The Sky Quiz #7

What was the purpose of the Dawn Mission?

study Vesta and Ceres

What kind of body are Vesta and Ceres?

protoplanets, or asteroids

Where are Vesta and Ceres located?

Asteroid Belt

What is the significance of the Dawn Mission?

first to orbit two celestial bodies and first to orbit a dwarf planet

When was the Dawn Mission launched?

2007

When did the Dawn probe enter Vesta’s orbit?

2011

When did the Dawn probe enter Ceres’s orbit? 

2015

When did the Dawn mission end?

2018

What system did the Dawn spacecraft use?

ion propulsion system

What does infrared imaging tell us about Vesta and Ceres?

composition and temperature

What was the purpose of the microchip embedded in the Dawn probe?

promote public interest in space for funding

Who headed the Dawn Mission?

Christopher Russell

Why was it important that the Dawn probe got into a lower orbit?

higher image resolution

What did dark spots on the surface of Vesta indicate?

asteroid impact

What do the ridges found on Vesta’s surface indicate?

evidence of flowing water

What is the composition of Vesta’s core?

metal

What rock formation is similar to the ones on Vesta’s surface?

igneous rocks

What is the classification of Ceres?

dwarf planet

What is the largest body in the asteroid belt?

Ceres

Describe the surface of Ceres.

craters and salt deposits

What may the salt deposits indicate about Ceres?

flowing water

What do traces of ammonia on Ceres tell us about its formation?

formed in a colder region outside the solar system

What year were the Voyager missions launched?

1977

What was the primary mission of Voyager 2?

explore Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

What is the furthest human-made object in space?

Voyager 1

What is the “heliosheath”?

region between the solar system and interstellar space

How did scientists at NASA know the Voyagers entered the heliosheath?

increased plasma density

What was the first mission to share records of humanity through space?

Pioneer 10 and 11

How did the Golden Records communicate information?

phonograph

What did scientists use to preserve the inscriptions on the Golden Records?

gold plated copper

How long are the Golden Records expected to last?

5 billion years

What is the biggest threat to the preservation of the Golden Records?

space dust

What sample did the Golden Records include to date itself?

Uranium-238

What coding did the Golden Records use?

binary code

What element did scientists use as a universal unit of measurement when developing the Golden Records?

hydrogen

What does the pulsar map define?

location of the Sun

How many pulsars did they use on the Pulsar Map of the Golden Records?

14

What do the ends of the lines on the Pulsar Map indicate?

neutron stars

What is a pulsar?

beam of radiation from neutron stars

If properly decoded, what is the first image on the Golden Records?

circle

How many images were included on the Golden Records?

116

How many minutes worth of music were included on the Golden Records?

90

Whose brain waves were included?

Ann Druyan

Whose child is recorded on the Golden Records?

Carl Sagan

Who was the executive director the the Golden Records project?

Carl Sagan

Who was the science communicator who selected sounds for the Golden Records?

Ann Druyan

Who was the technical director of the Golden Records?

Frank Drake