SUNDAY CHALLENGE- SPACE QUIZ

Under the guidance of Vikram Sarabhai, the Indian government set up X in 1962. under the Department of Atomic Energy. X became the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) seven years later. ISRO was still under the Department of Atomic Energy until 1972.02:52 PM. Name X.

• BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research)

• NARL (National Aeronautics Research Laboratory)

• Indian National Committee for Space Research

• National Committee for Atomic and Space Research

Answer explanation

INCOSPAR, which stands for Indian National Committee for Space Research, was the precursor to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Crux, or the Southern Cross, is a constellation visible primarily from the Southern Hemisphere. Known for its cross-shaped asterism formed by four bright stars, it has historically served as a navigational aid by pointing toward the South Pole.
This iconic constellation features on the national flags of two neighboring island countries, symbolizing their location in the southern skies.

Name these two countries. (Fill in the blank with full name of country no short form)

Answer explanation

AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND

The symbols for the planets, dwarf planet Pluto, Moon and Sun were developed for use in both astronomy and astrology. Two of these symbols have been greatly associated with gender as one represented masculinity, combat and fortitude whereas the other embodied femininity, love and beauty. These associations were adopted by the Greeks, who extended them to their alchemical and metallurgical practices. Name the two Planets from where these two symbols derived.

• MEN from MARS

  WOMEN from VENUS

• MEN from VENUS

  WOMEN from MARS

• MEN from SATURN

  WOMEN from VENUS

• MEN from VENUS

  WOMEN from SATURN

Captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on its closest-ever flyby of Saturn's moon Mimas, the image alongside presents the infrared response of the moon.
This specific moon is remembered with two pop cultural entities. One owing to its infrared response which it shared with another moon named Tethys. And the other, because of the giant crater on its surface bringing a close resemblance to a fictional body.

ID the two pop culture entities being talked about.

• PING PONG

  and TIE Fighter

• PAC MAN

  and DEATH STAR (from Star Wars)

• POKEMON

  and STAR WARS

• ASTEROIDS

  and POKEMON

Answer explanation

Pac-Man - The infrared heat map of Mimas, captured by Cassini, showed a pattern resembling Pac-Man, the classic video game character.

Death Star (from Star Wars)- Mimas has a massive impact crater named Herschel, which makes it look strikingly similar to the Death Star, the fictional space station and superweapon from Star Wars.

India launched its first satellite, Aryabhata, on board a Soviet Union launch vehicle in 1975. Which was India's first satellite that it launched on its own rocket, in 1980?

• 
• 
• 
• 

This circumstellar disc in the Solar System beyond the (known) planets, is popularly named after (A) but sometimes (A & B) both get the credit. Home to three officially recognized dwarf planets: Pluto, Haumea and MakeMake, it is said to be the place from where some of the Solar System's moons, such as Neptune's Triton and Saturn's Phoebe, are thought to have originated.

What is being talked about?

• ASTEROID BELT

• ORION ARM

• OORT CLOUD

• KUPIER BELT

Answer explanation

The Kuiper Belt is a circumstellar disc located beyond Neptune in the Solar System.

Named after Gerard Kuiper (A), who theorized about such a region in 1951.
However, Kenneth Edgeworth (B) had proposed a similar idea earlier.
So it is sometimes also called the Kuiper-Edgeworth Belt.03:40 PM

This pathbreaking project, originally named after the first PM of the country, was initially pegged at Rs. 3 Crore. It ultimately cost a little more as furniture and other things had to be bought in at the last moment. Interestingly, a public-toilet complex was converted into a data receiving centre for the occasion.
Also found a place of pride in the currency notes, which prestigious project, ultimately named after a noted mathematician is being hinted at?

Answer explanation

“Originally named after the first PM”:
It was initially called "Jawahar", after Jawaharlal Nehru

Named UNISPHERE, this Earth-like structure at USA tilts at the same 23.5º angle the Earth does as it orbits the sun. Though Earth has no rings, unlike Jupiter, Saturn, and others, it has three.

If one of these represent the first communications satellite to orbit the Earth, what do the other two rings represent?

• Sputnik 1 & Apollo 11 Orbits

• Hubble &

  James Webb Space Telescope Orbital path

• Orbits of First American & Russian Cosmonaut

• Orbits of Neil Armstrong’s Moon landing (1969)

Answer explanation

First Ring:
Represents Telstar, the first active communications satellite to relay television signals, telephone calls, and fax images through space.

2. Second Ring:
Symbolizes John Glenn’s 1962 orbital flight — he was the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth, aboard Friendship 7.

3. Third Ring:
Represents the cosmic path of Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, who orbited the Earth aboard Vostok 1 in 1961.03:55 PM

The 2014 Winter Olympic Games at Sochi, Russia highlighted their space-culture in various ways. Before the Sochi Games, something was taken to space aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. Why is this particular Olympic event especially famous for a “first-of-its-kind” space incident?

• Olympic rings projected from the ISS during the Sochi Games

• Olympic medals made using meteorite metal for 2014 games04:12 PM

  
  

• Olympic Torch carried to the Moon

• Spacewalk holding the torch carried
  to ISS.

Answer explanation

Before the Sochi Games, the Olympic torch was taken to space aboard a Soyuz spacecraft.

It was carried to the International Space Station (ISS) in November 2013.
Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazansky even conducted a spacewalk holding the torch — the first-ever Olympic torch spacewalk.

She was a stray dog from Moscow.
She became the first living being to orbit the Earth on November 3, 1957.
The mission was one-way; the technology for safe re-entry didn’t exist. Name her?