Space – GK Questions

URSC in Bengaluru is ISRO's lead center for satellite design, development, and testing, named after former ISRO chairman Prof. Udupi Ramachandra Rao.

Jupiter radiates about twice the energy it absorbs from sunlight, generated by Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction and residual heat from formation.

EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) improves GPS precision and integrity for European aviation, similar to WAAS (USA), MSAS (Japan), and GAGAN (India).

Sun-like stars spend ~10 billion years fusing hydrogen. The Sun is currently ~4.6 billion years old, halfway through its main sequence phase.

ASPEX (Aditya Solar wind Particle EXperiment) analyzes energy spectra and angular distribution of solar wind ions and electrons to understand particle acceleration.

Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) manages South Korea's space program, including Nuri launch vehicle and KPLO lunar orbiter.

INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR provide high-frequency meteorological imaging, sounding, and disaster alert services crucial for cyclone tracking and monsoon monitoring.

Titan is the only body besides Earth with stable surface liquids, consisting of hydrocarbon lakes and seas, observed by Cassini-Huygens mission.

Columbia disintegrated during re-entry on February 1, 2003, due to foam insulation damage to the left wing during ascent, causing aerodynamic failure.

While candidates exist (e.g., HLX-1), intermediate-mass black holes remain elusive and lack definitive confirmation compared to stellar-mass and supermassive black holes.

51 Pegasi b was discovered in 1995 using radial velocity method with ground-based ELODIE spectrograph at Observatoire de Haute-Provence, not a space telescope. Note: Question tests precision—no space telescope made this discovery.

GSLV Mk II flew its last mission (EOS-03) in 2021/2022 era before being phased out in favor of LVM3 and upcoming NGLV for heavier payloads.

The Department of Space functions under the Prime Minister's direct charge, reflecting the strategic importance of space activities in national governance.

Discovered in 1977 via stellar occultation, Uranus' 13 known rings are narrow, opaque, and dark, likely containing radiation-processed organic compounds.

Vega is the brightest star in Lyra and part of the Summer Triangle asterism. It was once the North Star and will be again in ~12,000 years.

After separating Vikram, the Propulsion Module continued orbiting the Moon, hosting the SHAPE experiment to observe Earthshine for exoplanet habitability studies.

XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite), launched Jan 2024, measures polarization of bright X-ray sources like black holes, neutron stars, and pulsars to understand emission mechanisms.

UKSA is the executive agency of the UK government responsible for civil space policy, regulation, and international cooperation.

Neptune exhibits the strongest sustained winds in the solar system, reaching speeds up to 2,100 km/h near the Great Dark Spot, driven by internal heat despite minimal solar input.

Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov conducted the first EVA on March 18, 1965, spending 12 minutes outside Voskhod 2, tethered to the spacecraft.