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

What is the name of the comet that is believed to have caused the Younger Dryas impact event?

  1. Clovis

  2. Younger Dryas

  3. Heinrich

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

The Clovis comet is believed to have caused the Younger Dryas impact event 12,900 years ago.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the comet that is believed to have caused the Tunguska event?

  1. Tunguska

  2. Chelyabinsk

  3. Vitim

  4. Sikhote-Alin
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Tunguska comet is believed to have caused the Tunguska event in 1908.

Multiple choice

Which country was the first to launch a satellite into space during the Cold War?

  1. Soviet Union

  2. United States

  3. Great Britain

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

The Soviet Union was the first country to launch a satellite into space during the Cold War, with the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957.

Multiple choice

What is the primary mirror of the Hubble Space Telescope made of?

  1. Glass

  2. Silver

  3. Gold

  4. Beryllium
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The primary mirror of the Hubble Space Telescope is made of beryllium, a lightweight and strong metal.

Multiple choice

How many servicing missions have been conducted on the Hubble Space Telescope?

  1. 3

  2. 5

  3. 7

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

There have been five servicing missions conducted on the Hubble Space Telescope, the last one being in 2009.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the ISRO's literary magazine?

  1. Space Odyssey

  2. ISRO Spectrum

  3. Space Science

  4. Indian Space
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The ISRO Spectrum is a bi-monthly literary magazine published by ISRO.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the space telescope that was launched in 1990 and revolutionized our understanding of the universe?

  1. Hubble Space Telescope

  2. James Webb Space Telescope

  3. Spitzer Space Telescope

  4. Chandra X-ray Observatory
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 and has provided stunning images and data that have revolutionized our understanding of the universe.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the mission that sent the first spacecraft to Pluto?

  1. New Horizons

  2. Voyager 1

  3. Voyager 2

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

The New Horizons mission was launched in 2006 and made a historic flyby of Pluto in 2015.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the space probe that landed on Mars in 2012 and is still exploring the planet today?

  1. Curiosity

  2. Opportunity

  3. Spirit

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

The Curiosity rover landed on Mars in 2012 and is still exploring the planet, studying its geology and searching for signs of past life.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the space telescope that is scheduled to launch in 2022 and will study the early universe?

  1. James Webb Space Telescope

  2. Hubble Space Telescope

  3. Spitzer Space Telescope

  4. Chandra X-ray Observatory
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to launch in 2022 and will study the early universe, looking back in time to the first galaxies that formed.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the space mission that is scheduled to send humans back to the moon in the 2020s?

  1. Artemis Program

  2. Apollo Program

  3. Gemini Program

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

The Artemis Program is a NASA-led international space exploration program that aims to send humans back to the moon in the 2020s.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the space telescope that is scheduled to launch in the 2030s and will study dark energy?

  1. Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

  2. James Webb Space Telescope

  3. Hubble Space Telescope

  4. Spitzer Space Telescope
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch in the 2030s and will study dark energy, a mysterious force that is causing the universe to expand at an accelerating rate.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the space mission that is scheduled to send a spacecraft to the Sun in the 2020s?

  1. Parker Solar Probe

  2. Solar Orbiter

  3. Helios

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

The Parker Solar Probe is a NASA mission that was launched in 2018 and is studying the Sun's corona and solar wind.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the space mission that is scheduled to send a spacecraft to Jupiter's moon Europa in the 2020s?

  1. Europa Clipper

  2. Juno

  3. Galileo

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

The Europa Clipper is a NASA mission that is scheduled to launch in the 2020s and will study Jupiter's moon Europa, which is thought to have a subsurface ocean that could potentially harbor life.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the space mission that is scheduled to send a spacecraft to Saturn's moon Titan in the 2030s?

  1. Dragonfly

  2. Cassini-Huygens

  3. Voyager 1

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

The Dragonfly mission is a NASA mission that is scheduled to launch in the 2030s and will send a rotorcraft to Saturn's moon Titan to study its methane lakes and rivers.