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Space elevators propose transporting payloads to orbit via tether anchored at the _______.
- North Pole
- Equator
- South Pole
- 45° latitude
Answer: Equator
Geostationary anchor point requires equatorial location; centrifugal force balances gravity along tether, enabling climber ascent without rockets.
Tidal locking causes a moon to always show the same face to its parent planet.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Tidal dissipation synchronizes rotation/orbital periods over time; most major moons including Earth's Moon are tidally locked.
Which mission will rendezvous with comet 311P/PANSTARRS in 2026?
- Comet Interceptor
- DESTINY+
- Lucy
- Hera
Answer: DESTINY+
JAXA's DESTINY+ (Demonstration and Experiment of Space Technology for INterplanetary voYage) targets active asteroid/comet 311P, studying dust ejection mechanisms.
Frame-dragging (Lense-Thirring effect) was confirmed by which satellite experiment?
- Gravity Probe B
- LAGEOS
- MICROSCOPE
- GOCE
Answer: Gravity Probe B
Gravity Probe B (2004-2011) measured frame-dragging via gyroscope precession, confirming general relativity prediction within ~20% accuracy.
The XPoSat mission carries POLIX payload to measure X-ray polarization in _______ energy band.
- Soft X-ray (0.5-2 keV)
- Medium X-ray (8-30 keV)
- Hard X-ray (30-100 keV)
- Gamma-ray (>100 keV)
Answer: Medium X-ray (8-30 keV)
POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) covers 8-30 keV, complementing AstroSat's CZTI and IXPE's soft band, studying accretion geometry.
Passivation of spent rocket stages prevents accidental explosions that create debris.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Passivation vents residual propellants/batteries, eliminating explosion risks; mandated by international guidelines (IADC/UN COPUOS).
Carbonaceous chondrites are primitive meteorites rich in which compounds?
- Iron-nickel
- Silicates and organics/water
- Pure carbon
- Metallic oxides
Answer: Silicates and organics/water
C-chondrites contain hydrated minerals, amino acids, and presolar grains, preserving early solar system composition and prebiotic chemistry.
Which mission performed the first gravity assist maneuver at another planet?
- Mariner 10
- Pioneer 10
- Voyager 1
- Galileo
Answer: Mariner 10
Mariner 10 used Venus gravity assist in Feb 1974 to reach Mercury, pioneering planetary flyby technique later exploited by Voyagers and others.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory's LSST will survey the entire visible sky every _______ nights.
- 1-2
- 3-4
- 7-10
- 30
Answer: 3-4
LSST's wide-field camera images 20,000 deg² every 3-4 nights, detecting transients, moving objects, and dark matter via weak lensing.
Supersonic parachutes are ineffective for landing heavy payloads on Mars due to thin atmosphere.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Mars' thin atmosphere limits parachute deceleration; payloads >1 ton require supplemental propulsion (sky crane/retro-rockets) as used by Curiosity/Perseverance.
Solar electric propulsion (SEP) uses which power source to drive ion/Hall thrusters?
- Nuclear RTG
- Solar photovoltaic arrays
- Fuel cells
- Radioisotope heater units
Answer: Solar photovoltaic arrays
SEP converts sunlight to electricity via solar arrays powering electric thrusters, enabling efficient cargo transport (e.g., Psyche, Lunar Gateway HALO).
Jupiter's magnetosphere is primarily powered by which energy source?
- Solar wind
- Planetary rotation
- Tidal heating
- Internal heat
Answer: Planetary rotation
Jupiter's rapid rotation (9.9 hr) drives magnetospheric dynamics via centrifugal forces and Io plasma torus coupling, unlike solar-wind-dominated Earth.
The SSLV-D3 mission successfully launched EOS-08 satellite in _______.
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
Answer: 2024
SSLV-D3 achieved success on Aug 16, 2024, deploying EOS-08 and SR-0 demosat, validating SSLV operational capability after prior failures.
O-type stars are the hottest and most massive main-sequence stars.
- True
- False
Answer: True
O-stars (>30,000 K, >16 solar masses) dominate UV output and drive feedback in star-forming regions, living only few million years.
The first successful Mars landing by a European spacecraft was attempted by which mission?
- Mars Express
- ExoMars Schiaparelli
- Beagle 2
- Rosetta
Answer: ExoMars Schiaparelli
Note: Schiaparelli crashed in 2016; Beagle 2 landed but failed to deploy. No European mission has yet achieved fully successful Mars landing as of 2025.
Which space agency leads the Lunar Gateway space station project?
- Roscosmos
- CNSA
- NASA
- ESA
Answer: NASA
NASA leads Artemis/Gateway program with international partners (ESA, JAXA, CSA), establishing cislunar outpost for sustained lunar exploration.
Star trackers determine spacecraft attitude by matching observed star patterns against an onboard _______.
- Gyroscope database
- Star catalogue
- GPS ephemeris
- Sun sensor array
Answer: Star catalogue
Star trackers image star fields, compare centroids to stored catalogue entries, computing quaternion attitude with arcsecond accuracy.
The Nice model explains late heavy bombardment via planetary migration in early solar system.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Nice model posits giant planets migrated after gas disk dispersal, destabilizing planetesimal disk and triggering LHB ~4 Ga ago.
Which mission discovered active cryovolcanism on Triton?
- Voyager 1
- Voyager 2
- Cassini
- New Horizons
Answer: Voyager 2
Voyager 2's 1989 Neptune flyby revealed nitrogen geysers on Triton, indicating ongoing geological activity driven by tidal heating or insolation.
The Sachs-Wolfe effect describes CMB temperature fluctuations caused by which phenomenon?
- Doppler shift
- Gravitational redshift/blueshift
- Thomson scattering
- Synchrotron emission
Answer: Gravitational redshift/blueshift
Photons climbing out of potential wells lose energy (redshift); falling in gain energy (blueshift), imprinting primordial density perturbations on CMB.