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Chandrayaan-3 made India the first nation to land near the Moon's _______ pole.
- North
- South
- East
- West
Answer: South
Vikram landed at approximately 69°S latitude near the lunar south pole, a region of significant scientific interest due to permanently shadowed craters potentially containing water ice.
The SSLV has a higher payload capacity than PSLV.
- True
- False
Answer: False
SSLV is designed for small satellites (up to 500 kg to LEO), whereas PSLV can carry up to ~1,750 kg to Sun-Synchronous Orbit or ~1,400 kg to LEO. SSLV complements PSLV for smaller payloads.
Valles Marineris is a vast canyon system located on which celestial body?
- Moon
- Venus
- Mars
- Mercury
Answer: Mars
Valles Marineris stretches over 4,000 km across Mars' equator, making it the largest canyon system in the solar system, dwarfing Earth's Grand Canyon.
Which country operates the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System?
- Japan
- South Korea
- China
- India
Answer: China
BeiDou is China's global satellite navigation system, operational since 2020, providing positioning, navigation, and timing services worldwide.
GSAT-24 is a communication satellite built by ISRO and leased entirely to _______ for DTH services.
- Tata Play
- Airtel Digital TV
- Dish TV
- Sun Direct
Answer: Tata Play
GSAT-24 was built by ISRO and transferred to NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), which leased full capacity to Tata Play for direct-to-home broadcasting.
The Orion Nebula is an example of a planetary nebula.
- True
- False
Answer: False
The Orion Nebula (M42) is a diffuse emission nebula and active star-forming region. Planetary nebulae are shells of gas ejected by dying low-mass stars.
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.
Which space telescope discovered the TRAPPIST-1 system with seven Earth-sized planets?
- Kepler
- TESS
- Spitzer
- James Webb
Answer: Spitzer
While initial discoveries came from ground-based TRAPPIST telescopes, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope confirmed and characterized the seven-planet system in 2017.
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.
Mars has two moons named Phobos and Deimos.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Phobos ('fear') and Deimos ('terror') are Mars' two small, irregularly shaped moons, likely captured asteroids.
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.