Astronomy Astronomy Space Exploration and Missions 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which agency launched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990?
- NASA (Correct answer)
- ESA
- Roscosmos
- JAXA
Correct answer: NASA
NASA launched the Hubble Space Telescope aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990.
Question 2: What was the first crewed spacecraft to orbit the Moon?
- Apollo 8 (Correct answer)
- Apollo 10
- Apollo 7
- Apollo 9
Correct answer: Apollo 8
Apollo 8 in December 1968 was the first crewed spacecraft to orbit the Moon, with astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders aboard.
Question 3: What is the International Space Station's approximate orbital altitude?
- 400 km (Correct answer)
- 200 km
- 800 km
- 1,000 km
Correct answer: 400 km
The ISS orbits Earth at approximately 400 km altitude, completing about 16 orbits per day.
Question 4: Which mission first photographed Pluto up close in 2015?
- New Horizons (Correct answer)
- Dawn
- Cassini
- Juno
Correct answer: New Horizons
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft performed a flyby of Pluto in July 2015, providing the first detailed images of the dwarf planet.
Question 5: What landmark achievement did SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket pioneer in spaceflight?
- Reusable first-stage boosters (Correct answer)
- Reusable second-stage boosters
- Nuclear propulsion testing
- First commercial Moon landing
Correct answer: Reusable first-stage boosters
SpaceX pioneered reusable first-stage rocket boosters with Falcon 9, drastically reducing the cost of reaching orbit.
Question 6: Which spacecraft studied Jupiter's atmosphere and magnetic field starting in 2016?
- Juno (Correct answer)
- Galileo
- New Horizons
- Pioneer 11
Correct answer: Juno
NASA's Juno spacecraft entered Jupiter's orbit in July 2016 and has been studying its atmosphere, magnetic field, and interior structure.
Astronomy Astronomy Space Exploration and Missions 2
Which agency launched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990?