Blast Off! Online Trivia | Thematic Fun

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "The first of December had arrived! the fatal day! for, if the projectile were not discharged that very night at 10h. 48m. 40s. P.M., more than eighteen years must roll by before the moon would again present herself under the same conditions of zenith and perigee. The weather was magnificent. Despite the approach of winter, the sun shone brightly, and bathed in its radiant light that earth which three of its denizens were about to abandon for a new world." (Chapter XXVI - Fire!) These lines were penned by which early science fiction/fantasy writer?

Answer: Jules Verne

Presaging the modern age of space exploration, Verne's 1865 book "From The Earth To The Moon" followed members of the Baltimore Gun Club, which set a plan in motion to use their skills to build a cannon to fire a projectile at the moon. Three adventurers were to be fired into space by Columbiad, the space cannon.

Some interesting notes - Verne set the launch location in Tampa Town, Florida. NASA, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration has its primary launch facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on the opposite coast from Tampa. Rockets are launched from upright gantries now. Verne had his gun club members excavating a deep hole in which to place and fire the cannon. Being more aware of the geology of Florida now, it would not be prudent to try this. Even for Verne, writing fiction, his description of the blast off indicated it knocked all observers down, and the ground erupted in strong earthquakes.

The other three authors listed were early writers of science fiction/fantasy. Shelley penned "Frankenstein", Bram Stoker wrote "Dracula", and H.G. Wells is known for a number of novels, including "War of the Worlds". Verne also wrote several additional novels which could be considered early sci fi/fantasy, including "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea."

2. As early as 228, the Chinese developed the word "huojian", meaning which of the following?

Answer: Both of these

Interestingly, around the year 228, the Chinese used "fire arrows", which are what they sound like - arrows that were set on fire and then shot, adding a more frightening aspect to the standard bow and arrow, by starting fires in an enemy's fortifications.

It wasn't until the Song Dynasty, (960-1279), and the invention of gunpowder that the word was used for "rocket", which basically was a paper tube filled with gunpowder, and attached to an arrow. The tube was ignited by way of a fuse, and the delivery method was still the bow.

Modern rockets still have the basic shape of an arrow - the long tube/the arrow shaft, the payload/projectile point, and the fins/fletches or feathers.

3. The Chinese are purported to have invented fireworks, which are a type of rocket. What explorer is said to have brought the idea to Europe?

Answer: Marco Polo

When Marco Polo was 17, he was allowed to join his father and uncle on an expedition to the Orient, the first of many trips. On his return to Italy in 1295, along with many other goods including porcelain, spices and jewels, he also brought fireworks. Among the more well-known fireworks is the aptly named "roman candle", in deference to its Italian origin.

He also lends his name to a swimming pool tag game, the reason for which is unknown...

4. What beat generation's writer wrote the following about roman candles (aka rockets)? "The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who... burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."

Answer: Jack Kerouac

Kerouac's novel "On the Road", written in 1957, is said to have inspired songbird Katy Perry's hit single "Firework". The song, authored by Katy Perry, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Harnansen, Sandy Wilhelm, Ester Dean, was released in 2010 to considerable acclaim. A portion of the lyrics here actually seem to reflect Kerouac's words.

"'Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon."

Kerouac and Kesey were both writers/novelists. Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti were both writers/poets.

5. You've probably heard the countdown phrase "3...2...1...Blast off!" But where did it come from?

Answer: A German science fiction movie

When Fritz Lang directed the 1929 German SciFi movie "Frau im Mond" aka "Woman in the Moon" written by Thea von Harbou, he tried to come up with a dramatic way to portray the launch of the lunar bound rocket. His phrasing has endured even to today's style of countdowns. Lang was also the director of "Metropolis".

Also, the answer of the Gene Autry serial - "The Phantom Empire" is a real American Western Saturday matinee weekly episodic thing. You might want to look it up!

6. Okay, obviously there's a definite connection with outer space and warfare. But can rockets (which by definition include fire) be used for emergency situations (other than in a science fiction setting)?

Answer: Yes

Rockets have a nautical use as well. Besides being used to fire off emergency flares, they have been used to propel lines to other ships, when someone has a medical emergency, or even entire crews on board a stricken ship must abandon it. Evacuation by this method uses a cannon or gun to fire a rocket, carrying a rope, to the deck of the ship. Once the rope is secured, a circular breech buoy can be attached to it and conveyed to the deck. The person needing evacuation steps into the buoy, which is shaped like a pair of breeches, or pants; hence the name. The rope is then used to bring the person to another ship or to the shore.

With the advent of the helicopter, the use of rockets and breech buoys has essentially ended.

7. If you've been following the history of manned rockets, you're probably familiar with the Saturn V, which was heavily used in the Apollo program, and was used to launch Skylab. What capital city is central to the Aerojet Corporation, designer and builder of the Saturn V?

Answer: Sacramento, California

That would be Sacramento. Residents during peak production years would regularly hear the roar of the engines being tested, and if they were close enough, they could see the billowing exhaust as well. Aerojet is now Aerojet Rocketdyne, and continues to occupy the same facilities they have used since 1951.

8. The history of World War II would be less than complete without the story of rockets, and more specifically, the so-called V-2. This early ballistic guided missile was responsible for the deaths of thousands in the British Isles in the later years of the war. What German scientist was the predominant architect of the V-1 and V-2 programs?

Answer: Wernher Von Braun

The V-2's predecessor, the V-1, was also launched against Britain, and was nicknamed the "buzzbomb", because of the sound it made. This gave some the opportunity to seek shelter. The V-2, however, was faster than the speed of sound, and gave no warning of its attack.

In the waning days of the war, von Braun and other scientists surrendered to the US Army, and were brought to the United States. They were immediately embraced by American scientists, and began working jointly. Von Braun became an American citizen, and continued his work in rocket technology, ultimately being the architect of the Saturn V, which took the first manned flight to the moon, and took Skylab into orbit.

Werner Klemperer is an actor, whose best-known role was as Colonel Klink on the series "Hogan's Heroes".

Werner Herzog is a director, screenwriter and actor. Among his shows are "The Colbert Report", "American Dad", and "Charlie Rose".

9. "The rocket's red glare" is part of the lyrics to what well-known American song?

Answer: The Star Spangled Banner

Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer, witnessed the shelling of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, in September 1814. The bombardment lasted through the night, and when dawn broke, he saw that the American flag was still flying over the fort. So inspired by the sight, he composed a poem to commemorate it, which he called "Defence of Fort M'Henry". It was later set to the melody "To Anacreon in Heaven", and eventually was called "The Star-Spangled Banner", echoing another phrase in the poem.

10. The history of American rocketry would not be complete without a mention of the Father of American Rocketry. He designed and constructed the very first liquid-fuel rocket, and successfully launched it in 1926. He is considered one of modern rocketry's founding fathers.

Answer: Robert Goddard

Robert Hutchings Goddard, for whom NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center was named, passed away in August, 1945. Werhner von Braun arrived in the US sometime around September, 1945, so two of the most brilliant men in rocket technology never met nor had the opportunity to work together. It is highly likely, however, and has been proposed, that prior to World War II's outbreak, von Braun had had access to Goddard's publications, and that Goddard's work was central to much of von Braun's.

An interesting tangent - for several years between 1930-1940, Goddard and his team of scientists conducted secret trials in a remote area of New Mexico, near the town of Roswell. It was here in July, 1947 that a purported UFO crashed...

Source: Author babsr

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Blast Off! Trivia Quiz

Blast Off! implies a rocket has been launched into space. Here are ten bits of rocket history/launches/blast offs, both real and fictional - how many do you know?

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