The final frontier

1 Giotto was a robotic European spacecraft mission launched in 1985 for a very specific mission; in 1986, it succeeded. What was the mission and why was a spacecraft named after a Renaissance painter? If it helps, the answers are related, and the year is very significant?

2 Fiction. Which intrepid traveller uses a device called TARDIS?

3 For what specific purpose was the Antonov 225, the largest and heaviest plane ever built, designed?

4 The US Apollo lunar programme in the late ’60s was launched using the largest and heaviest rockets ever built at the time. What were they named?

5 The Space Shuttle Constitution was the first orbiter of the Space Shuttle system and was launched in 1976. What was it later renamed, after more than a hundred thousand letters from fans of a particular television series?

6 India’s first satellite Aryabhata, was launched by the Soviet Union on April 19, 1975. But in 1980, which was the first satellite to be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle?

7 The DLR-TUBSAT from Germany was the first in 1999. TELEOS 1 and six other satellites from Singapore were the latest of 57, as of December 2015. What is common to all of these satellites?

8 Which cartoon strip inspired the call signs of the Command module and Lunar module of Apollo X, the last experimental space mission before the moon landing in July 1969?

9 Which first happened on the Soviet TM 32 space ship on April 28, 2001?

10 In June 1983, what did Pioneer 10, a space probe originally launched to explore Jupiter in 1972, become the first to achieve?

Answers

1. Giotto was launched to observe Halley’s comet, making a return after 76 years in 1986. Giotto was one of the first painters to depict the comet as the Star of Bethlehem in his painting ‘Adoration of the Magi’

2. Dr. Who in the television series of the same name. TARDIS stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space, and is Dr Who’s time machine

3. It was designed to transport the Buran, Russia’s answer to the Space Shuttle. Only one was ever built

4. The Saturn rockets, which succeeded the Jupiter family of rockets. They are the only launch vehicles to ever transport humans beyond a low earth orbit

5. The Enterprise, named after the Starship Enterprise from the television series Star Trek. President Gerald Ford was also partial to the new name

6. Rohini, put into orbit by the Indian rocket SLV (Satellite Launch Vehicle)

7. All international satellites launched by ISRO, which is regarded as one of the most competitive and reliable satellite delivery systems internationally

8. Peanuts; the modules were called Charlie Brown and Snoopy respectively

9. Dennis Tito became the first tourist in space. He apparently paid $20 million for the privilege

10. It became the first man made object to escape the solar system; it is currently estimated to be approximately 10 billion miles away from Earth

Joy Bhattacharjyais a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup

Follow Joy on Twitter @joybhattacharj

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