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The NETRA project establishes a network of radars and telescopes for _______ awareness.
- Weather
- Space situational
- Maritime domain
- Border surveillance
Answer: Space situational
NETRA (Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis) monitors debris/threats to Indian satellites, integrating radar/optical sensors nationwide.
Robotic refueling missions aim to extend satellite lifetimes by replenishing propellant in orbit.
- True
- False
Answer: True
NASA's OSAM-1 and Northrop Grumman's MEV demonstrate on-orbit servicing/refueling, reducing space debris and maximizing asset value.
Superrotation in Venus's atmosphere means winds circle the planet faster than its rotation period.
- True - 60x faster
- False - slower than rotation
- True - same speed
- False - no winds exist
Answer: True - 60x faster
Venusian cloud-top winds reach 100 m/s, circling planet in ~4 days versus 243-day rotation, driven by thermal tides and wave-mean flow interactions.
Which cosmonaut holds the record for longest cumulative time in space?
- Valeri Polyakov
- Gennady Padalka
- Sergei Krikalev
- Oleg Kononenko
Answer: Oleg Kononenko
Oleg Kononenko surpassed 1,000 days in space in Feb 2024 across five missions, holding current cumulative duration record.
The Gaia DR3 catalogue released in 2022 contains astrometric data for over _______ stars.
- 100 million
- 1 billion
- 1.8 billion
- 10 billion
Answer: 1.8 billion
Gaia Data Release 3 provides positions, parallaxes, and motions for ~1.8 billion sources, revolutionizing galactic archaeology and stellar physics.
Optical (laser) communication offers higher data rates than RF but requires precise pointing.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Lasercom achieves Gbps-Tbps rates with narrow beams, demanding µrad-level pointing accuracy; demonstrated by LCRD, EDRS, and upcoming Indian missions.
The NEO Surveyor mission will detect potentially hazardous asteroids using which wavelength?
- Visible
- Infrared
- Ultraviolet
- Radio
Answer: Infrared
NEO Surveyor uses infrared detectors to find dark asteroids missed by optical surveys, identifying PHAs >140 m within 5 years of launch.
Shield volcanoes on Mars differ from terrestrial ones primarily in which aspect?
- Composition
- Size and longevity
- Eruption style
- Tectonic setting
Answer: Size and longevity
Martian shield volcanoes (e.g., Olympus Mons) are vastly larger due to stationary crust over mantle plumes, allowing prolonged eruptions without plate tectonics.
The Bhartiya Antariksh Station is planned to be operational by _______.
- 2028
- 2030
- 2035
- 2040
Answer: 2035
India aims to establish a modular space station by 2035, following Gaganyaan missions, supporting microgravity research and technology demonstration.
Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are a leading candidate for cold dark matter.
- True
- False
Answer: True
WIMPs naturally arise in supersymmetry theories, interacting via weak nuclear force/gravity, matching observed dark matter abundance through thermal freeze-out.
The first space tourist was Dennis Tito who visited the ISS in which year?
- 1999
- 2001
- 2003
- 2005
Answer: 2001
American businessman Dennis Tito paid ~$20M to fly aboard Soyuz TM-32 to ISS in Apr-May 2001, inaugurating commercial space tourism era.
Which space agency operates the Spektr-RG X-ray observatory?
- NASA
- ESA
- Roscosmos
- CNSA
Answer: Roscosmos
Spektr-RG (launched 2019) is Russian-German mission mapping X-ray sky with eROSITA/ART-XC telescopes, discovering millions of AGNs and clusters.
Reaction wheels control spacecraft orientation by conserving _______ momentum.
- Linear
- Angular
- Orbital
- Thermal
Answer: Angular
Accelerating/decelerating reaction wheels transfers angular momentum to/from spacecraft body, enabling precise pointing without propellant expenditure.
Horseshoe orbits describe co-orbital motion where objects appear to trace horseshoe paths relative to a planet.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Objects like 3753 Cruithne exhibit horseshoe orbits relative to Earth, exchanging angular momentum without collision due to 1:1 mean-motion resonance.
Which mission returned lunar samples from the Oceanus Procellarum region in 2020?
- Chang'e 4
- Chang'e 5
- Hayabusa2
- OSIRIS-REx
Answer: Chang'e 5
Chang'e 5 collected 1.731 kg of basaltic regolith from Mons Rümker in Oceanus Procellarum, youngest lunar samples (~2 Ga) filling age gap.
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration radio pulses originating from which type of source?
- Supernovae
- Magnetars
- Active galactic nuclei
- Pulsar glitches
Answer: Magnetars
FRB 200428 linked to Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154 confirmed magnetars as FRB sources, though extragalactic FRBs may have diverse origins.
The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System was renamed NavIC in _______.
- 2013
- 2016
- 2018
- 2020
Answer: 2016
IRNSS was officially renamed NavIC ('Navigation with Indian Constellation') in April 2016 by PM Modi, emphasizing indigenous capability.
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is used to produce complex rocket engine components with reduced part count.
- True
- False
Answer: True
3D-printed injectors, chambers, and nozzles consolidate assemblies into single parts, cutting weight/cost; used in SpaceX SuperDraco and ISRO SCE-200 engines.
Earth trojan asteroids occupy which Lagrange points relative to Earth-Sun system?
- L1 and L2
- L3 only
- L4 and L5
- L1, L2, L3
Answer: L4 and L5
Earth trojans librate around L4 (leading) and L5 (trailing) points; 2010 TK7 (L4) and 2020 XL5 (L4) are confirmed examples.
Which space shuttle mission deployed the Chandra X-ray Observatory?
- STS-93
- STS-109
- STS-125
- STS-61
Answer: STS-93
Columbia's STS-93 mission (July 1999) deployed Chandra, the most powerful X-ray telescope, studying high-energy cosmic phenomena.