International Cospas-Sarsat Programme

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/international-cospas-sarsat-programme

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the founding nations?Canada, France, the United States, and the former Soviet Union
2. What is the treaty signing date?July 1, 1988
3. How does the system find where someone is when they are in danger?When a beacon turns on, it sends a 406 MHz signal to satellites, which use Doppler shift to calculate the exact location and send it to rescue centers.
4. Who started the Cospas-Sarsat Programme and when?Canada, France, the United States, and the former Soviet Union began it in 1979, and the agreement was signed on July 1, 1988.

Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT): A device carried on aircraft that transmits a distress signal when activated.
Personal Locator Beacon (PLB): A portable device carried by individuals to signal distress and their location.
Rescue Coordination Center (RCC): A facility responsible for coordinating search and rescue operations in a specific geographic area.