South America - Continent of Science Quiz

Answer: French Guiana

The European Space Agency (ESA) operates a launching facility in the town of Kourou, French Guiana. French Guiana is an overseas territory of the nation of France, where the ESA is based. The Guiana Space Center is the primary launch site for the ESA's Ariane rocket family.

The Ariane 1 rocket was first launched on December 24, 1979. The first successful launch of the Ariane 5 occurred on October 21, 1998, following two failed attempts in 1996 and 1997. The Ariane series has so far only carried satellites into orbit. Perhaps a future Ariane rocket will one day carry humans as well.

Answer: Embraer

Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica (aka Embraer) is a Brazilian aerospace company based out of São José dos Campos, Brazil near the city of São Paulo. The company was founded on August 19, 1969. Embraer has become a global participant in the aviation industry and have made a significant contribution to the regional jet market with the Embraer Regional Jet (ERJ-135/145) and the larger E-Jet family (ERJ-170/175/190/195).

The two planes in the photograph are two of Embraer's business jet models, the Phenom 300 (foreground) and the Legacy (background).

Answer: 400 mph (644 kph)

The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is the world's largest salt flat, covering more than 4,000 sq mi (10,000 sq km). In August 2017, an American team attempted to break the world speed record for motorcycles at Salar de Uyuni with a streamlined motorcycle named the Ack Attack.

Their targeted speed was 400 mph (644 kph). The Ack Attack had previously broken the motorcycle speed record in 2010 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, achieving a max speed of 376 mph (605 kph). The attempt in Bolivia was unsuccessful, but the team has expressed their desire to try again in the future.

Answer: Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin (1802-1889) has become an influential person in modern science. Darwin was a part of an expedition launched on the HMS Beagle in 1831. The HMS Beagle departed from England and brought Darwin around the world focusing on the Southern Hemisphere of the earth.

The unique flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands provided Darwin with the inspiration for his theories on evolution and natural selection. The Charles Darwin Research Station was established in 1959. The animal in the photo is a centenarian tortoise named Lonesome George, who had lived at the Charles Darwin Research Station before he died in 2012.

Answer: Argentina

The Atucha Nuclear Power Plant was completed in 1974, becoming the first nuclear power plant in South America. It is located approximately 75 mi (120 km) northwest of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital. At first, Atucha operated only a single reactor until a second was completed in 2014.

In 1984, Argentina opened the Embalse Nuclear Power Station near the city of Cordoba. Brazil is the only other country in South America to construct a nuclear power plant in the 20th century (Angra Nuclear Power Plant).

Answer: Farthest point from Earth's center

The Ecuadorian volcano known as Chimborazo has a unique stance in the scientific community. The tallest mountain in the world is Mount Everest at a height of approximately 29,000 ft (8,800 m) above sea level. Chimborazo is not the tallest mountain as it has a height of approximately 20,000 ft (6,000 m) above sea level.

However, scientists have stated that due to the Earth's rotation, the planet bulges out at the equator. Because of this, Chimborazo has been declared the farthest point from the center of the Earth.

Answer: University of Buenos Aires

Bernardo Alberto Houssay (1887-1971) was one of three people to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1947. Luis Federico Leloir (1906-1987) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1970. Both men studied at the University of Buenos Aires which opened in 1921. Houssay and Leloir had a working relationship at the University, with Houssay serving as sort of a mentor to Leloir.

The photo shows the flag of Argentina in front of the School of Exact and Natural Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires.

Answer: Rio de Janeiro

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (aka FIOCRUZ) is a research facility located near the city of Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Oswaldo Cruz (1872-1917) was a Brazilian physician who had fought various epidemics in Brazil, including the bubonic plague and smallpox. The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation was established on May 25, 1900 as the Federal SeroTherapy Institute.

It was used by Dr. Cruz in his efforts to fight disease in Brazil. The name of the facility was later changed to honor Cruz and it continues to engage in medicinal research to this day.

The building in the photograph was completed in 1918.

Answer: Galileo Galilei

The Galileo Galilei Planetarium is located in the city of Buenos Aires. Galileo (1564-1642) is well known for having perfected the telescope, as well as discovering the four largest moons of the planet Jupiter. The planetarium was established on December 20, 1966.

In addition to the shows presented within its dome, the planetarium also offers guests the opportunity to observe the night sky using on site telescopes when the weather allows it. The photo shows the brilliant light of the planetarium reflecting off a small lake adjacent to the facility.

Answer: Very Large Telescope

The VLT or Very Large Telescope is a group of four laser guided telescopes located at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. The observatory is located in the middle of the Atacama Desert, approximately 80 mi (130 km) south of Antofagasta in northern Chile.

The desert location provides one of the best spots to observe the universe from within the Earth's atmosphere. The Paranal Observatory is one of several operated by the ESO (European Southern Observatory) in Chile. Paranal Observatory offers space available tours on the weekends, however tourists are required to provide their own transportation to the facility.