General Awareness ยท Physics

Space Exploration and Astronomy

3,952 Questions

Review significant milestones in space exploration, including artificial satellites, reusable space shuttles, and historic lunar landings. This topic also covers astronomical phenomena and telescopic observations. Such scientific general knowledge is commonly tested in SSC, railways, and banking examinations.

Space shuttle missionsArtificial satellitesLunar and planetary landingsSpace telescopes and observatories

Space Exploration and Astronomy Questions

Multiple choice

Which spacecraft was the first to successfully land on Mars?

  1. Viking 1

  2. Viking 2

  3. Mars Pathfinder

  4. Spirit
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Viking 1 was the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars, on July 20, 1976.

Multiple choice

Which spacecraft was the first to successfully orbit Venus?

  1. Mariner 2

  2. Venera 4

  3. Venera 7

  4. Venera 9
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Mariner 2 was the first spacecraft to successfully orbit Venus, on December 14, 1962.

Multiple choice

Which spacecraft was the first to successfully orbit Jupiter?

  1. Pioneer 10

  2. Pioneer 11

  3. Voyager 1

  4. Voyager 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to successfully orbit Jupiter, on December 4, 1973.

Multiple choice

Which spacecraft was the first to successfully orbit Saturn?

  1. Pioneer 11

  2. Voyager 1

  3. Voyager 2

  4. Cassini-Huygens
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Pioneer 11 was the first spacecraft to successfully orbit Saturn, on September 1, 1979.

Multiple choice

Which spacecraft was the first to successfully orbit Uranus?

  1. Voyager 2

  2. Cassini-Huygens

  3. New Horizons

  4. Juno
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Voyager 2 was the first spacecraft to successfully orbit Uranus, on January 24, 1986.

Multiple choice

Which spacecraft was the first to successfully orbit Neptune?

  1. Voyager 2

  2. Cassini-Huygens

  3. New Horizons

  4. Juno
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Voyager 2 was the first spacecraft to successfully orbit Neptune, on August 25, 1989.

Multiple choice

Which spacecraft was the first to successfully land on a comet?

  1. Giotto

  2. Vega 1

  3. Vega 2

  4. Rosetta
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Giotto was the first spacecraft to successfully land on a comet, Comet Halley, on March 13, 1986.

Multiple choice

Which spacecraft was the first to successfully land on an asteroid?

  1. NEAR Shoemaker

  2. Hayabusa

  3. Dawn

  4. OSIRIS-REx
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

NEAR Shoemaker was the first spacecraft to successfully land on an asteroid, Eros, on February 12, 2001.

Multiple choice

Which spacecraft was the first to successfully return samples from an asteroid?

  1. Hayabusa

  2. Dawn

  3. OSIRIS-REx

  4. Lucy
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Hayabusa was the first spacecraft to successfully return samples from an asteroid, Itokawa, in 2010.

Multiple choice

Which spacecraft was the first to successfully return samples from a comet?

  1. Stardust

  2. Rosetta

  3. OSIRIS-REx

  4. Lucy
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Stardust was the first spacecraft to successfully return samples from a comet, Comet Wild 2, in 2006.

Multiple choice

Which spacecraft was the first to successfully land on Pluto?

  1. New Horizons

  2. Juno

  3. OSIRIS-REx

  4. Lucy
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

New Horizons was the first spacecraft to successfully land on Pluto, on July 14, 2015.

Multiple choice

What is the largest meteorite ever found on Earth?

  1. The Hoba meteorite

  2. The El Chaco meteorite

  3. The Sikhote-Alin meteorite

  4. The Tunguska meteorite
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Hoba meteorite is the largest meteorite ever found on Earth, weighing approximately 60 tons. It is located in Namibia.

Multiple choice

Which astronomy club in India is known for its contributions to the study of variable stars?

  1. The Variable Star Section of the Astronomical Society of India

  2. The Indian Astronomical Society

  3. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics

  4. The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Variable Star Section of the Astronomical Society of India is a group of astronomers dedicated to the study of variable stars. It was founded in 1958 and is one of the oldest and most active astronomy clubs in India.

Multiple choice

Which astronomy club in India is known for its contributions to the study of comets?

  1. The Comet Section of the Astronomical Society of India

  2. The Indian Astronomical Society

  3. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics

  4. The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Comet Section of the Astronomical Society of India is a group of astronomers dedicated to the study of comets. It was founded in 1978 and is one of the most active astronomy clubs in India.

Multiple choice

Which astronomy club in India is known for its contributions to the study of asteroids?

  1. The Asteroid Section of the Astronomical Society of India

  2. The Indian Astronomical Society

  3. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics

  4. The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Asteroid Section of the Astronomical Society of India is a group of astronomers dedicated to the study of asteroids. It was founded in 1984 and is one of the most active astronomy clubs in India.