Great Big Science Trivia Challenge

Question 1

What is the temperature of Mercury's surface?

Accepted Answer

Hot and cold extremes depending on location

Question 2

How close is the nearest neighboring galaxy to the Milky Way?

Accepted Answer

About 40,000 light years

Question 3

Which Apollo astronaut hit a "golf shot" on the Moon?

Accepted Answer

Alan Shepard

Question 4

Other than direct observation, what is another way we can learn more about our galaxy?

Accepted Answer

By observing other galaxies & comparing them to ours

Question 5

What are pieces of evidence for the Big Bang theory?

Accepted Answer

All distant galaxies are moving away at high speed, Cosmic background radiation coming from all directions

Question 6

What evidence do we have for the human causes of climate change?

Accepted Answer

Increase in global temperatures + increase in oil/coal use, Sharp increases in CO2 levels in recent glacial ice

Question 7

What are survival hazards for humans on Mercury?

Accepted Answer

No atmosphere, temperature extremes

Question 8

About how far is Earth from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

150,000,000km

Question 9

Why does the Milky Way look like this in the night sky, instead of a spiral?

Accepted Answer

Because we are seeing it edge-on, like the edge of a coin

Question 10

Which of the following places have humans sent robots to?

Accepted Answer

Mars, Kuiper Belt

Question 11

Which change would cause rocks from Earth's mantle (solid) to melt into magma (liquid)?

Accepted Answer

Reduced pressure, increase in water content

Question 12

What are ways that climate can impact human activity?

Accepted Answer

Changing precipitation impacts growth of crops, Changing sea levels affect safety of coastal communities

Question 13

How long does it take the Solar System to orbit around the Galactic Center once?

Accepted Answer

More than 200 million years

Question 14

97% of Earth's water is...

Accepted Answer

Saline; contained in oceans

Question 15

What is an allele?

Accepted Answer

A pair of genes which combine to produce a trait

Question 16

True or false: Earth's climate & average temperatures have been constant throughout its history

Accepted Answer

False

Question 17

Why could Apollo 13 not land on the Moon?

Accepted Answer

Faulty oxygen tank exploded, causing many equipment failures

Question 18

What are potential costs (downsides) of mining minerals/fossil fuels?

Accepted Answer

Mined materials may be toxic/destructive to Earth systems, Water contamination in mined areas, Mined resources are nonrenewable

Question 19

What is the definition of a black hole?

Accepted Answer

Object so massive that light can't escape

Question 20

What is one theory about why galaxies have spiral arms?

Accepted Answer

Might have come from ancient collisions between galaxies

Question 21

Which countries have achieved a "soft landing" of equipment on the Moon as of 2020?

Accepted Answer

United States, Soviet Union, China

Question 22

Where in our galaxy is the Solar System located?

Accepted Answer

In the spiral arms

Question 23

What is the name of the closest star to Earth (other than the Sun)?

Accepted Answer

Alpha Centauri

Question 24

What happened when the Apollo command modules passed "behind" the Moon?

Accepted Answer

Their communications with Earth were cut off

Question 25

Which of the following objects in the Solar System have humans walked on?

Accepted Answer

Earth's Moon, Earth

Question 26

What is the first step in the Engineering Design Process?

Accepted Answer

Define the Problem

Question 27

Which of the following is not a planet, but a "dwarf planet"?

Accepted Answer

Ceres

Question 28

Which of these are challenges which must be faced when traveling to other planets?

Accepted Answer

Not being able to be rescued or sent supplies short-term, Dealing with psychological strain of isolation/confinement, Carrying enough supplies to survive years-long trips, Protecting astronauts from radiation in deep space

Question 29

Stars that are very close to the Galactic Center are orbiting it at a speed of...

Accepted Answer

3 million miles per hour

Question 30

Which of the following objects are planets?

Accepted Answer

Mercury

Question 31

What did we discover about the Surveyor 3 probe because of the Apollo 12 mission?

Accepted Answer

Bacteria were living on it, despite the harshness of space

Question 32

Why did Pangea break up?

Accepted Answer

Divergent plate boundaries

Question 33

The closer you get to light speed...

Accepted Answer

...the bluer you appear to an observer you're approaching, ...the slower time moves for you

Question 34

How did Apollo 13's crew use the Lunar Excursion Module to help them survive?

Accepted Answer

They lived in it, using it as a "life boat", They fired its rockets to accelerate them toward Earth

Question 35

Why must we use data from the Moon's surface and asteroids to investigate Earth's age/history?

Accepted Answer

Earth's surface changes rapidly due to tectonics, weathering, Age of an object is easier to tell when it has no atmosphere

Question 36

Why were Apollo missions 18, 19, and 20 cancelled?

Accepted Answer

Political shifts & budget cuts

Question 37

When you design an engineering solution, how do you know if your design is successful?

Accepted Answer

I write test criteria, then test to see if it meets them

Question 38

What was the name of the super-continent which existed on Earth about 175 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

Pangea

Question 39

What is the atmosphere of Mars made of?

Accepted Answer

Mostly CO2, Nitrogen, Argon

Question 40

Which engineering challenge did NASA have to solve to save the Apollo 13 crew?

Accepted Answer

They had to fit a square CO2 filter into a round hole

Question 41

How far away from the Galactic Center is our Solar System?

Accepted Answer

26,000 light years

Question 42

The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is...

Accepted Answer

...a gigantic hurricane-like storm

Question 43

In oceanic subduction zones, what's the main contributor to the melting of magma?

Accepted Answer

Large amounts of water move into the mantle

Question 44

The Solar System is one star system in a spiral cloud of billions of stars called...

Accepted Answer

...the Milky Way Galaxy

Question 45

What gives us evidence of the supermassive black hole at the galactic center?

Accepted Answer

Observation of the orbits of stars around it (gravity), X-ray observation, Radio observation

Question 46

Who was the first human being ever to fly through space?

Accepted Answer

Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut

Question 47

Which planet is closest to the Sun?

Accepted Answer

Mercury

Question 48

Approximately how much time will pass before the Sun expands to engulf the Earth?

Accepted Answer

5 billion years

Question 49

Why doesn't a compass work on the Moon?

Accepted Answer

The Moon has no magnetic field

Question 50

What do astronomers call the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way?

Accepted Answer

Sagittarius A

Question 51

What is the total number of people who have walked on the Moon (as of 2020)?

Accepted Answer

12

Question 52

The Milky Way is actually part of a group of galaxies called...

Accepted Answer

The Local Group

Question 53

What is the single biggest contributor to weathering on Earth's surface?

Accepted Answer

Water

Question 54

What is the most massive planet in the Solar System?

Accepted Answer

Jupiter

Question 55

Which of these is a moon of Neptune?

Accepted Answer

Triton

Question 56

How old is the universe?

Accepted Answer

More than 13 billion years old

Question 57

How is an infrared camera different from a normal camera?

Accepted Answer

It "sees" heat energy instead of light

Question 58

What are survival hazards for humans on Mars?

Accepted Answer

Cold, thin atmosphere

Question 59

Where do the elements in our bodies originally come from?

Accepted Answer

Material that was thrown out into space by supernovas

Great Big Science Trivia Challenge

Questions 59

Great Big Science Trivia Challenge

Questions 59