Space Cadets Trivia Quiz

Answer: USA

Nicknamed the "Paddle Wheel", the USA launched the spin stabilized probe Pioneer 5 on March 11, 1960. It collected data on magnetic fields, solar flares and cosmic radiation within the interplanetary field. Its original mission was to do a fly-by of Venus however, a range of technical issues prevented an earlier launch.

By the time it was ready, the opportunity had passed, and the parameters/mission were then changed.

Answer: USA

Whilst Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space, he did not pilot his craft. That honour went to Alan Shepard aboard the ship that he'd christened, Freedom 7. Launched in May of 1961 he worked the craft into orbit and, in the process, became the second human to venture into space. That said, the ship failed to complete the orbit. However, as Neil Armstrong would famously state eight years later, it was a small step.

Answer: USA

The ship in question was the X-15, one of a series of experimental aircraft, part of a joint project between the US Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The plane would set a series of speed and altitude records during the course of the programme and, during its run, some twelve pilots would fly a combined total of 199 flights.

In addition, commencing with flight 90 in July, 1963, there were thirteen flights, involving eight pilots, that exceeded the fifty mile altitude limit, which met the US criterion of space flight, qualifying those same pilots to be classed as astronauts.

Answer: USA

Nicknamed the "Molly Brown", Gemini 3 was the first crewed mission that formed a part of NASA's Gemini programme. This was a vital mission to test the maneuverability of the craft as the results would have a massive bearing on the country's ability to land a man on the moon.

The pilots of the craft were Gus Grissom and John Young and, on March 23, 1965, after their first orbit of the Earth, they fired a reverse fourteen second burn, to make that first orbital maneuver in space.

Answer: USA

Docking was not a requirement for an official rendezvous in space. To be classed as such, the two spacecraft had to arrive at the same orbit and come really close to each other. Usually, this maneuver, would involve a space station.

The first rendezvous was conducted between Gemini 6A and Gemini 7, and it occurred in December of 1965. The key to their meeting was in getting their orbital velocities and positional vectors to match precisely. This would enable them to remain that same distance apart and, if it were required, take the next step toward physical contact.

Answer: USSR

Sputnik 5, launched on August 19, 1960, was the third test flight of the Soviet Union's Vostok spacecraft programme. On board were two dogs - Belka and Strelka - forty mice, two rats and a variety of plants. The craft did four orbits of the Earth before returning safely. A television camera on board the craft captured one of the dogs having seizures and vomiting during the last orbit, which influenced the decision to limit the first human flight into space to only three orbits. This was later reduced to a single orbit.

As a footnote, twelve months after returning to Earth, Strelka gave birth to a litter of puppies, one of which, christened Pushinka, was presented as a goodwill gesture to US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

Answer: USSR

After the first satellites were launched into space in 1957, it became a race in earnest between the USA's Mercury campaign and the USSR's Vostok programme to place a human being into space. The USSR's Yuri Gagarin, on board Vostok 1, on April 12, 1961, became that man. Over the next few years the Soviets would propel a further five cosmonauts, under the same programme, into space. One of these, Valentina Tereshkova, on June 16, 1963, would be the first woman into space.

The Americans were only a month behind the Soviets in this endeavour, with Alan Shepard, on board Freedom 7, making his flight on May 5, 1961.

Answer: USSR

After sending a human into space, the next step for the Soviet Union was to identify the effects of a prolonged flight beyond the Earth. The vehicle for this mission was to be the Vostok 2 and the test pilot was Russia's cosmonaut Gherman Titov, who was placed into orbit for a period of 24 hours. The event took place on August 6, 1961 and, unlike Gagarin, who'd only completed a single orbit of the Earth, Titov would complete 17.

Apart from a couple of mechanical issues, the mission was deemed a success, although Titov did endure a small bout of space sickness during the journey.

Answer: USSR

The Soviets launched Mars 1, alternatively known as Sputnik 23, on November 1, 1962. This was created as an automatic interplanetary station that was supposed to fly past Mars and, from a distance of 11,000 kilometres (6,835 miles) it would take pictures and collect data to bounce back to Earth. Data would include information about Mars' magnetic field, the structure of its environment, radiation and (hopefully) the possibility of organic compounds.

Whilst the fly-by did occur, the mission did not achieve its initial objectives. The craft returned 61 transmissions after which its antennae systems failed. Its closest approach to Mars was at 193,000 kilometres (approx. 120,000 miles) on June 19, 1963, at which point it entered into an orbit around the sun. However, valuable data in respect to radiation zones around Earth, magnetic field intensities and solar winds was obtained.

Answer: USSR

EVA stands for Extra Vehicular Activity. In other words, it represents any tasks that are performed outside of the spacecraft.

On March 18, 1965, Alex Leonov, became the first human to perform a spacewalk. He ventured outside of his craft, Vokshod 2, and remained there, totally reliant on his space suit for survival, for a time of twelve minutes and nine seconds. The first woman to perform this feat was also a Soviet cosmonaut, Svetlana Savitskaya, when she stepped out of the space station Salyut 7 in 1984. EVAs have also been conducted by the USA, Canada, China and the European Space Agency.