Question 1

Choose from the spacecraft below for the following questions:
-the only spacecraft listed that remains in Earth's orbit

Accepted Answer

A) Curiosity 
B) New Horizon 
C) Cassini 
D) Hubble Space Telescope 
E) Galileo orbiter 
A) Curiosity 
B) New Horizon 
C) Cassini 
D) Hubble Space Telescope 
E) Galileo orbiter

Question 2

Choose from the spacecraft below for the following questions:
-is the first spacecraft to fly by Pluto

Accepted Answer

A) Curiosity 
B) New Horizon 
C) Cassini 
D) Hubble Space Telescope 
E) Galileo orbiter 
A) Curiosity 
B) New Horizon 
C) Cassini 
D) Hubble Space Telescope 
E) Galileo orbiter

Question 3

All comets orbit the Sun in the same direction as the planets.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Which of the following is not a real difference between asteroids and comets?

Accepted Answer

A) Asteroids orbit the Sun while comets just float randomly around in the Oort cloud. 
B) Most asteroids are located much nearer to the Sun than most comets. 
C) It is thought that comets are far more numerous than asteroids. 
D) Asteroids are made mostly of rock and comets are made mostly of ice. 
A) Asteroids orbit the Sun while comets just float randomly around in the Oort cloud. 
B) Most asteroids are located much nearer to the Sun than most comets. 
C) It is thought that comets are far more numerous than asteroids. 
D) Asteroids are made mostly of rock and comets are made mostly of ice.

Question 5

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the outer planets?

Accepted Answer

A) They have very few,if any,satellites. 
B) They are all large balls of gas. 
C) They are primarily made of hydrogen and helium. 
D) Their orbits are separated by relatively large distances. 
E) They all have rings. 
A) They have very few,if any,satellites. 
B) They are all large balls of gas. 
C) They are primarily made of hydrogen and helium. 
D) Their orbits are separated by relatively large distances. 
E) They all have rings.

Question 6

The Cassini mission to Saturn consists of

Accepted Answer

A) an orbiter that orbits Saturn and a probe that descended to the surface of Titan. 
B) a large spacecraft that flew by Saturn on its way to other planets. 
C) an orbiter that orbits Saturn and a probe that descended into Saturn's atmosphere. 
D) a spacecraft that orbits Saturn and a sample return mission that landed on Titan,scooped up a surface sample,and will return it to Earth. 
A) an orbiter that orbits Saturn and a probe that descended to the surface of Titan. 
B) a large spacecraft that flew by Saturn on its way to other planets. 
C) an orbiter that orbits Saturn and a probe that descended into Saturn's atmosphere. 
D) a spacecraft that orbits Saturn and a sample return mission that landed on Titan,scooped up a surface sample,and will return it to Earth.

Question 7

Process of Science: In order for us to understand how the solar system got to be that way it is,we must identify the major solar system patterns that our formation theory must explain.Name 3 patterns of motion or planetary arrangement/location that our theory should be able to explain.

Accepted Answer

1.Planets orbit in the same direction.
2

Question 8

Which of the following is not a pattern of motion in our solar system?

Accepted Answer

A) Planets all orbit in the same direction. 
B) Planets all rotate in the same direction. 
C) Planets all orbit the same direction as the Sun's spin. 
D) Large planets all have many moons orbiting them. 
A) Planets all orbit in the same direction. 
B) Planets all rotate in the same direction. 
C) Planets all orbit the same direction as the Sun's spin. 
D) Large planets all have many moons orbiting them.

Question 9

What is the Kuiper belt?

Accepted Answer

A) a region of the solar system that extends almost a fourth of the way to the nearest stars and contains a trillion comets with orbits going in all directions around the Sun 
B) a technical name for the asteroid belt 
C) the most prominent ring of Saturn that is visible in photographs 
D) a region of the solar system beginning just beyond the orbit of Neptune that contains many icy bodies,including Pluto 
A) a region of the solar system that extends almost a fourth of the way to the nearest stars and contains a trillion comets with orbits going in all directions around the Sun 
B) a technical name for the asteroid belt 
C) the most prominent ring of Saturn that is visible in photographs 
D) a region of the solar system beginning just beyond the orbit of Neptune that contains many icy bodies,including Pluto

Question 10

Which planet listed below has the most extreme seasons?

Accepted Answer

A) Uranus 
B) Mars 
C) Earth 
D) Jupiter 
A) Uranus 
B) Mars 
C) Earth 
D) Jupiter

Question 11

The more massive planets in the solar system tend to be less dense than the lower mass planets.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Where does nuclear fusion occur in the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A) on the surface 
B) anywhere below the surface 
C) in its core 
D) just above the visible surface 
E) all of the above 
A) on the surface 
B) anywhere below the surface 
C) in its core 
D) just above the visible surface 
E) all of the above

Question 13

Astronomers have decided that,rather than being a planet,Pluto is really just a large member of

Accepted Answer

A) the asteroid belt. 
B) the Kuiper belt. 
C) the Oort cloud. 
D) the moon system around Neptune. 
E) an extrasolar planetary system. 
A) the asteroid belt. 
B) the Kuiper belt. 
C) the Oort cloud. 
D) the moon system around Neptune. 
E) an extrasolar planetary system.

Question 14

How does the Sun's mass compare with that of the planets?

Accepted Answer

A) It is a hundred times more massive than Earth. 
B) It is a thousand times more massive than Earth. 
C) It is a hundred times more massive than all the planets combined. 
D) It is a thousand times more massive than all the planets combined. 
E) It is about as massive as all the planets combined. 
A) It is a hundred times more massive than Earth. 
B) It is a thousand times more massive than Earth. 
C) It is a hundred times more massive than all the planets combined. 
D) It is a thousand times more massive than all the planets combined. 
E) It is about as massive as all the planets combined.

Question 15

For the following questions,classify the spacecraft in one of these categories:
-dropped a probe into Jupiter on December 7,1995

Accepted Answer

A) Earth orbiter 
B) flyby 
C) planetary orbiter 
D) lander 
A) Earth orbiter 
B) flyby 
C) planetary orbiter 
D) lander

Question 16

Process of Science: Explain the varied ways in which we continue to explore the Solar System.

Accepted Answer

We learned about the nature of planets t

Question 17

Choose from the spacecraft below for the following questions:
-is currently in orbit around Saturn

Accepted Answer

A) Curiosity 
B) New Horizon 
C) Cassini 
D) Hubble Space Telescope 
E) Galileo orbiter 
A) Curiosity 
B) New Horizon 
C) Cassini 
D) Hubble Space Telescope 
E) Galileo orbiter

Question 18

Which of the following is not true of Mercury?

Accepted Answer

A) It has many moons. 
B) At any given time,about half the planet is colder than Antarctica. 
C) Its surface is heavily cratered. 
D) Mercury has essentially no atmosphere. 
A) It has many moons. 
B) At any given time,about half the planet is colder than Antarctica. 
C) Its surface is heavily cratered. 
D) Mercury has essentially no atmosphere.

Question 19

Which planet (besides Earth)has been visited by the largest number of robotic spacecraft?

Accepted Answer

A) Jupiter 
B) Venus 
C) Mars 
D) Saturn 
A) Jupiter 
B) Venus 
C) Mars 
D) Saturn

Question 20

The most metal-rich terrestrial planet is

Accepted Answer

A) Mercury. 
B) Venus. 
C) Earth. 
D) the Moon. 
E) Mars. 
A) Mercury. 
B) Venus. 
C) Earth. 
D) the Moon. 
E) Mars.

Exam 7: Our Planetary System

Choose from the spacecraft below for the following questions: -the only spacecraft listed that remains in Earth's orbit

Choose from the spacecraft below for the following questions: -is the first spacecraft to fly by Pluto

All comets orbit the Sun in the same direction as the planets.

Which of the following is not a real difference between asteroids and comets?

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the outer planets?

The Cassini mission to Saturn consists of

Process of Science: In order for us to understand how the solar system got to be that way it is,we must identify the major solar system patterns that our formation theory must explain.Name 3 patterns of motion or planetary arrangement/location that our theory should be able to explain.

Which of the following is not a pattern of motion in our solar system?

What is the Kuiper belt?

Which planet listed below has the most extreme seasons?

The more massive planets in the solar system tend to be less dense than the lower mass planets.

Where does nuclear fusion occur in the Sun?

Astronomers have decided that,rather than being a planet,Pluto is really just a large member of

How does the Sun's mass compare with that of the planets?

For the following questions,classify the spacecraft in one of these categories: -dropped a probe into Jupiter on December 7,1995

Process of Science: Explain the varied ways in which we continue to explore the Solar System.

Choose from the spacecraft below for the following questions: -is currently in orbit around Saturn

Which of the following is not true of Mercury?

Which planet (besides Earth)has been visited by the largest number of robotic spacecraft?

The most metal-rich terrestrial planet is

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Formation of the Solar System

Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Birth

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The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

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The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

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