Download Study Island Copyright © 2012 Study Island

Study Island
Copyright © 2012 Study Island - All rights reserved.
Generation Date: 12/21/2012
Generated By: Bill Wieners
1. How many Apollo missions were there?
A. 13
B. 10
C. 17
D. 15
2. Our solar system is made up of eight planets, numerous comets, asteroids and moons, and the
Sun. The force that holds all of these objects together is _______.
A. tension
B. gravity
C. magnetism
D. electromagnetic attraction
3. Scientists and engineers around the world are investigating the possibility of a manned
mission to Mars. The surface of Mars is shown below.
This image is courtesy of NASA/JPL.
Some scientists believe that it might be possible to use ice on Mars to create fuel for the trip back
to Earth. How would this make a manned mission to Mars easier?
The spacecraft would not need to support as many astronauts.
A.
B.
C.
D.
The spacecraft would not need to to be aerodynamic.
The spacecraft would not need to be as heavy when it leaves Earth.
The spacecraft could carry less air when it returns from Mars.
4.
Image courtesy of NASA
In 1974 and 1975, the Mariner 10 spacecraft helped humans discover many things about the
planet Mercury, including the heavily cratered nature of its surface, the presence of a weak
magnetic field, and the lack of a permanent, significant atmosphere. The mission also marked an
important milestone for space exploration in general. Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to
leave the orbit of Earth.
A.
B.
C.
use the gravity of one planet to reach another.
take humans into outer space.
D.
visit another planet and then return back to the Earth's surface.
5. The images below were created from data collected by an instrument called the Mars Orbiter
Laser Altimeter (MOLA). MOLA was an instrument used during the Mars Global Surveyor
mission.
Image courtesy of NASA/JPL
The images show two global views of the planet Mars. In the left image, the circular bumps
shown in white are tall volcanoes. In the right image, the large circular area shown in blue is a
giant, low-lying impact crater.
Based on these images and the color-code key beneath them, the MOLA instrument was used to
demonstrate that
A. only impact craters have altitude on Mars.
B. altitude varies among geologic features on Mars.
C. volcanoes on Mars do not have altitude.
D. the surface of Mars has the same altitude in all places.
6. A satellite that is near the Earth is pulled into orbit by its gravity.
The satellite is affected by Earth's gravity because of ___________.
A. the lack of gravity by any other planet
B. Earth's mass and distance from the satellite
C. the distance from the Sun
D. the large attraction to the Sun
7. If you were designing a space ship to travel to Mars, which of the following features would
help control the shuttle’s inside temperature?
A. insulating materials that can be used to reduce heat loss
B. vents that circulate outside air around the ship
C. clear glass windows on every side to allow sunlight to warm the ship
D. portholes that can be opened to maintain temperature
8. Which of the following forces causes comets to regularly return to the inner solar system after
being gone for many years?
A. friction
B. magnetism
C. electromagnetic force
D. gravity
9. The Earth orbits the Sun once approximately every 365 days.
Which of the following best describes the shape of Earth's orbit?
A. figure eight
B. elliptical
C. spiral
D. circular
10. Manned missions into the far reaches of outer space could require astronauts to be in
weightless environments for years at-a-time. Which of these is an effect of prolonged
weightlessness on the human body?
A. a loss of bone mass
B. a weaker immune system
C. a lack of sleep
D. a stronger heart
11. The red arrow in the image below points to a dust devil on the surface of Mars. Dust devils
are whirling sandstorms that are somewhat similar to tornadoes. Dust devils are common on both
Mars and Earth.
Image modified from NASA/JPL-Caltech
The photo above was taken by one of the many devices that humans have sent to Mars. Based on
the fact that the photo was taken from the ground on Mars, which of the following took the
photo?
A. Viking Orbiter 1
B. Mars Exploration Rover Spirit
C. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
D. Mars Global Surveyor
12. What was the first spacecraft to leave our solar system?
A. Apollo 13
B. Pioneer 11
C. Pioneer 10
D. Voyager 1
13. Jupiter is a planet that...
A. revolves upon its axis and rotates around the Sun.
B. revolves upon its axis and rotates around the Milky Way Galaxy.
C. rotates upon its axis and revolves around the Sun.
D. rotates upon its axis and revolves around the Moon.
14. Which planetary system did the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft begin exploring in 2004?
A. Saturn
B. Uranus
C. Jupiter
D. Neptune
15. Planets in our solar system revolve around the Sun because
A. the Sun is the slowest object in our solar system.
B. the Sun is the most massive object in our solar system.
C. the Sun is the brightest object in our solar system.
D. the Sun is the hottest object in our solar system.
16.
The graph above plots gravitational force versus distance for two asteroids of equal mass
(10 billion kg). When the distance between the asteroids is 1,000 km, the gravitational force
between them is about 6,700 N.
Based on the trend shown in the graph, predict the force between the asteroids when the distance
between them decreases to 850 km.
A. about 9,200 N
B. about 74 N
C. about 6,700 N
D. 0 N
17.
Images courtesy of NASA
The images above show two different views of the surface of Mars. The image on the left was
taken by a lander, while the image on the right was taken by an orbiter. Both the lander and the
orbiter were part of the same mission. The mission had a total of two landers and two orbiters
and lasted from 1975 to 1982. What is the name of this mission?
A. Mars Global Surveyor
B. Viking
C. Mars Exploration Rover
D. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
18. What is the correct timeline for the following space exploration events?
I.
II.
Voyager 2 visits Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
The Apollo missions land humans on the Moon and return lunar samples to Earth.
III.
The Mars Exploration Rover mission studies rock layers up close on Mars.
IV.
The Magellan probe maps the entire surface of Venus using radar.
A. I IV
B. III II
III
II
I
IV
C. II I IV III
D. IV III II I
19. It could take up to 3 years for a manned spacecraft to reach Mars and return to Earth. This is
a long time for a spacecraft to be supplying cool air and oxygen to the crew and to be processing
wastes.
How might manned missions to Mars decrease the energy needed to perform these tasks?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Put the crew in a state of hibernation
Train the crew to live without oxygen.
Put the crew in airtight space suits.
Train the crew to not produce any waste.
20. Which type of force holds galaxies together?
A. magnetic forces
B. gravity
C. friction
D. electrostatic forces
21.
Image courtesy of NASA
The image above shows part of the planet Jupiter and its four largest moons—Io, Europa,
Ganymede, and Callisto. In order to show them in one image, the distances between these bodies
are not shown to scale.
Which spacecraft had a 14-year mission in which it studied these bodies in great detail?
A. Galileo
B. Mariner 10
C. Cassini-Huygens
D. Magellan
22. All the planets orbit the Sun
A. in perfect circles.
B. at the same speed.
C. in triangular orbits.
D. in nearly circular orbits.
23. Examine the diagram below. It shows the relative positions of the inner planets and their
orbits.
Which inner planet would have the longest year?
A. Mercury
B. Mars
C. Earth
D. Venus
24. The planet Mars has two moons, Deimos and Phobos. Phobos is about 9,000 km from Mars
and is about six times more massive than Deimos. Deimos is about 23,000 km from Mars. Upon
which moon does Mars exert a stronger gravitational force?
A. Phobos
B. Deimos and Phobos equally
C. not enough information
D. Deimos
25. The solar day on Mars is almost the same as Earth's solar day. The days are almost the same
because...
A. The rotation rate of Mars is much faster than the rotation rate of Earth.
B. The revolution rate of Mars and Earth around the Sun are nearly equal.
C. The rotation rate of Mars and Earth are nearly equal.
D. The revolution rate of Earth around the Sun is much faster than the revolution rate of Mars.
26. Mars has a solar year that is 22.5 months long, yet the solar day on Mars is about equal to
Earth's. Why is the solar year on Mars almost twice the solar year of Earth?
A. Mars is the same distance from the Sun as Earth.
B. Mars is closer to the Sun than Earth.
C. Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth.
D. Mars has more moons than Earth.
27. When humans first begin traveling to other planets in the future, they will have to bring food,
water, and energy sources from Earth. Humans will need to use these resources
A. during the mission at the planets.
B. while returning to Earth.
C. while traveling to the planets.
D. all of these
28. In 1930, scientists discovered Pluto and labeled it as the ninth and smallest planet in our solar
system. Later, other planet-like objects that were larger than Pluto were discovered. This caused
scientists to redefine the term "planet" in 2006, and Pluto was relabeled as a dwarf planet.
So, the discoveries that followed the finding of Pluto led to the
A. changing of Pluto's physical characteristics.
B. changing of Pluto's composition.
C. changing of Pluto's classification.
D. changing of Pluto's original location.
29. Which planet has a shorter year than Earth's year?
A. A year is the same length on all planets.
B. Mars
C. Neptune
D. Venus
30.
The graph above plots gravitational force versus distance for two asteroids of equal mass
(10 billion kg). Based on the graph, it can be concluded that the gravitational force between the
two asteroids _______ as the distance between them _______.
A. decreases; increases
B. increases; increases
C. remains constant; decreases
D. remains constant; increases
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