Which spacecraft, launched in 1977, is the most distant human-made object from the earth?
- A.Pioneer 10
- B.Voyager 1
- C.New Horizons
- D.Cassini
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Voyager 1. Launched by NASA in 1977, Voyager 1 flew past Jupiter and Saturn, then continued outward and has since crossed into interstellar space, making it the farthest human-made object from the earth. It carries a golden record with sounds and images of our planet, and it took the picture of the earth known as the pale blue dot.
Option A, Pioneer 10, was an earlier probe to Jupiter and was once the most distant object but has been overtaken and no longer sends signals. Option C, New Horizons, flew past Pluto in 2015 and is far away but much closer than the Voyagers. Option D, Cassini, studied Saturn and its moons and was deliberately sent into the planet at the end of its mission in 2017. Voyager 2, the twin, is the only spacecraft to have visited all four giant planets.
Read the full article: Space Agencies and Missions of the World: Exam Notes
Practice Questions
View allWhat is the expansion of NASA?
- A.National Agency of Space Administration
- B.Navigational Aeronautics and Space Administration
- C.National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- D.National Aeronautics and Space Agency
Show answer
NASA is the civilian space agency of the United States, established in 1958 after the launch of Sputnik, with its headquarters at Washington DC.
Read the full explanation →The Indian Space Research Organisation was formed in which year?
- A.1962
- B.1969
- C.1972
- D.1975
Show answer
ISRO was formed on 15 August 1969, taking over the space work that had been carried on since 1962 by the Indian National Committee for Space Research.
Read the full explanation →Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite of the earth, was launched in 1957 by which country?
- A.United States
- B.Soviet Union
- C.United Kingdom
- D.France
Show answer
Sputnik 1 was launched on 4 October 1957 and became the first artificial satellite to circle the earth, sending out a simple radio signal that stations across the world could hear.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first human being to travel into space?
- A.Neil Armstrong
- B.Yuri Gagarin
- C.Alan Shepard
- D.Alexei Leonov
Show answer
The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin circled the earth once aboard Vostok 1 on 12 April 1961 and became the first human being in space, a flight that lasted about one hour and forty eight minutes.
Read the full explanation →What was the name of the first Indian satellite, launched in 1975?
- A.Rohini
- B.Bhaskara
- C.Aryabhata
- D.INSAT-1A
Show answer
India's first satellite was named after the ancient astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata and was launched on 19 April 1975 from a Soviet site, since India did not yet have a launch vehicle of its own.
Read the full explanation →