Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Flight and Space

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 25mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which two opposing forces are at work when a rocket flies into space?

a)

Drag and torque

b)

Gravity and thrust

c)

Thrust and torque

d)

Drag and gravity

2.

In this illustration of a liquid-fuel rocket, which letter represents the payload?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

d)

D

3.

What is one main difference between solid-fuel rockets and liquid-fuel rockets?

a)

Solid-fuel rockets don't require an oxidizer to work; liquid-fuel rockets do

b)

Liquid-fuel rockets can't lift heavy payloads; solid-fuel rockets can

c)

Solid fuel-rockets launch with pre-mixed fuel and oxidizer; liquid-fuel rockets combine the fuel and oxidizer at launch

d)

Liquid-fuel rockets contain a higher proportion of oxidizer to fuel than solid-fuel rockets do

4.

can work in a number of areas, but they generally analyze, design, develop, and test aircraft, spacecraft, or missile systems. They work with airplane systems, while astronautic engineers focus on spacecraft.

a)

Civil engineers

b)

Electrical engineers

c)

Aerospace engineers

d)

Chemical engineers

5.

Who was the first man on the Moon?

a)

Buzz Aldrin

b)

Mike Collins

c)

John Glenn

d)

Neil Armstrong

6.

Plan a NASA scientific mission to Mars. Consider the objectives, the equipment needed, the potential challenges, and the benefits of the mission.

a)

Send a robot to collect soil samples, study potential for life, face challenges like dust storms, benefit by understanding if humans can live on Mars.

b)

Send a telescope to Mars to observe Earth from a distance, face challenges like light pollution, benefit by getting clearer images of space.

c)

Send a manned mission to explore the deep seas of Mars, face challenges like underwater navigation, benefit by discovering new marine species.

d)

Send a satellite to orbit Mars to play music, face challenges like signal transmission, benefit by entertaining astronauts on Mars.

7.

Which spacecraft was the first to leave the Solar System?

a)

Voyager 1

b)

Voyager 2

c)

Pioneer 10

d)

New Horizons

8.

Which mission first successfully landed humans on the Moon?

a)

Apollo 11

b)

Voyager 1

c)

Mars Rover Perseverance

d)

Galileo

9.

When you throw an object straight up, why doesn't it fly off into space?

a)

There's too much thrust acting on the object

b)

Earth's atmosphere prevents the object from going into space

c)

The object travels too fast to reach Earth orbit

d)

The force of gravity pulls the object back down to Earth

10.

A jet pack is a type of rocket system that can allow a human to "fly" for short distances. What can you infer about how jet packs work?

a)

The thrust created by a jet pack must be greater than the force of gravity acting on the user and the pack.

b)

The user must weigh less than the jet pack to lift off the ground.

c)

The weight of the fuel in the jet pack must be greater than the weight of the user in order to achieve liftoff.

d)

The force of gravity on the user must decrease as he is lifted off the ground.

11.

Put the following into the correct order for a rocket launch: Heated gas is expelled; Oxidizer and fuel mix; Force of thrust exceeds force of gravity on the rocket.

a)

A, B, C

b)

B, C, A

c)

B, A, C

d)

C, B, A

12.

Which part(s) of the U.S. space shuttle is/are not reusable?

a)

The orbiter

b)

The external fuel tank

c)

The solid rocket boosters

d)

The main engine nozzles

13.

After earning a Ph.D. in physics, _______________ patented two devices in 1914: a rocket powered by liquid gasoline and nitrous oxide, and a multi-stage, solid-fuel rocket. Five years later, he published a groundbreaking work entitled, A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes, in which he discussed the possibility of launching a rocket that could escape Earth’s gravity and reach the moon.

a)

Norm Carlson

b)

Yuri Gagarin

c)

Alan Shepard

d)

Robert Goddard

14.

These human-flown crafts reach space briefly but come back down to Earth before completing a full orbit. Examples include the X-15 and SpaceShipOne space planes.

a)

Piloted suborbital

b)

Lunar craft

c)

Piloted orbital

d)

Space craft

15.

There are ________________ spacecraft now on their way out of the solar system. The farthest from the sun is Voyager 1, which launched in 1977 and is already more than 100 AU away from home. (1 AU, or astronomical unit, equals about 150 million kilometers.) That sounds far, but consider this: The closest star to the sun, Proxima Centauri, is 267,000 AU away!

a)

five

b)

six

c)

four

d)

eight

16.

The farther apart two objects are, the weaker the force of gravity is between them. What can you infer from this?

a)

A body orbiting Saturn feels a weaker gravitational pull from Earth than a body orbiting Mars

b)

The Earth's gravity exerts a stronger pull on spacecraft orbiting the moon than spacecraft in low-earth orbit

c)

A spacecraft that has left the solar system feels no gravitational pull whatsoever from Earth

d)

Any spacecraft launched from Earth will, given enough time, eventually fall into the sun

17.

Russia sent the first artificial satellite, ________________, into orbit on Oct. 4th, 1957.

a)

Explorer

b)

Apollo

c)

Sputnik

d)

Gemini

18.

The largest rocket ever built to date is the

a)

Heavy Falcon

b)

Saturn V

c)

Falcon 9

d)

Space Shuttle

19.

The force that makes a rocket move upward is called

a)

lift

b)

thrust

c)

fuel

d)

fire

20.

The International Space Station (ISS) is important to space exploration because

a)

It can hold a very large crew (20+ people).

b)

It can be launched fully assembled from a launch pad on Earth.

c)

It is good for learning about the effects of microgravity and living in space.

21.

In 2025 NASA hopes to have people on

a)

Mars

b)

the Moon

c)

the ISS

d)

Earth

22.

What is the primary force that allows an airplane to lift off the ground?

a)

Thrust

b)

Lift

c)

Drag

d)

Gravity

23.

Which of the following is a key difference between a space shuttle and a traditional airplane?

a)

Space shuttles can fly in the atmosphere without engines

b)

Airplanes can reach space with enough speed

c)

Space shuttles are designed to operate in the vacuum of space

d)

Airplanes have heat shields for re-entry

24.

What is the main purpose of a rocket's payload?

a)

To provide thrust

b)

To carry scientific instruments or cargo

c)

To stabilize the rocket

d)

To control the direction of the rocket

25.

Which scientific principle explains why a spacecraft can continue moving in space without continuous propulsion?

a)

Newton's First Law of Motion

b)

Newton's Second Law of Motion

c)

Newton's Third Law of Motion

d)

The Law of Universal Gravitation