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Generate QuizSpace – Medium Level – GK Questions
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How many astronauts (Gaganauts) are planned for the first crewed Gaganyaan mission?
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Answer: 3
The first crewed Gaganyaan mission plans to carry three Indian astronauts to a 400 km orbit for up to three days.
Comet NEOWISE was visible to the naked eye from Earth in which year?
- 2018
- 2020
- 2022
- 2024
Answer: 2020
Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) became visible to the naked eye in July 2020, one of the brightest comets in decades, discovered by NASA's NEOWISE mission.
The Hubble Space Telescope was deployed into orbit by Space Shuttle _______ in 1990.
- Discovery
- Atlantis
- Challenger
- Endeavour
Answer: Discovery
STS-31 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery deployed Hubble on April 24, 1990. Subsequent servicing missions corrected its optics and upgraded instruments.
Ion thrusters provide higher specific impulse than chemical rockets but lower thrust.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Electric propulsion (ion thrusters) achieves much higher fuel efficiency (specific impulse) than chemical rockets, enabling longer missions with less propellant, though acceleration is very gradual.
Stellar-mass black holes typically form from the collapse of stars with initial masses greater than _______ solar masses.
- 5
- 10
- 20
- 50
Answer: 20
Stars with initial masses above ~20-25 solar masses typically end their lives as core-collapse supernovae, leaving behind black holes. Lower-mass stars become neutron stars or white dwarfs.
The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), founded by Vikram Sarabhai, is located in _______.
- Mumbai
- Ahmedabad
- Pune
- Delhi
Answer: Ahmedabad
PRL was established in 1947 in Ahmedabad and serves as a premier research institute for space sciences, supported by ISRO and DST.
GAGAN is an augmentation system for which global navigation system?
- GLONASS
- GPS
- Galileo
- BeiDou
Answer: GPS
GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation) enhances GPS accuracy for aviation and other applications over India using geostationary satellites.
What is the closest star to the Sun?
- Sirius
- Proxima Centauri
- Alpha Centauri A
- Barnard's Star
Answer: Proxima Centauri
Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf star located about 4.24 light-years from the Sun, making it the nearest known star to our solar system.
The Lagrange Point L1 where Aditya-L1 is positioned lies between _______.
- Earth and Moon
- Sun and Earth
- Sun and Jupiter
- Earth and Mars
Answer: Sun and Earth
L1 is a gravitational equilibrium point between the Sun and Earth, approximately 1.5 million km from Earth toward the Sun, allowing continuous solar observation.
SpaceX is a government-owned space agency of the United States.
- True
- False
Answer: False
SpaceX is a private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded by Elon Musk. NASA is the U.S. government agency.
Which Indian satellite provides exclusive services for disaster management support?
- Resourcesat
- Cartosat
- INSAT-3DR
- EOS-04
Answer: INSAT-3DR
INSAT-3DR and INSAT-3DS are dedicated meteorological satellites with enhanced capabilities for disaster monitoring, cyclone tracking, and search-and-rescue support.
Enceladus, known for its water vapor plumes, is a moon of which planet?
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
Answer: Saturn
Enceladus ejects water vapor and ice particles from fractures near its south pole, indicating a subsurface ocean. It is a key target for astrobiology.
The Challenger Space Shuttle disaster occurred in _______.
- 1984
- 1986
- 1988
- 1990
Answer: 1986
Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986, killing all seven crew members. The cause was O-ring failure in cold weather.
The observable universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Observations of distant supernovae in the late 1990s revealed that cosmic expansion is accelerating, attributed to dark energy. This discovery won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Which ISRO launch vehicle was used to launch Chandrayaan-1?
- ASLV
- PSLV-C11
- GSLV Mk II
- LVM3
Answer: PSLV-C11
Chandrayaan-1 was launched aboard PSLV-C11 on October 22, 2008, from Sriharikota. PSLV-XL variant was used for heavier payload capacity.
The Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) coordinating Gaganyaan activities is located in _______.
- Sriharikota
- Bengaluru
- Thiruvananthapuram
- Hyderabad
Answer: Bengaluru
HSFC was established in Bengaluru in 2019 to coordinate all aspects of India's human spaceflight programme, including astronaut training and mission management.
Jupiter's rings were discovered by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1979.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Unlike Saturn's bright rings, Jupiter's faint ring system was unknown until Voyager 1 imaged them in 1979. They consist mainly of dust particles.
The Pleiades star cluster is also commonly known as the _______.
- Seven Sisters
- Big Dipper
- Southern Cross
- Hunter's Belt
Answer: Seven Sisters
The Pleiades, or Messier 45, is an open star cluster in Taurus, traditionally called the Seven Sisters in Greek mythology and many cultures worldwide.
Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan rover confirmed the presence of which element on the lunar surface near the south pole?
- Gold
- Sulphur
- Uranium
- Platinum
Answer: Sulphur
Pragyan's LIBS instrument unambiguously detected Sulphur (S) in the lunar regolith near the south pole, along with Aluminum, Calcium, Iron, Chromium, Titanium, Manganese, Silicon, and Oxygen.
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is operated by _______.
- ESA
- NASA
- JAXA
- ISRO
Answer: NASA
Chandra is a flagship NASA space telescope launched in 1999, dedicated to X-ray astronomy, observing high-energy phenomena like black holes and supernova remnants.