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The History and Future of Space Exploration

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The first flyby's of Jupiter were made by the Pioneer 10 & 11 spacecraft in the early 1970's.

a)

True

b)

False

2.

Jupiter was also visited by the spacecraft _____ in 1979 and made up-close observations.

a)

Voyager I & II

b)

Mariner 6 & 7

c)

Viking I & II

d)

Pioneer Jupiter

3.

The Cassini/Huygens space probe mission lasted 13 years before being sent into Saturn's

a)

moon Titan - where it was destroyed in 2017.

b)

atmosphere - where it was destroyed in 2017.

c)

rings which made the spacecraft inoperable.

d)

strong magnetic field giving the spacecraft new life.

4.

Voyager I & II (and the earlier Pioneer 11) were the first to

a)

flyby Saturn on their way to the outer solar system.

b)

orbit both Jupiter & Saturn.

c)

flyby all of the outer planets.

d)

land a probe on Saturn's moon Titan.

5.

The planet Venus was visited by several U.S. Mariner spacecraft and by a series of Russian

a)

failed attempts to land.

b)

manned spacecraft.

c)

probes named Viking.

d)

probes named Venera.

6.

Mariners 4, 6, 7 & 9 flew by the planet ____ revealing close-up pictures of a desolate surface.

a)

Mars

b)

Venus

c)

Mercury

d)

Jupiter

7.

Later more advanced Martian rovers including Spirit , Opportunity & Curiosity explored

a)

and colonized the planet.

b)

the deepest canyons of Mars.

c)

the tallest mountain in the solar system - Olympus Mons.

d)

much farther with a wider range than Pathfinder did.

8.

The New Horizons spacecraft was the first to flyby ____ in 2015 - taking up-close pictures.

a)

Neptune

b)

a "KBO" (Kuiper Belt Object)

c)

the dwarf planet Ceres

d)

the dwarf planet Pluto

9.

What do scientists use to search for clues about the history of Mars?

a)

Satellites

b)

Telescopes

c)

Rovers

d)

Space stations

10.

What do scientists hope to determine by analyzing Martian rocks and soil?

a)

The age of Mars

b)

The weather patterns on Mars

c)

Whether life ever existed on Mars

d)

The distance from Earth to Mars

11.

What is one of the future plans for the samples collected by rovers?

a)

To use them as souvenirs

b)

To sell them to collectors

c)

To bring them back to Earth

d)

To leave them on Mars

12.

What is the significance of Mars having stayed watery long enough?

a)

It could have supported the development of life

b)

It made Mars colder

c)

It caused Mars to have more craters

d)

It led to the formation of deserts

13.

What was the primary goal of the Apollo 11 mission?

a)

To orbit the Earth

b)

To land the first humans on the Moon

c)

To explore Mars

d)

To study the Sun

14.

Which of the following technologies is essential for long-duration space missions to Mars?

a)

Solar panels

b)

Nuclear propulsion

c)

Artificial gravity

d)

Cryogenic sleep chambers

15.

What is the significance of the Hubble Space Telescope in space exploration?

a)

It was the first telescope to be launched into space

b)

It provided the first images of the surface of Mars

c)

It has helped determine the rate of expansion of the universe

d)

It was used to discover the first exoplanet