Far Out! Like, Really Far Out... Quiz

Answer: Columbia

The Columbia Space Shuttle flew 28 missions. During the reentry of the final mission the spaceship broke apart scattering parts over five states. It was later determined that one of the carbon composite wings had developed a hole during take-off. This occurred when a piece of insulation from the external fuel tank peeled off and hit the wing.

Answer: First person to die during a spaceflight

On April 23, 1967 Soyuz 1 blasted off taking Vladimir Komarov on his second space flight. The whole flight was beset with technical problems. These problems culminated in the failure of the parachutes to open upon reentry. Komarov became the first person to die during a spaceflight.

The spaceship exploded upon impact and Komarov was believed to have been killed by the impact not the fire. The numerous problems on this flight have been blamed with keeping the Soviets from realizing their dream to have the first man on the moon.

Answer: Apollo I

During a launch rehearsal for the Apollo I mission, a spark caused the pure oxygen atmosphere inside the capsule to erupt into spontaneous fire. Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White II, and Roger Chaffee were killed in the inferno. The cause of the spark was never conclusively proven.

Answer: Challenger

The explosion of the Challenger space shuttle put a stop to the shuttle missions for three years. The failure of an O-ring lead to failure of an external propellant tank. When this tank disintegrated, the space shuttle exploded and fell back to earth.

The cockpit of the shuttle remained largely intact, and it was determined that the astronauts probably died of hypoxia. It was also determined that had they survived the explosion, they would have been killed on impact with the water at speeds of over 200 mph (320 km/h).

Answer: A goose

Theodore Freeman died when his T-38 jet crashed after colliding with a goose, making him the first fatality of the NASA program. He served as a flight instructor at Edwards Air Force Base in California, which is situated in the middle of the Mojave Dessert and is used for flight training many of NASA's astronauts.

Answer: Yuri Gagarin

Yuri Gagarin will go down in history as the first man in outer space. Upon his return, he became an instant national hero. The original reports purported that his training craft collided with a bird. The Soviet government also released reports that he had died testing a new high-tech prototype spacecraft.

In 1986 the truth came out that that accident occurred because of human error and an incorrect weather report. Training for space flights was every bit as dangerous as the space flights themselves.

Answer: Salyut 1 the first space station

Soyuz 11 made the first visit to Salyut 11. It was not until their return to earth that the Soviet government realized that they had also become the first cosmonauts to die while in space, as opposed to during take-off or re-entry. The crew had successfully docked on the space station and stayed aboard for 22 days.

Much of their visit to the space station was shown on live television. During undocking from the space station, cabin pressure was lost, and all three cosmonauts died within a minute when exposed to the vacuum of outer space.

Answer: Black Sea

Vozovikov drowned during survival training in the Black Sea. While attempting to find his own food in the wilds, he fell overboard and was dragged underwater by a strong current. He then became trapped in a poacher's fishing net and drowned. The training for astronauts and cosmonauts is very rigorous and all encompassing. They are among the most well-trained men and women on earth.

Answer: False

Apollo 12 was actually struck twice by lightning within the first minute of take-off, and incredibly was not destroyed, nor was the mission aborted. After a successful trip to the moon, astronaut Alan Bean was hit in the head by a camera that came loose during splash down. He suffered a concussion and required stiches to close the injury.

Answer: False

The Nedelin disaster did kill over 120 people but it was not part of the Soyuz project. This was an explosion of a weapons type missile that occurred while taking off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome which was the world's first space launch facility. The secondary thrusters ignited prematurely killing over 120 people on the ground.

This accident was covered up by the Soviet government and exact details are unknown.