Spacecraft Exploration of the Solar System Quiz

Question 1

Signs that conditions for life did once exist on Mars were backed up by rover evidence.

Accepted Answer

TRUE

Question 2

The only flyby of the planets Uranus & Neptune was by the spacecraft

Accepted Answer

Voyager II.

Question 3

Mariner 10 was also the first spacecraft to use Venus as a _____ to save on fuel.

Accepted Answer

planetary gravity assist

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

much farther with a wider range than Pathfinder did.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

atmosphere - where it was destroyed in 2017.

Question 6

The first high-definition mapping of Mars' surface occurred starting in the late 1990's with

Accepted Answer

the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)., the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS).

Question 7

Pioneer Venus and the U.S. spacecraft ____ probed the Venusian atmosphere & mapped the surface.

Accepted Answer

Magellan

Question 8

The Sojourner/Pathfinder mission to Mars was the first to successfully

Accepted Answer

land a rover that investigated Martian rocks up-close.

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

Voyager I & II

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

TRUE

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

probes named Venera.

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

Mars

Question 13

A "gravity assist" occurs when a spacecraft uses a planet's gravity field to

Accepted Answer

speed up and/or change trajectory (direction).

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

flyby Saturn on their way to the outer solar system.

Question 15

The spacecraft Galileo orbited Jupiter for many years (in the 1990's) and made

Accepted Answer

many detailed images of the four main moons.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

the dwarf planet Pluto, a "KBO" (Kuiper Belt Object)

Question 17

The first spacecraft to flyby the Planet Mercury in 1974 (3 times) was called the

Accepted Answer

Mariner 10.

Question 18

The twin orbiter/landers called _____ first mapped Mars & then landed on it's surface.

Accepted Answer

Viking I & II

Question 19

The Curiosity "super-rover" is nuclear powered and has discovered life on Mars.

Accepted Answer

FALSE

Question 20

The current Juno mission (Jupiter) and other future missions to the planet _____ are planned.

Accepted Answer

Mars

Questions 20