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Answer: 2027-28
Chandrayaan-4 aims to collect ~2-3 kg lunar regolith from south pole region and return to Earth; complex multi-module mission targeting late 2020s window.
Answer: True
CO₂ + 4H₂ → CH₄ + 2H₂O recovers water from crew-exhaled CO₂; implemented on ISS and planned for Mars ISRU propellant production.
Answer: 6
6U = 6 × (10 cm)³ = 6000 cm³ = 6 liters; standardized form factor enables rapid development/access to space for universities/startups/agencies.
Answer: True - confirmed by Cassini/radar ranging
Signals traversing curved spacetime experience extra delay proportional to gravitational potential; Cassini solar conjunction test verified GR to 10⁻⁵ precision.
Answer: Orbit-to-surface/orbit
Rotating tether catches/releases payloads at periapsis/apoapsis transferring orbital energy; enables access to LEO/GEO/lunar surface without rockets.
Answer: True
ECs match terrestrial O/Ti/Cr/Ni isotopes suggesting formation in same inner solar system reservoir; supports enstatite chondrite model for Earth's building blocks.
Answer: 1984
Savitskaya performed EVA outside Salyut 7 on Jul 25, 1984, conducting metal cutting/welding experiments; preceded Kathryn Sullivan's US EVA by months.
Answer: ASI
COSMO-SkyMed (Italian Space Agency) provides dual-use X-band SAR imagery for civilian/security applications; second generation enhances revisit/capability.
Answer: 120
Three DSN sites (Goldstone/Madrid/Canberra) at ~120° spacing ensure at least one complex maintains link with deep space probes as Earth rotates.
Answer: True
Internal/external occulters suppress stellar glare by factors >10⁶; essential for direct exoplanet imaging (JWST NIRCam/MIRI, future HabEx/LUVOIR).
Answer: True - demonstrated by IKAROS/LightSail
IKAROS (2010) and LightSail-2 (2019) validated photon pressure propulsion; enables indefinite missions limited only by sail degradation/orbital mechanics.
Answer: True - active dune migration documented
HiRISE time-series shows meter-scale dune movement; winds reshape surface despite 1% Earth pressure, modifying landing sites and rover traverses.
Answer: Crystal formation
Student payloads on POEM leverage spent PS4 stage for affordable microgravity research; crystal growth experiments inform pharmaceutical/materials science.
Answer: True
Micius (China) demonstrated satellite-ground QKD in 2017; quantum no-cloning theorem ensures eavesdropping detection enabling secure key exchange.
Answer: True - twin satellites ranging via microwave/laser
GRACE Follow-On (2018-) detects mass redistribution via intersatellite distance changes; laser ranging interferometer enhances precision over original GRACE.
Answer: Radiation pressure support
Pair production reduces photon pressure triggering catastrophic core contraction/explosion completely disrupting star; leaves no remnant unlike core-collapse SN.
Answer: toxicity/handling hazards
Hydroxylammonium nitrate-based propellants eliminate carcinogenic hydrazine handling risks while delivering ~10% higher Isp; adopted in GPIM/ESCAPADE missions.
Answer: True
Inside Roche limit (~2.44 planetary radii for fluid bodies), self-gravity cannot overcome tidal stress; explains ring locations inside this boundary.
Answer: 1962
Telstar 1 (July 10, 1962) relayed first live transatlantic TV signals; AT&T/Bell Labs project demonstrated commercial viability of satellite communications.
Answer: EUMETSAT
MetOp-A/B/C provide operational weather/environmental data for European/global forecasting; successor MetOp-SG launches mid-2020s.