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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.
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.
ISRO's POEM platform repurposes which spent stage for microgravity experiments?
- PSLV fourth stage
- GSLV cryogenic stage
- LVM3 core stage
- SSLV terminal stage
Answer: PSLV fourth stage
PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) uses depleted PS4 stage as stabilized platform hosting payloads for weeks/months post-primary mission separation.
The Caloris Basin is a massive impact feature on which celestial body?
- Moon
- Mars
- Mercury
- Vesta
Answer: Mercury
Caloris Basin (~1,550 km diameter) formed from a giant impact early in Mercury's history, causing antipodal chaotic terrain from seismic focusing.
The first successful docking of two spacecraft occurred between which vehicles?
- Gemini 8 & Agena
- Apollo 9 & LM
- Soyuz 4 & 5
- Vostok 3 & 4
Answer: Gemini 8 & Agena
Neil Armstrong and David Scott docked Gemini 8 with Agena Target Vehicle on Mar 16, 1966, achieving first orbital docking despite subsequent emergency undocking.
Which space agency operates the Gaofen series of high-resolution Earth observation satellites?
- NASA
- ESA
- CNSA
- Roscosmos
Answer: CNSA
Gaofen ('High Resolution') satellites form China's CHEOS system, providing sub-meter imagery for civilian/military applications since 2013.
The Copernicus Sentinel satellites are operated by which organization?
- NASA
- ESA/EUMETSAT
- JAXA
- NOAA
Answer: ESA/EUMETSAT
Sentinel constellation provides free/open Earth observation data for environmental monitoring, managed jointly by ESA and EUMETSAT under EU Copernicus program.
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are classified into short and long duration based on which threshold?
- 1 second
- 2 seconds
- 10 seconds
- 60 seconds
Answer: 2 seconds
Short GRBs (<2 s) originate from compact object mergers; long GRBs (>2 s) from collapsars/massive star deaths, differing in progenitors and host galaxies.
Titan's atmosphere is predominantly composed of which gas?
- Carbon dioxide
- Nitrogen
- Methane
- Argon
Answer: Nitrogen
Titan's dense atmosphere is ~95% nitrogen with ~5% methane, resembling early Earth's composition but at cryogenic temperatures.
Which Apollo mission carried the first lunar rover?
- Apollo 11
- Apollo 14
- Apollo 15
- Apollo 17
Answer: Apollo 15
Apollo 15 (July-Aug 1971) deployed the first Lunar Roving Vehicle, extending exploration range beyond walking distance and collecting diverse samples.
Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause into interstellar space in which year?
- 2004
- 2012
- 2018
- 2021
Answer: 2012
Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause on Aug 25, 2012, becoming the first human-made object to enter interstellar space, confirmed by plasma density jump.
Shepherd moons maintain planetary ring gaps through which mechanism?
- Magnetic confinement
- Gravitational resonances
- Electrostatic forces
- Radiation pressure
Answer: Gravitational resonances
Small moons like Prometheus and Pandora gravitationally confine Saturn's F ring, preventing particle dispersion through orbital resonances.
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) convert heat from radioactive decay into electricity using which principle?
- Photovoltaic effect
- Seebeck effect
- Thermionic emission
- Piezoelectric effect
Answer: Seebeck effect
RTGs use thermocouples exploiting the Seebeck effect to generate electricity from temperature difference between hot Pu-238 fuel and cold space environment.
Adaptive optics in ground-based telescopes corrects atmospheric distortion using which component?
- Corrector plates
- Deformable mirrors
- Filter wheels
- Charge-coupled devices
Answer: Deformable mirrors
Deformable mirrors adjust shape hundreds of times per second based on wavefront sensor data, compensating for atmospheric turbulence in real-time.
Who was the first person to orbit Earth more than once?
- Yuri Gagarin
- Gherman Titov
- John Glenn
- Valentina Tereshkova
Answer: Gherman Titov
Titov orbited Earth 17 times aboard Vostok 2 in Aug 1961, spending over 25 hours in space, surpassing Gagarin's single orbit.
Ka-band frequencies (26-40 GHz) are increasingly used in satellite communications for which advantage?
- Lower rain fade
- Higher bandwidth capacity
- Longer wavelength penetration
- Reduced antenna size
Answer: Higher bandwidth capacity
Ka-band offers wider bandwidths enabling high-throughput broadband services, though susceptible to rain fade requiring adaptive coding/modulation.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe uses which planet's gravity assists to approach the Sun?
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
Answer: Venus
Parker Solar Probe performs multiple Venus flybys to shrink its orbit and reduce perihelion distance, eventually reaching within 6.2 million km of the Sun.
Which planet has the highest albedo (reflectivity) in the solar system?
- Earth
- Venus
- Jupiter
- Saturn
Answer: Venus
Venus reflects ~75% of incoming sunlight due to thick sulfuric acid clouds, giving it the highest geometric albedo of any planet.