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Quiz about What Goes Up Doesnt Always Come Down

What Goes Up... Doesn't Always Come Down. Quiz

In this quiz you'll be asked about things we've sent up into space, and some that haven't come down, at least not intentionally. Some will never return.

A multiple-choice quiz by H53. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
H53

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
382,531

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
282

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The oldest surviving man-made space object still in orbit is Vanguard 1, sent into Medium Earth Orbit by the US. It was launched within six months of Russia's Sputnik 1. When was it launched? Hint

September 1958

March 1958

March 1959

September 1960

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Question 2 of 10

2. Back in Decemeber 2013, how many pieces of catalogued "space junk" larger than 10cm (4"), were being tracked around the Earth? Almost the area of South Carolina, in square miles. Hint

19,000

29,000

1,900

190

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Question 3 of 10

3. How many catalogued pieces of space junk fall on average to Earth every day? 'Do astronauts like apples?' you many wonder. Hint

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. The spacecraft furthest from the Earth was launched in September 1977 and is moving at 11 miles per second. What is its name? Hint

Apollo 13

Voyager 1

Mercury 7

Pioneer 11

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Question 5 of 10

5. Who was the head of the committee that produced the "Golden Records" that are now in interstellar space on Voyagers 1 and 2? Hint

Neil Armstrong

Jimmy Carter

Chuck Yeager

Carl Sagan

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Question 6 of 10

6. When was the first artificial object intentionally crashed into the moon? The year the music died. Hint

September 14, 1958

September 14, 1960

September 14, 1961

September 14, 1959

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Question 7 of 10

7. What is the total weight of the artificial objects that have been left on the moon? Hint

41,300 lb

413,000 lb

4,130 lb

413 lb

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Question 8 of 10

8. Up until 1986, how much did it cost to launch one pound of payload on the US Space Shuttle? Hint

$850

$8,500

$85

$85,000

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. How many manned exploratory trips have been to the Sun? Hint

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Question 10 of 10

10. If somebody finds a piece of space junk that has fallen, who owns it? Hint

The finder

The judge

The sheriff

The government

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The oldest surviving man-made space object still in orbit is Vanguard 1, sent into Medium Earth Orbit by the US. It was launched within six months of Russia's Sputnik 1. When was it launched?

Answer: March 1958

Vanguard 1, the fourth earth satellite ever launched and the first to use solar power, is 6.4 inches in diameter. It ceased operation in May 1964 and is expected to fall to earth around 2198.

2. Back in Decemeber 2013, how many pieces of catalogued "space junk" larger than 10cm (4"), were being tracked around the Earth? Almost the area of South Carolina, in square miles.

Answer: 29,000

There were about 670,000 smaller pieces between 10cm and 1cm, and if all pieces down to a size of 3mm were included, there were about 170,000,000.

3. How many catalogued pieces of space junk fall on average to Earth every day? 'Do astronauts like apples?' you many wonder.

Answer: 1

Luckily, there has been no major damage from falling space debris. The number is higher during periods of maximum sunspot activity and lower during minimum sunspot activity.

4. The spacecraft furthest from the Earth was launched in September 1977 and is moving at 11 miles per second. What is its name?

Answer: Voyager 1

Voyager 1 left our Solar System for interstellar space in late 2012. It will cease sending data to the Earth about 2025, when it is expected to lose all power.

5. Who was the head of the committee that produced the "Golden Records" that are now in interstellar space on Voyagers 1 and 2?

Answer: Carl Sagan

Probably best known for hosting the "Cosmos" series on PBS, Carl Sagan was a pioneer of early Solar System exploration and a key contributor to some of NASA's most famous missions.

6. When was the first artificial object intentionally crashed into the moon? The year the music died.

Answer: September 14, 1959

The Soviet Union's Luna 2 was the first man-made object to land on another celestial body.

7. What is the total weight of the artificial objects that have been left on the moon?

Answer: 413,000 lb

This is more than the weight of five fully loaded 18-wheelers. The heaviest single objects, by far, are S-IVB third stages of Saturn V rockets used in the Apollo program.

8. Up until 1986, how much did it cost to launch one pound of payload on the US Space Shuttle?

Answer: $8,500

Before 1986, according to NASA, the Shuttle carried a payload of 53,000 pounds and averaged about $450,000,000 per launch. There were no commercial shuttle flights after that year, so cost-per-pound estimates have never been agreed upon.

9. How many manned exploratory trips have been to the Sun?

Answer: 0

Except for the mythical Icarus, no live humans have attempted to get anywhere near the Sun.

10. If somebody finds a piece of space junk that has fallen, who owns it?

Answer: The government

Technically, the government that put the part up there still has rights to it when it comes down, unless ownership is relinquished. It usually won't be claimed unless it's wanted for an investigation, such as when Columbia broke up and people were trying to sell parts they found. For the vast majority of fallen objects, it's "finders keepers."

Source: Author H53

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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