MCQ – GK Questions

Hera (ESA, launch 2024) will characterize crater morphology and momentum enhancement factor β, calibrating kinetic impact models for planetary defense.

Ion tail aligns with solar wind magnetic field; dust tail curves due to radiation pressure; both extend anti-sunward regardless of comet's direction of travel.

MINERVA-II1A/B deployed Sep 2018 hopped across Ryugu's low-gravity surface using internal rotors, returning images and temperature data.

Flat rotation curves imply enclosed mass increases linearly with radius beyond visible disk, requiring extended dark matter halo dominating gravitational potential.

Tiangong-1 launched Sep 29, 2011, serving as target for Shenzhou docking tests; deorbited uncontrollably in 2018 after extended mission.

Sentinel-6 continues TOPEX/Poseidon/Jason sea-level record since 1992, measuring ocean topography with cm precision for climate monitoring.

Aerocapture achieves orbit insertion in one atmospheric pass requiring precise guidance; aerobraking gradually lowers apoapsis over weeks/months. Aerocapture remains unflown but studied for Mars/Venus/Titan.

Tharsis Montes includes Ascraeus, Pavonis, and Arsia; Olympus Mons lies northwest of Tharsis bulge as separate volcanic province.

Japanese astronaut Chiaki Mukai flew aboard STS-65 in July 1994; Kalpana Chawla (Indian-origin US citizen) flew later in 1997.

Ka-band cross-links allow satellites to range each other, improving ephemeris accuracy and reducing ground segment dependency; implemented in modern GNSS.

Lunar Prospector (1998) detected H signature; Chandrayaan-1 MIP/M3 confirmed OH/H₂O; LCROSS impact (2009) directly sampled ice-rich ejecta.

Type I/II disk migration or high-eccentricity tidal circularization explains hot Jupiter presence interior to snow line where gas giant formation is unlikely.

2:1 mean-motion resonance with Mimas clears particles from Cassini Division; gravitational perturbations prevent stable orbits in this region.

Apollo 13's Service Module O₂ tank exploded Apr 13, 1970; crew aborted landing, used LM as lifeboat, and returned safely via free-return trajectory.

Arrokoth's bilobate shape with aligned lobes indicates low-speed merger of two planetesimals in cold classical Kuiper Belt, preserving early solar system conditions.

Titan's surface pressure is 1.5 bar (vs Mars' 0.006 bar), composed of N₂/CH₄ with organic haze layers; only moon with dense atmosphere and active hydrological cycle.

LISS-IV provides 5.8 m multispectral imagery over 23 km swath or 56 m over 700 km swath, supporting agriculture, forestry, and urban planning.

First stars/galaxies ionized neutral hydrogen between z~20-6 (~180 Myr-1 Gyr post-Big Bang), ending cosmic dark ages; confirmed by CMB polarization and quasar spectra.

Korabl-Sputnik 5 (Aug 1960) returned dogs Belka and Strelka after 18 orbits; Laika (Sputnik 2) died in orbit, making KS-5 first safe biological return.

NTP uses fission reactors to heat liquid hydrogen to ~2500 K, achieving Isp ~900 s vs ~450 s for LH2/LOX chemical engines, enabling faster Mars transit.