Sentence:  The mass scale used in Table 5 - 1 was derived on the assumption that the motion of the glowing trail is related to the momentum transfer to the trail by the meteorite , permitting the calculation of the mass if the velocity is <WSD>known</WSD> ( Cook and Whipple , 1958 ) . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about