Space – MCQ – GK Questions

Zhai Zhigang conducted China's first EVA on Sep 27, 2008, lasting ~20 minutes wearing Feitian spacesuit; milestone in CNSA human spaceflight.

Europa Clipper (launch Oct 2024) conducts detailed reconnaissance of Europa's ice shell/ocean/interface assessing astrobiological potential.

HEX-01 reached Mach ~5 during re-entry from 65 km altitude, testing aero-thermodynamics/navigation/control for reusable launch vehicle concept.

Io's extreme volcanism continuously replenishes SO₂ atmosphere against loss to Jupiter's magnetosphere; plumes reach 500 km altitude depositing fresh frost.

Lucy launched Oct 2021 will visit eight Trojans over 12-year tour, probing diversity and origins of these primordial remnants.

p-mode/g-mode frequencies constrain internal sound speed profile, revealing tachocline location and differential rotation; validated solar models.

Bruce McCandless II conducted untethered EVA using MMU on Feb 7, 1984, demonstrating free-flying capability for satellite retrieval/servicing.

KOMPSAT (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite) series provides EO/weather/tech demo capabilities; KOMPSAT-7 offers 0.5 m panchromatic resolution.

Voyager 2 conducted Uranus flyby Jan 1986 and Neptune flyby Aug 1989; no subsequent missions have visited ice giants, leaving major knowledge gaps.

Maxwell Montes rises ~11 km above Venusian mean radius on Ishtar Terra; formed by tectonic compression rather than volcanism unlike most Venusian highlands.

NISAR's interferometric SAR measures crustal deformation, ice flow, and biomass changes at cm-scale resolution every 12 days globally.

GW170817 kilonova confirmed r-process production of gold/platinum/lanthanides in neutron-rich ejecta, resolving origin of half elements heavier than iron.

Venera 7 landed Dec 15, 1970, transmitting 23 minutes of surface data including temperature (475°C); Venera 4 was atmospheric probe only.

Angara replaces Proton/Zenit with environmentally friendly RP-1/LOX propulsion; modular design covers light-to-heavy lift classes from Plesetsk/Vostochny.

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.