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The Semi-Cryogenic Engine SCE-200 being developed for NGLV uses _______ cycle.
- Gas generator
- Staged combustion
- Expander
- Pressure-fed
Answer: Staged combustion
SCE-200 employs oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle burning kerosene/LOX, delivering 200-ton thrust class performance for future heavy-lift vehicles.
Heat pipes transfer heat efficiently in microgravity using capillary action without moving parts.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Heat pipes use phase-change fluid wicking through porous structure to transport heat from hot to cold zones; essential for spacecraft thermal management.
Hayabusa2's MINERVA-II rovers were the first to successfully hop on an asteroid surface.
- True - on Ryugu in 2018
- False - failed deployment
- True - on Itokawa in 2005
- False - wheeled not hopping
Answer: True - on Ryugu in 2018
MINERVA-II1A/B deployed Sep 2018 hopped across Ryugu's low-gravity surface using internal rotors, returning images and temperature data.
Galaxy rotation curves remain flat at large radii instead of declining Keplerian, providing evidence for _______.
- Modified gravity
- Dark matter halos
- Stellar population gradients
- Gas pressure support
Answer: Dark matter halos
Flat rotation curves imply enclosed mass increases linearly with radius beyond visible disk, requiring extended dark matter halo dominating gravitational potential.
Friction stir welding is preferred for aluminum-lithium alloy rocket tanks because it produces _______ joints than fusion welding.
- weaker
- stronger and defect-free
- heavier
- more porous
Answer: stronger and defect-free
FSW solid-state process avoids melting/solidification defects, yielding superior mechanical properties for cryogenic tank structures in PSLV/GSLV/LVM3.
Mercury has a global intrinsic magnetic field despite its small size and slow rotation.
- True
- False
Answer: True
MESSENGER confirmed Mercury's dipole field (~300 nT at equator), generated by dynamo in partially molten outer core; unexpected given slow 59-day rotation.
The first modular space station module launched by China was Tiangong-1 in which year?
- 2008
- 2011
- 2016
- 2021
Answer: 2011
Tiangong-1 launched Sep 29, 2011, serving as target for Shenzhou docking tests; deorbited uncontrollably in 2018 after extended mission.
Which space agency operates the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ocean altimetry satellite?
- NASA/ESA/EUMETSAT/CNES joint
- NOAA only
- JAXA only
- Roscosmos only
Answer: NASA/ESA/EUMETSAT/CNES joint
Sentinel-6 continues TOPEX/Poseidon/Jason sea-level record since 1992, measuring ocean topography with cm precision for climate monitoring.
India's upcoming National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) will be built at _______ in Ladakh.
- Leh
- Hanle
- Kargil
- Drass
Answer: Hanle
NLST at Hanle (4500 m altitude) will be world's largest off-axis solar telescope (2 m aperture), studying solar magnetic fields and transient phenomena.
Sun sensors provide coarse attitude knowledge typically accurate to ~0.1° for safe-mode operations.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Digital/analog sun sensors determine sun vector relative to spacecraft body, enabling initial acquisition and safe-mode stabilization before fine pointing with star trackers.
Aerocapture uses atmospheric drag to insert spacecraft into orbit around a planet in a single pass, unlike aerobraking which requires multiple passes.
- True - saves significant propellant
- False - synonymous terms
- True - but only for Earth
- False - never successfully demonstrated
Answer: True - saves significant propellant
Aerocapture achieves orbit insertion in one atmospheric pass requiring precise guidance; aerobraking gradually lowers apoapsis over weeks/months. Aerocapture remains unflown but studied for Mars/Venus/Titan.
Tharsis Montes on Mars consists of three large shield volcanoes aligned NE-SW; which is NOT part of this group?
- Ascraeus Mons
- Pavonis Mons
- Arsia Mons
- Olympus Mons
Answer: Olympus Mons
Tharsis Montes includes Ascraeus, Pavonis, and Arsia; Olympus Mons lies northwest of Tharsis bulge as separate volcanic province.
The INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite was launched in February 2024 aboard _______.
- PSLV-C58
- LVM3-M4
- GSLV-F14
- SSLV-D3
Answer: GSLV-F14
GSLV-F14 successfully deployed INSAT-3DS on Feb 17, 2024, enhancing weather forecasting and disaster warning capabilities over Indian Ocean Region.
Blazars are active galactic nuclei with jets pointed nearly directly toward Earth.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Blazar emission is Doppler-boosted due to relativistic jet alignment with line-of-sight, causing rapid variability and high-energy dominance.
Who was the first Asian woman to travel to space?
- Kalpana Chawla
- Chiaki Mukai
- Yi So-yeon
- Liu Yang
Answer: Chiaki Mukai
Japanese astronaut Chiaki Mukai flew aboard STS-65 in July 1994; Kalpana Chawla (Indian-origin US citizen) flew later in 1997.
Cross-link inter-satellite links in navigation constellations enable autonomous orbit determination without ground stations.
- True - used in GPS III/BeiDou
- False - requires constant ground contact
- True - only for LEO satellites
- False - technologically unfeasible
Answer: True - used in GPS III/BeiDou
Ka-band cross-links allow satellites to range each other, improving ephemeris accuracy and reducing ground segment dependency; implemented in modern GNSS.
The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) includes _______ member agencies including ISRO.
- 5
- 10
- 13
- 20
Answer: 13
IADC comprises 13 national/international space agencies coordinating debris mitigation standards; ISRO joined in 2000s contributing tracking data.
Ceres is the only dwarf planet located in the inner solar system.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Ceres resides in main asteroid belt between Mars/Jupiter; all other recognized dwarf planets (Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake) are trans-Neptunian.
Which mission discovered water ice in permanently shadowed craters at lunar south pole using neutron spectroscopy?
- Chandrayaan-1 MIP
- Lunar Prospector
- LCROSS
- All of the above
Answer: All of the above
Lunar Prospector (1998) detected H signature; Chandrayaan-1 MIP/M3 confirmed OH/H₂O; LCROSS impact (2009) directly sampled ice-rich ejecta.
Hot Jupiters are gas giants orbiting very close to host stars; they likely formed beyond snow line and migrated inward via _______.
- Disk migration or tidal interactions
- Core accretion in situ
- Gravitational instability
- Stellar capture
Answer: Disk migration or tidal interactions
Type I/II disk migration or high-eccentricity tidal circularization explains hot Jupiter presence interior to snow line where gas giant formation is unlikely.