Science: Earth and Space Test 11

Explorer 1

What was the first satellite launched by the United States?

spectroscope

What is a device that splits light into a spectrum for analysis?

meridian

What circle on the celestial sphere runs directly overhead and connects the celestial poles?

ecliptic

What is the path on the celestial sphere that the sun follows in a year?

interferometry

What technique dramatically increases the resolution of radio telescope images by combining data from multiple telescopes?

C.E.

What is the replacement of A.D. that has become popular among those who deny the deity of Jesus?

zenith

What is the point on the celestial sphere directly above an observer?

telescope

What instrument increases an object's brightness by gathering more light than the unaided eye?

14:15

How would 2:15 p.m. be stated in 24-hour time?

primary mirror

What is another name for an objective mirror?

Julian

From which calendar do the English month names come?

Solar Zone

In which climate zone does every location have at least one day a year when the sun is directly overhead?

Temperate Zone

In which climate zone does the sun rise and set every day but is never straight overhead?

Frigid Zones

What two regions of the earth experience at least one day of darkness and one day of daylight?

sidereal time

What type of time is based on the stars?

Mir

What was the first space station designed so that it could be expanded?

(solar) year

What unit of time is based on the period Earth takes to orbit the sun once?

Skylab

What was the first space station launched by the United States?

precession (of the equinoxes)

What term refers to the earth's slow "wobble" on its axis that causes the pole star to change?

gravity assist (or gravitational slingshot)

What maneuver allows a spacecraft to steal a planet's motion, thus increasing its speed and orbit as it flies past?

Hubble Space Telescope

What visible-light telescope was launched into space, enabling seeing without atmospheric distortion?

UTC (or coordinated universal time)

What is the mean solar time at the Prime Meridian called?

Apollo 11

What was the first mission to land a man on the moon?

time for the moon to go through all its phases

How is the lunar month 29 1/2 days defined?

visible spectrum

What is the color sequence of visible light arranged from lowest to highest frequency called?

electromagnetic spectrum

What is formed by ordering all types of electromagnetic waves by increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength?

Jewish

What calendar uses the lunar year with an extra month in certain years to stay in step with the seasons?

radio telescope

What instrument detects low-frequency waves to observe areas in space whose visible light is blocked from reaching Earth?

sun-synchronous orbit

In what type of orbit does a satellite cross the equator at the same local mean solar time on every orbit?

Hohmann transfer orbit

What orbit is the most fuel-efficient way for a spacecraft to move between orbits?

polar orbit

What type of orbit is perpendicular to the equator?

perigee

What term refers to the lowest point in the orbit of an earth-orbiting satellite?

summer time

What is the general term for advancing the clocks by one hour in summer?

distance to the sun

Which of the following factors affects the lengths of the seasons?

when it is closest to earth

At what point in its orbit does an Earth-orbiting satellite travel the fastest?

Salyut I

What was the first space station launched?

China

What was the third nation to successfully launch a manned spacecraft?

navigational satellites

What type of satellites are the satellites of the Global Positioning System?

Military satellites

Which type of satellites help defend countries against attack and can photograph foreign installations?

detecting different forms of electromagnetic radiation

How do Earth observation satellites work?

reflecting

A telescope that uses a large, curved mirror as the objective is a(n) telescope.

space shuttle

The first type of spacecraft designed to be reused was the .

space probe

An unmanned spacecraft launched specifically to explore the unknown is a(n) .

week

The unit of time, larger than a day, that is not based on the motion of a heavenly body is the .

Sputnik 1

The first artificial object to orbit the earth was .

escape velocity

The speed at which a spacecraft must be traveling to leave Earth's gravity without using its rockets anymore is called .

equinoxes

The two points at which the apparent path of the sun crosses the celestial equator are called .

Yuri Gagarin

the first person to travel in space

John Glenn

the first American to orbit the earth

Yang Liwei

the first Chinese astronaut

Robert Goddard

the Father of Modern Rocketry

Neil Armstrong

the first human being to set foot on the moon

anno Domini

true/false: The abbreviation A.D. stands for After death.

geostationary

true/false: A satellite stays above the same point on the earth's surface in a polar orbit.

solstices

true/false: The sun's northernmost and southernmost points on the ecliptic are called equinoxes.

liquid-fuel

A rocket that uses various combinations of liquid chemicals that expand greatly when they react with each other is called a solid-fuel rocket.

true

true/false: When white light shines through a gas and then passes through a prism, the broad spectrum of color will show narrow, dark lines called absorption lines.

true

true/false: A satellite equipped with special devices to detect radiation that cannot penetrate Earth's atmosphere is an astronomical satellite.

true

true/false: Any activity performed by an astronaut outside a spacecraft is called an EVA

The star is traveling away from Earth because its spectrum is redshifted.

An astronomer compared the spectrum of a star to a spectrum obtained from a laboratory sample of gases. The spectrum from the star was shifted toward lower frequencies compared to the laboratory spectrum. From this data, what can the astronomer conclude about the star's motion? Why?

Reflecting telescopes use mirrors to gather light.

Which of the following best describes the main difference between reflecting and refracting telescopes?

The length of the solar day depends on the sun's position on the ecliptic.

Which of the following statements best explains why a solar and sidereal day are not the same?

Earth is closer to the sun during the winter.

Miriam and Olivia live in the United States. To find out how long a season is, they counted the days on a calendar from the start of a season to the end. Miriam counted the summer days and found out that summer is 93 days long. Olivia counted the winter days and found that winter is only 89 days long. Their teacher said that they are both correct. Which of the following explains their data?

south, because Betelgeuse is near the celestial equator

London, England, is located near 51 1/2 degrees N latitude. The star Betelgeuse is located about 7 1/2 degrees north of the celestial equator. What direction would an observer in London have to look to see Betelgeuse's upper transit? How do you know?

It is lower than 800 km because the satellite sped up.

At an altitude of 800 km, a satellite is moving at 26,500 km/h. On the other side of its orbit, it is moving at 28,000 km/h. What can you determine about the satellite's altitude at this point?

The kingdom should switch to the new Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar has a year that is longer than a solar year, which means that over time, the dates in the Julian calendar don't match up with the seasons. This problem will keep getting bigger as the years go by.

You are a royal astronomer living in the mid-1500s. Your country has used the Julian calendar for centuries. Several countries around you have switched to the new Gregorian calendar. The king has ordered you to prepare a report of scientific reasons whether your country should switch as well. State your recommendation and briefly explain the scientific evidence for your recommendation.