To study which one of the following was a spacecraft launched that would be farthest from the Sun and would run exclusively on solar power ?
- A.Jupiter's Trojan asteroids
- B.Saturn's rings and moons
- C.Mars' atmosphere
- D.Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. NASA's Lucy mission, launched in October 2021, is the solar-powered spacecraft that travels farthest from the Sun to study the Trojan asteroids. The Trojans are two swarms of small bodies that share Jupiter's orbit, one moving ahead of the planet and one behind it. They are thought to be leftovers from the formation of the planets, so scientists call them fossils of the early solar system. Lucy carries two large circular solar arrays instead of a nuclear battery and will fly past several Trojans over about twelve years. It is named after the famous fossil of an early human ancestor. Option B is wrong because Saturn's rings and moons were studied by Cassini, which ran on nuclear power. Option C is wrong because Mars is much closer to the Sun, and missions such as MAVEN studied its atmosphere. Option D is wrong because no solar-powered craft could work in the Kuiper Belt; New Horizons used a nuclear power source. Exam tip: Lucy, 2021, Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, solar powered.
Practice Questions
View allWhich one of the following is India's first indigenously designed and developed long-range subsonic cruise missile which can be deployed from multiple platforms?
- A.Astra
- B.Akash
- C.Nirbhay
- D.Shankhnaad
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Nirbhay is the long-range subsonic cruise missile designed and developed in India by the DRDO. Nirbhay was developed by DRDO's Aeronautical Development Establishment in Bengaluru.
Read the full explanation →"Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge" (MANAK), a scheme under the flagship programme, Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE), caters to :
- A.The college students studying in the undergraduate programme in the age group of 19 - 25 years.
- B.The research scholars in recognized research laboratories of national importance.
- C.The college teachers of the country.
- D.The school children studying in classes 6 - 10 in the age group of 10 - 15 years.
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INSPIRE-MANAK is the school-level part of INSPIRE. INSPIRE is run by the Department of Science and Technology to draw young talent into science.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements is not correct?
- A.BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile made by India and Russian Federation.
- B.The name BrahMos came from two rivers, Brahmaputra of India and Moskva of Russia.
- C.Indian military scientists were capable of integrating BrahMos cruise missile with Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter.
- D.Defence Research and Development Organization is the manufacturer of Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter.
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The Sukhoi-30 MKI is not made by DRDO; it was designed by Russia's Sukhoi bureau and is built in India under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at Nashik.
Read the full explanation →'Tejas' is the name of which one of the following?
- A.Main battle tank
- B.Nuclear submarine
- C.Light combat aircraft
- D.Aircraft carrier
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Tejas is India's indigenous single-engine light combat aircraft built for the Indian Air Force. The Light Combat Aircraft programme was started in the 1980s to replace the ageing MiG-21 fleet.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is an indigenous assault rifle developed by DRDO?
- A.Heckler
- B.T91
- C.Tikka
- D.Ugram
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Ugram is a 7.62 mm assault rifle designed in India by DRDO for the armed forces and police. Ugram was developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune, a DRDO laboratory, together with a private Hyderabad firm, Dvipa Armour India, and it was unveiled in January 2024.
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