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Space Shuttle Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles

Space Shuttle Trivia

Space Shuttle Trivia Quizzes

13 Space Shuttle quizzes and 135 Space Shuttle trivia questions.

"No Go" for Launch! top quiz

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

It is common for a Space Shuttle launch to be delayed due to technical reasons or non-ideal weather. Here are some of the more unusual reasons Shuttle launches have been delayed.

Tough, 10 Qns, mcdubb, Nov 08 10

Tough
mcdubb

881 plays

Space Shuttle Columbia: A Tribute

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry, killing its seven-person crew. This quiz is dedicated to Columbia and its distinguished and storied career.

Tough, 10 Qns, cag1970, Mar 30 06

Tough
cag1970
832 plays

Space Shuttle Challenger

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Questions relating to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Average, 10 Qns, Birdman33, Nov 01 03

Average
Birdman33
1950 plays

The Space Shuttle Orbiters

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

On February 1, 2003 the seven astronauts on board the Shuttle Columbia were lost minutes before landing in Florida. This quiz is dedicated to them and all who have lost their lives in the name of science and exploration.

Difficult, 10 Qns, ladymacb29, Mar 30 09

Difficult
ladymacb29 editor

1032 plays

Fifteen Minutes to Takeoff

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

There was a lot that happened in the final fifteen minutes before a space shuttle went up! Here's a look at some of those things.

Average, 10 Qns, George95, Jan 14 16

Average
George95

497 plays

Space Shuttle Program : Part 1

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Test your knowledge of the Space Shuttle Program.

Tough, 10 Qns, racemany2k, Aug 13 14

Tough
racemany2k

1595 plays

Space Shuttle Orbiter Systems

Multiple Choice

15 Qns

This is a harder quiz on the more technical side of the space shuttle. Basically, if you're not a shuttle commander or pilot, you probably won't get perfect, but there are some easier ones in there, too. Have fun.

Tough, 15 Qns, astroman_00, Jan 27 12

Tough
astroman_00
717 plays

Shuttle Missions Plus

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Shuttle missions and the people involved. Some of the answers may surprise you!

Tough, 10 Qns, bubbabotox, Oct 31 16

Tough
bubbabotox
139 plays

The Columbia Tragedy: The People

Multiple Choice

15 Qns

The explosion of the space shuttle Columbia will be in peoples' minds like the Challenger long after the the media disperses and news articles stop. See how much you know about the seven astronauts aboard Columbia that fateful day.

Tough, 15 Qns, GWU_Boy, Apr 17 12

Tough
GWU_Boy
711 plays

10.

Buran: Russia's Space Shuttle

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Back in the 1980s Russia built their own space shuttle called "Buran", and then launched it into space. Here are ten questions about it.

Difficult, 10 Qns, fertigline, Oct 11 07

Difficult
fertigline
464 plays

Quick Question

How many space shuttles was NASA using in the year 2000?

From Quiz "Space Shuttle Program : Part 1"

11.

Space Shuttle

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Tests general knowledge about the Space Shuttle. Suitable for anyone ...

Difficult, 10 Qns, dynamatrix, Aug 19 13

Difficult
dynamatrix
1617 plays

12.

Space Shuttle Program : Part 2

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Here is another tough Shuttle quiz. This will make you think.

Tough, 10 Qns, racemany2k, Mar 07 10

Tough
racemany2k

955 plays

13.

Space Shuttle Program : Part 3

Multiple Choice

5 Qns

The third installment of my Space Shuttle quizes. Have Fun.

Difficult, 5 Qns, racemany2k, Mar 30 06

Difficult
racemany2k

777 plays

Space Shuttle Trivia Questions

1. The Enterprise was the first space shuttle to fly, although it never reached orbit. Who was the commander on the first shuttle flight?

From Quiz Shuttle Missions Plus

Answer: Fred Haise

Haise had been in space before. He was supposed to walk on the moon as the lunar module pilot on the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission. He commanded three test flights of the shuttle Enterprise.

2. The astronomers needed to make sure that they could launch during a "launch window" if they wanted to meet with another spacecraft in space. What was the biggest reason for launching in a "launch window"?

From Quiz Fifteen Minutes to Takeoff

Answer: So the shuttle could get into the right orbit

A launch window can last from minutes to hours, depending on weather and the location of the spacecraft. When simply launching into orbit, almost any time will do.

3. How long after launch are the solid rocket boosters (SRBs) separated?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Orbiter Systems

Answer: 2 minutes

The SRBs are separated 2 minutes after lift-off. The shuttle continues in flight for 6 minutes with the space shuttle main engines (SSMEs), until main engine cut-off (MECO).

4. What does Buran mean in Russian?

From Quiz Buran: Russia's Space Shuttle

Answer: Snowstorm

The Buran Shuttle is an aerodynamic copy of the U.S. Space Shuttle. They did this as a result of their inability to improve on the U.S. Space Shuttle design. MiG (Russian military jet manufacturer) was chosen as the sub-contractor to build Buran. The project officially began in 1976 and officially ended in 1993.

5. The first Space Shuttle Orbiter was named Enterprise. However, what was it originally going to be named?

From Quiz The Space Shuttle Orbiters

Answer: Constitution

In honor of the 200th anniversary of the writing of the United States document, Constitution was the name first designated for the Orbiter. However, due to pressure from fans of the television series "Star Trek," the name was changed to Enterprise in honor of the ship in that series. When the television series "Enterprise" premiered in 2001, the opening credits showed images of past ships with the name - including one of the Orbiter. Art imitates life which imitates art.

6. Columbia was originally scheduled to make its maiden voyage in what year?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Columbia: A Tribute

Answer: 1979

Various technical problems prevented Columbia from meeting its March, 1979 launch date. Without the shuttle, the Skylab space station, in a decaying orbit at the time, couldn't be boasted to a safer orbit. Skylab reentered the earth's atmosphere and crashed over Western Australia on July 11, 1979.

7. If there is a problem on the space shuttle and the crew want to bail out they can do so by _____ ?

From Quiz Space Shuttle

Answer: Jumping out the hatch and parachuting to Earth

While seemingly impossible to use, the crew are given parachutes. It is only possible to use them if the shuttle's engines are off and the the shuttle is in a controlled glide.

8. On what date did the Challenger disaster take place?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Challenger

Answer: January 28, 1986

This particular mission was actually supposed to take place in July of 1985 but due to logistical problems was delayed for about 6 months.

9. To date, September 3, 2001, which Space Shuttle Orbitor has performed the most missions into space?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Program : Part 3

Answer: Discovery

Discovery completed its 30th mission in August, 2001. Columbia, the oldest in the fleet, has been on 26 missions. Atlantis completed its 24th mission in July, 2001. Endeavour has flown 16 missions. Challenger completed 9 mission before it exploded in 1986.

10. During the Shuttles' 20 year history, it has completed many successful satellite deployments. This satellite Probe, Magellan, was launched from Columbia in 1989. What planet was it sent to explore?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Program : Part 2

Answer: Venus

11. In what year was the first space shuttle launched?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Program : Part 1

Answer: 1981

Columbia lifted off on April 12, 1981. The two man crew flew the three day mission and landed at Edwards' AFB on April 14th.

12. On June 27, 1982, the shuttle Columbia lifted off to begin mission STS-4. What was so significant about this mission?

From Quiz Shuttle Missions Plus

Answer: The last flight with a two person crew.

The commander on this flight was Ken Mattingly, an Apollo 13 alumnus, albeit the one who missed the flight!

13. The launch of Shuttle mission STS-36 was delayed for four days due to an illness of the crew's commander. This was the first time since Apollo 13 that a launch was affected by a crewmember's illness. Who was the commander for STS-36?

From Quiz "No Go" for Launch!

Answer: John Creighton

Space Shuttle Atlantis launched successfully on February 28, 1990 for mission STS-36. The remaining crew consisted of Pilot John Casper, and Mission Specialists Richard Mullane, David Hilmers, and Pierre Thuot. It was a mission for the Department of Defense, so much about it is still classified.

14. How many general purpose computers (GPCs) are on the shuttle?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Orbiter Systems

Answer: 5

There are 5 GPCs on the shuttle. 3 of them are back-up. The GPCs basically fly the shuttle. The commander and pilot basically tell the computers what to do.

15. On what date did the only unmanned orbital flight of the Buran take place?

From Quiz Buran: Russia's Space Shuttle

Answer: November 15, 1988

The only flight into space, on November 15, 1988, was unmanned because the life support system had not been checked out and the CRT displays had no software installed. After some technical difficulties Buran was launched, flew two orbits, then retro fired for re-entry and landed on the runway at Baikonur in 34 mph crosswinds. (November 9, 1989 was when the Berlin Wall began being tore down, June 12,1990 is the Russian Independence Day, and December 25, 1991 the U.S.S.R. was officially dissolved.)

16. The first Orbiter whose name became the subject of a competition for children was which?

From Quiz The Space Shuttle Orbiters

Answer: Endeavour

The name Endeavour comes from the name of James Cook's ship which, on its maiden flight, sailed to the South Pacific in order to take scientific measurements when Venus came between the Earth and the Sun. This helped scientists determine how far away the Earth was from the Sun. Cook's Endeavour is also said to be the "first long-distance voyage on which no crewman died from scurvy" because Cook had the foresight to make his crew eat foods like sauerkraut and an orange extract. (http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/endeavour.html)

17. Which astronaut served as the commander of Columbia's maiden voyage, April 12-14, 1981?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Columbia: A Tribute

Answer: John Young

A veteran of four previous space flights and the ninth American to walk on the moon, John Young flew with rookie astronaut and fellow naval aviator Robert Crippen on Columbia's historic first voyage.

18. Can astronauts take their pets into space with them?

From Quiz Space Shuttle

Answer: Only if doing experiments on them

"Experimental" animals only are taken onboard. If the crew has befriended them then that would qualify them as a pet I suppose.

19. What was the profession of Christa McAuliffe, one of two non-Federal government employees on the shuttle?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Challenger

Answer: Teacher

She was a teacher at Concord High School in Concord, New Hampshire. Gregory Jarvis, who was on the shuttle representing his company Hughes Aircraft, was the other civilian on the flight.

20. A rollback is when the Space Shuttle is moved from the launch pad and sent back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. How many times in the 21 year history has the Shuttle been rolledback to the VAB?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Program : Part 3

Answer: 15 Times

The most common cause of the Shuttle having to be rolledback to the VAB is weather, of the 15 rollbacks, 6 of them were because of the weather.

21. The famous astronomer Galileo had a probe named after him, that was sent from the cargo bay of Atlantis to this planet in 1989.

From Quiz Space Shuttle Program : Part 2

Answer: Jupiter

22. How many space shuttles was NASA using in the year 2000?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Program : Part 1

Answer: 4

There are four: Columbia, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour.

23. The shuttle Columbia holds the record for the longest shuttle mission. How long was this mission? (Rounded to the nearest hour)

From Quiz Shuttle Missions Plus

Answer: 17d 16h

STS-80 was launched on November 19, 1996. It was scheduled to on land December 5, 1996 but the landing was pushed back two days because of bad weather. The mission lasted for 17 days, 15 hours and 53 minutes.

24. How close can onlookers come to the space shuttle during the launch?

From Quiz Fifteen Minutes to Takeoff

Answer: 1 mile

With the sheer sounds of a space shuttle launch, everyone in a one mile radius would die of the sound. That is another reason why all wildlife is removed from the area before takeoff. The closest people to a launch are firefighters, who are in a heavy-duty almost tank-like vehicle, so they would be a first responder if something went wrong during the launch.

25. The launch of Shuttle mission STS-44 was first delayed for five days due to equipment malfunctions, but while set to go the second time, it had to be delayed another 13 minutes in part for what reason?

From Quiz "No Go" for Launch!

Answer: An unknown spacecraft had entered the Shuttle's targeted orbital plane.

Space Shuttle Atlantis launched successfully on November 24, 1991. The crew consisted of Commander Frederick Gregory, Pilot Terence Henricks, Mission Specialists Story Musgrave, Mario Runco, and Jim Voss, and Payload Specialist Thomas Hennen. It was a Department of Defense sponsored flight, so much about it is still classified. Much speculation still exists about the nature of the unknown spacecraft.

26. What stages are there in the external tank (ET)?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Orbiter Systems

Answer: Liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank, intertank, liquid oxygen tank

The ET provides fuel for the SSMEs on the acsent into orbit. The ET is separated 8 minutes after lift-off. It is the only part of the shuttle that is not re-used. It is burned up in the atmosphere.

27. How many orbits did the Buran make on its only flight?

From Quiz Buran: Russia's Space Shuttle

Answer: 2

This mission was limited to only two orbits because of computer memory limitations. It is unknown what one mission cost the Russians, perhaps as high as 131 million dollars, but the Buran/Energia Program cost them an estimated 16-17 billion dollars. In comparison the U.S. Space Shuttle program cost 3-5 billion dollars.

28. Rick Husband, Columbia's commander, was the pilot on the first shuttle mission to dock at what location?

From Quiz The Columbia Tragedy: The People

Answer: International Space Station

Husband was three times rejected as an astronaut, but finally made it and rose to the top fast. Sputnik disintegrated upon reentry to Earth in 1957.

29. While building two of the Orbiters in the 1980s, it was decided that some 'spare parts' should be made so it would be easier to fix one of them if they were damaged. Which two orbiters were these?

From Quiz The Space Shuttle Orbiters

Answer: Discovery and Atlantis

This cost NASA an extra $389 MILLION dollars. Included in the list of 'spare parts' was "a spare aft-fuselage, mid-fuselage, forward fuselage halves, vertical tail and rudder, wings, elevons and a body flap" (http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/atlantis.html).

30. Which aviation manufacturer was the primary contractor for Columbia?

From Quiz Space Shuttle Columbia: A Tribute

Answer: Rockwell International

Boeing bought Rockwell International's space division in 1996. Prior to that, Rockwell served as the primary contractor all five operational shuttles--Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery and Endeavour--as well as the glide-test article, Enterprise.

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