crisis emerged within the cabin. The motorized mechanism designed to slowly rotate the gondola—intended to regulate internal temperature by turning the heat-reflecting silver side toward the Sun—failed completely. Suspended with the dark-painted side facing the Sun constantly, internal cabin temperatures soared past 106°F (41°C).

Desperately short of liquid oxygen and suffering from severe heat exhaustion, the two aeronauts spent several hours drifting across the Alps. Finally, as cold air aloft caused the hydrogen gas to contract, the balloon began a gradual descent. At 8:50 PM, the gondola touched down safely on the snowpacks of the Gurgler glacier near Obergurgl, Austria, concluding a historic seventeen-hour voyage.

Based on the passage, place the following explicitly stated events from Auguste Piccard's flight in the chronological order in which they occurred from first to last.

  1. 1Kipfer seals a leaking pressure valve joint using petroleum jelly and oakum fiber.
  2. 2The FNRS-1 attains its maximum recorded altitude of 15,781 meters.
  3. 3The gondola's rotation mechanism fails, causing internal temperatures to surpass 106°F.
  4. 4The balloon touches down on the Gurgler glacier near Obergurgl, Austria.

Answer

The correct sequence of explicitly stated events is: first, Kipfer seals the leaking pressure valve; second, the FNRS-1 attains its peak altitude of 15,781 meters; third, the gondola's rotation mechanism fails, causing temperatures to exceed 106°F; and fourth, the balloon touches down on the Gurgler glacier.
The correct chronological sequence directly follows the explicitly stated timeline in the text: first, Kipfer repaired the pressure valve during early ascent; second, the balloon achieved peak altitude at 3:57 PM; third, the motorized rotation mechanism failed causing cabin temperatures to soar; and fourth, the flight concluded with a touchdown on the Gurgler glacier at 8:50 PM.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the first in-flight complication described after takeoff
Identified that Kipfer repaired the malfunctioning pressure valve shortly after ascent.
The text explicitly states this repair happened early during the climb.
2
Identify the altitude achievement timestamp
Found that at 3:57 PM, the craft reached 15,781 meters.
The passage places this achievement after the valve repair had already been completed.
3
Determine when the heat crisis began
Observed that after reaching peak altitude, the rotation mechanism failed and temperatures climbed past 106°F.
The text states 'However, a new crisis emerged...' directly after noting the 3:57 PM peak altitude.
4
Identify the landing timestamp and location
Noted the touchdown on the Gurgler glacier at 8:50 PM.
This is the final event described, concluding the flight.

Key Concept

Identifying explicitly stated chronological order of events in informational text
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Identifying Explicit Details

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