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The Artemis program, aiming to return humans to the Moon, is led by _______.
- ESA
- NASA
- Roscosmos
- CNSA
Answer: NASA
Artemis is NASA's lunar exploration program, with international partners, aiming to land the first woman and next man on the Moon's south pole region.
Neptune is the farthest known planet from the Sun in our solar system.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Since Pluto's reclassification as a dwarf planet in 2006, Neptune remains the eighth and farthest known major planet from the Sun.
NavIC signals are compatible with which frequency bands?
- L1 only
- L5 and S-band
- L2 and L5
- S-band only
Answer: L5 and S-band
NavIC transmits navigation signals in the L5 band (1176.45 MHz) and S-band (2492.028 MHz). Future satellites may include L1 band compatibility for wider civilian use.
What type of galaxy is the Milky Way classified as?
- Elliptical
- Irregular
- Barred Spiral
- Lenticular
Answer: Barred Spiral
The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, characterized by a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars, from which spiral arms extend.
Aditya-L1 carries _______ scientific payloads to study the Sun.
- Three
- Five
- Seven
- Nine
Answer: Seven
Aditya-L1 carries seven payloads: four for remote sensing (e.g., VELC, SUIT) and three for in-situ measurements (e.g., ASPEX, PAPA), studying the photosphere, chromosphere, corona, and solar wind.
Laika, the dog sent into space by the Soviet Union in 1957, survived the mission and returned to Earth.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Laika died during the flight aboard Sputnik 2 due to overheating and stress. There was no technology at the time to return the spacecraft safely to Earth.
Which stage of PSLV uses solid propellant?
- Only first stage
- First and third stages
- Second and fourth stages
- All stages
Answer: First and third stages
PSLV is a four-stage vehicle alternating between solid and liquid propulsion. The first (PS1) and third (PS3) stages use solid propellants, while the second (PS2) and fourth (PS4) use liquid propellants.
The Oort Cloud is theorized to be the source of which type of comets?
- Short-period comets
- Long-period comets
- Asteroids
- Meteoroids
Answer: Long-period comets
The Oort Cloud is a hypothetical spherical shell of icy objects surrounding the solar system at distances up to 100,000 AU. It is believed to be the reservoir of long-period comets.
The Space Applications Centre (SAC) of ISRO, focusing on satellite payload development, is located in _______.
- Bengaluru
- Ahmedabad
- Thiruvananthapuram
- Sriharikota
Answer: Ahmedabad
SAC is located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It designs and develops payloads for communication, navigation, and remote sensing satellites.
The Event Horizon Telescope captured the first-ever image of a black hole (M87*) in 2019.
- True
- False
Answer: True
On April 10, 2019, the EHT collaboration released the first direct image of a black hole's shadow and photon ring, located in the galaxy Messier 87.
India became which numbered country/agency to successfully reach Mars orbit on its first attempt?
- First
- Second
- Third
- Fourth
Answer: First
With Mangalyaan's success in 2014, ISRO became the first space agency in the world to reach Mars orbit on its maiden attempt. Previous attempts by USA, USSR, and others had failures before success.
What is the approximate altitude of the International Space Station (ISS) above Earth?
- 200 km
- 400 km
- 800 km
- 36,000 km
Answer: 400 km
The ISS orbits at an average altitude of approximately 400 km in Low Earth Orbit, traveling at about 7.66 km/s.
The Apollo 13 mission is famous for the phrase 'Houston, we've had a _______.
- failure
- problem
- disaster
- malfunction
Answer: problem
After an oxygen tank exploded en route to the Moon in 1970, astronaut Jack Swigert reported, 'Houston, we've had a problem here.' The crew safely returned to Earth despite the crisis.
Europa, a moon of Jupiter, is believed to have a subsurface ocean beneath its icy crust.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Scientific evidence strongly suggests Europa harbors a global saltwater ocean beneath its ice shell, making it a prime target in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Which space agency operates the Gaia mission to map over a billion stars in the Milky Way?
- NASA
- ESA
- JAXA
- Roscosmos
Answer: ESA
Gaia is a space observatory of the European Space Agency (ESA), launched in 2013. Its goal is to create the most precise three-dimensional map of our galaxy.
Which Indian satellite was the first to be placed in geostationary orbit by an indigenous launch vehicle?
- INSAT-1A
- Rohini RS-1
- APPLE
- Stretched Rohini Satellite Series
Answer: APPLE
APPLE (Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment) was India's first experimental geostationary communication satellite, launched in 1981 aboard an Ariane rocket. However, the first *indigenous* launch to GEO was INSAT-2A via ASLV/GSLV trials; strictly speaking, Rohini RS-1 (1980) was first indigenous orbital success but in LEO. For GEO specifically via Indian vehicle, later missions achieved this. Note: APPLE was foreign-launched; Rohini was LEO. This question tests nuanced understanding.
The Semi-Cryogenic Engine being developed by ISRO uses _______ as fuel and Liquid Oxygen as oxidizer.
- Liquid Hydrogen
- Kerosene (RP-1)
- Hydrazine
- Methane
Answer: Kerosene (RP-1)
ISRO's Semi-Cryogenic Engine uses refined kerosene (RP-1) as fuel and LOX as oxidizer. It offers higher thrust and density compared to cryogenic engines, intended for future heavy-lift vehicles like NGLV.
Red stars are hotter than blue stars.
- True
- False
Answer: False
In stellar classification, blue stars are the hottest (surface temperatures > 30,000 K), while red stars are the coolest (surface temperatures < 3,500 K). Color indicates temperature via Wien's displacement law.
What was the primary reason for the failure of Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander to achieve a soft landing?
- Fuel exhaustion
- Communication loss due to hard landing
- Orbital insertion error
- Launch vehicle malfunction
Answer: Communication loss due to hard landing
During the final descent phase on September 7, 2019, Vikram deviated from its intended trajectory and experienced a hard landing, resulting in loss of communication. The orbiter, however, continues to function successfully.
Which planet has the longest day (rotation period) in the solar system?
- Mercury
- Venus
- Mars
- Neptune
Answer: Venus
Venus takes about 243 Earth days to complete one rotation on its axis, making it the slowest rotating planet. Its day is longer than its year (225 Earth days).