1966 rocket booster finally breaks free from Earth

In September 2020, astronomers discovered an object initially thought to be an asteroid. It was later identified as a discarded rocket booster from the failed Surveyor 2 mission in the 1960s. After crashing its lunar lander into the moon, the booster floated in space and eventually got trapped in Earth's orbit. The slingshot effect will now send it into the sun's gravitational field.

What was the initial assumption about the unidentified object spotted in September 2020?

• An asteroid

• A satellite

• A space station

• A comet

From which mission was the discarded rocket booster?

• Apollo 11

• Surveyor 2

• Voyager 1

• Mars Rover

What happened to the lunar lander that the booster was carrying?

• It was lost in space

• It crashed into the moon

• It returned to Earth

• It successfully landed on the moon

What effect allows small objects to change their paths dramatically when passing near large celestial bodies?

• Gravitational pull

• Slingshot effect

• Magnetic field

• Tidal force

What will eventually happen to the rocket booster due to its rare gravitational entrapment?

• It will return to its original mission

• It will crash into the moon

• It will orbit Earth indefinitely

• It will fall into the sun's gravitational field