Sci Quest Space Exploration Science Olympiad

Who was the first human in orbit?

• Alan Shepherd

• Yuri Gagarin

• Buzz Aldrin

• Neil Armstrong

Answer explanation

Yuri Gagarin did 1 orbit from the Vostok 1 and landed in a farm field. Had to ask the farmer to call Moscow and tell them where he was!

Why were the Voyagers famous?

• They went to Mars

• They studied the sun

• They explored the surface of the moon

• They took pictures of the outer planets

Answer explanation

Voyager 1 and 2 were launched in 1977, visited Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune and are flying in Interstellar space now!

When was the space shuttle program actively going into space?

• 1981-2011

• 1961-1986

• 1977-1989

• 1996-still going!

Answer explanation

There have been 5 space shuttles since 1981 (plus 1 that didn't go all the way into space). The Challenger blew up on launch in 1986 and Columbia on re-entry in 2003. The other 3 are in museums. We use private rockets or those of other countries now to go to the International Space Station.

Why was Apollo 11 famous?

• It exploded on take-off in 1960

• There was a problem, but NASA was able to get the astronauts back safely. Exciting story!

• First NASA orbit of the Earth in 1962

• First people on the moon in 1969

Answer explanation

Neil Armstrong (commander, first man on moon), Buzz Aldrin (lunar module pilot), Michael Collins (command module pilot) walked on the moon in 1969 and the whole world watched!

Who was the first American in space and when?

• Yuri Gagarin in 1961 on Friendship 7

• Alan Shepard in 1961 in Freedom 7

• John Glenn in 1964 in Friendship 7

• John Glenn in 1961 in Freedom 7

Answer explanation

He made it to space, but the whole mission took just over 15 minutes!

Who was the first American to orbit the Earth?

• Buzz Aldrin

• John Glenn

• Alan Shepard

• Michael Collins

Answer explanation

He went around the earth 3 times on Friendship 7 in February, 1962.

What is Cassini?

• A moon of Saturn

• A rocket used in an early trip to space

• A mission to the asteroid belt

• A mission to Saturn, rings, and moon

Answer explanation

From 1997 to 2017, with the European Space Agency.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

How old is the Hubble space telescope?

• It was deployed in 1990

• It is new- just deployed in December 2021

• It was deployed in 2001 by the ISS.

• It is not ready to go into space yet

Answer explanation

Hubble has been worked on 5 times since it was deployed to improve it!

How many rovers are located on Mars right now?

• 2

• 5

• 6

• 4

Answer explanation

There are 5 Rovers:

Sojourner (1997)

Spirit (2003-2011)

Opportunity (2003-18)

Curiosity (2012-

Perseverance (2021-

Only the last 2 are still going!

What is Dawn?

• An early mission to visit the sun

• A practice capsule for the first space flights

• A code name for SkyLab, an early space station

• A mission exploring the asteroid belt

Answer explanation

This unmanned mission investigated Vesta and Ceres, and provided possible evidence of water and/or life!