The Lost Cargo Ship, and Pluto Has Ice Caps!

The video discusses the inherent dangers of space travel, highlighted by the recent loss of the Progress 59 mission to the ISS due to communication failures. Despite this setback, the New Horizons mission is providing new insights into Pluto, revealing potential polar ice caps. Meanwhile, Mercury is currently visible from Earth due to its greatest Eastern elongation, coinciding with the end of the MESSENGER mission. These events underscore the challenges and discoveries in space exploration.

What was the primary objective of the Progress 59 mission?

• To explore the surface of Mars

• To resupply the International Space Station

• To capture images of the Moon

• To study the atmosphere of Venus

What significant feature has New Horizons potentially discovered on Pluto?

• A large volcano

• A vast ocean

• Polar ice caps

• A new moon

What is one of the unknowns about Pluto that New Horizons aims to investigate?

• The presence of a magnetic field

• The temperature of its core

• The existence of alien life

• The color of its sky

How did the MESSENGER mission to Mercury conclude?

• By landing on Mercury's surface

• By returning to Earth

• By orbiting indefinitely

• By crashing into Mercury

When is Mercury most visible in the sky from the Northern Hemisphere?

• At its greatest Eastern elongation

• During a lunar eclipse

• During a solar eclipse

• At its closest approach to Earth