Question 1

In the nuclear fusion of four hydrogen nuclei to form a helium nucleus, the resultant helium nucleus

Accepted Answer

A)  is more massive than the four hydrogen nuclei, the missing mass being converted into energy 
B)  is radioactive, generating energy by ejected electrons from beta decay 
C)  is less massive than the four hydrogen nuclei, the missing mass being converted into energy 
D)  has exactly the same mass as the four hydrogen nuclei, the energy being generated by the helium nucleus rearranging itself by emitting a gamma ray 
A)  is more massive than the four hydrogen nuclei, the missing mass being converted into energy 
B)  is radioactive, generating energy by ejected electrons from beta decay 
C)  is less massive than the four hydrogen nuclei, the missing mass being converted into energy 
D)  has exactly the same mass as the four hydrogen nuclei, the energy being generated by the helium nucleus rearranging itself by emitting a gamma ray

Question 2

What kind of message from Earth was carried by the Voyager probes?

Accepted Answer

A)  a gold-coated copper record 
B)  a plaque 
C)  a DVD 
D)  a VHS tape 
A)  a gold-coated copper record 
B)  a plaque 
C)  a DVD 
D)  a VHS tape

Question 3

When an electron collides with a positron producing a pair of high gamma rays, we call this process

Accepted Answer

A)  pair production 
B)  matter obliteration 
C)  photodisintegration 
D)  annihilation 
A)  pair production 
B)  matter obliteration 
C)  photodisintegration 
D)  annihilation

Question 4

If we accelerate a radioactive isotope of an element in a particle accelerator to a speed close to that of light, what would its observed mass be compared to its mass at rest?

Accepted Answer

A)  higher 
B)  infinite 
C)  zero 
D)  lower 
A)  higher 
B)  infinite 
C)  zero 
D)  lower

Question 5

The antimatter equivalent of an electron is called

Accepted Answer

A)  a positron 
B)  an antielectron 
C)  a posielectron 
D)  a cation electron 
A)  a positron 
B)  an antielectron 
C)  a posielectron 
D)  a cation electron

Question 6

The Project Daedalus starship designed by the British Interplanetary Society in the 1970s was propelled by

Accepted Answer

A)  chemical rockets 
B)  nuclear fusion reactors 
C)  nuclear fission reactors 
D)  the annihilation of matter and antimatter 
A)  chemical rockets 
B)  nuclear fusion reactors 
C)  nuclear fission reactors 
D)  the annihilation of matter and antimatter

Question 7

What is the name of the research program in the 1950s that started to develop nuclear fission reactors that could be flown in rockets?

Accepted Answer

A)  Project Blue Book 
B)  Project Orion 
C)  The Alan Parsons Project 
D)  Project Rover 
A)  Project Blue Book 
B)  Project Orion 
C)  The Alan Parsons Project 
D)  Project Rover

Question 8

According to Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, it is not possible to travel

Accepted Answer

A)  faster than 75 % of the speed of light 
B)  slower than 1 % of the speed of light 
C)  faster than 90 % of the speed of light 
D)  at or faster than the speed of light 
A)  faster than 75 % of the speed of light 
B)  slower than 1 % of the speed of light 
C)  faster than 90 % of the speed of light 
D)  at or faster than the speed of light

Question 9

The idea that other civilizations are waiting for us to reach a certain technological level before revealing themselves to us is referred to as the

Accepted Answer

A)  conspiracy hypothesis 
B)  UFO hypothesis 
C)  sentinel hypothesis 
D)  zoo hypothesis 
A)  conspiracy hypothesis 
B)  UFO hypothesis 
C)  sentinel hypothesis 
D)  zoo hypothesis

Question 10

The rocket equation relates the final velocity of a chemical rocket to

Accepted Answer

A)  the mass of its payload 
B)  the velocity of its exhaust gases and the ratio of the mass of the rocket with all its fuel to the mass of the rocket after all its fuel has been consumed 
C)  the escape velocity of the Earth 
D)  the velocity of its exhaust gases and mass of the rocket before launch 
A)  the mass of its payload 
B)  the velocity of its exhaust gases and the ratio of the mass of the rocket with all its fuel to the mass of the rocket after all its fuel has been consumed 
C)  the escape velocity of the Earth 
D)  the velocity of its exhaust gases and mass of the rocket before launch

Question 11

A solar sail could conceivably be accelerated out into space using

Accepted Answer

A)  light reflected from the Earth 
B)  starlight from the Milky Way 
C)  a giant wind machine constructed in orbit around the Earth 
D)  a powerful laser on Earth 
A)  light reflected from the Earth 
B)  starlight from the Milky Way 
C)  a giant wind machine constructed in orbit around the Earth 
D)  a powerful laser on Earth

Question 12

During the annihilation of matter and antimatter, what percentage of the mass of the colliding particles is converted into energy?

Accepted Answer

A)  0.7% 
B)  0.07% 
C)  70% 
D)  100% 
A)  0.7% 
B)  0.07% 
C)  70% 
D)  100%

Question 13

Approximately what mass ratio is required for a rocket to leave the Earth's gravity?

Accepted Answer

A)  60 
B)  99 
C)  25 
D)  39 
A)  60 
B)  99 
C)  25 
D)  39

Question 14

Which is the most common type of spacecraft propulsion used today?

Accepted Answer

A)  solar sails 
B)  nuclear rockets 
C)  ion engines 
D)  chemical rockets 
A)  solar sails 
B)  nuclear rockets 
C)  ion engines 
D)  chemical rockets

Question 15

In order for a solar sail spacecraft to be accelerated to speeds high enough to accomplish interstellar travel in a reasonable amount of time, it would need to be started

Accepted Answer

A)  from a lunar orbit where the gravity is weaker 
B)  close to Earth using mirrors on the surface to reflect sunlight onto the sails 
C)  far from the Sun so Jupiter could be used to help it on its way using a gravitational assist 
D)  close to the Sun where the radiation pressure is higher 
A)  from a lunar orbit where the gravity is weaker 
B)  close to Earth using mirrors on the surface to reflect sunlight onto the sails 
C)  far from the Sun so Jupiter could be used to help it on its way using a gravitational assist 
D)  close to the Sun where the radiation pressure is higher

Question 16

The Earth's escape velocity is defined to be the

Accepted Answer

A)  minimum orbital speed for the Moon to escape from the Earth's gravity 
B)  minimum orbital speed for the Earth to escape from the Sun's gravity 
C)  minimum velocity required for an object to escape the Earth's gravity 
D)  velocity that objects are pulled toward the Earth's surface by gravity 
A)  minimum orbital speed for the Moon to escape from the Earth's gravity 
B)  minimum orbital speed for the Earth to escape from the Sun's gravity 
C)  minimum velocity required for an object to escape the Earth's gravity 
D)  velocity that objects are pulled toward the Earth's surface by gravity

Question 17

In principle, we could accelerate a matter-antimatter rocket to approximately

Accepted Answer

A)  90 % of the speed of light 
B)  50 % of the speed of light 
C)  30 % of the speed of light 
D)  100 % of the speed of light 
A)  90 % of the speed of light 
B)  50 % of the speed of light 
C)  30 % of the speed of light 
D)  100 % of the speed of light

Question 18

The observed slowing down of time predicted by Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity for an object traveling close to the speed of light is referred to as

Accepted Answer

A)  time dilation 
B)  time expansion 
C)  a time warp 
D)  time contraction 
A)  time dilation 
B)  time expansion 
C)  a time warp 
D)  time contraction

Question 19

Which type of spacecraft does not need to carry any fuel?

Accepted Answer

A)  nuclear rockets 
B)  ion engines 
C)  solar sails 
D)  chemical rockets 
A)  nuclear rockets 
B)  ion engines 
C)  solar sails 
D)  chemical rockets

Question 20

During the nuclear fission of uranium, what percentage of the original mass of the uranium is converted into energy?

Accepted Answer

A)  0.7% 
B)  0.07% 
C)  70% 
D)  100% 
A)  0.7% 
B)  0.07% 
C)  70% 
D)  100%

In the nuclear fusion of four hydrogen nuclei to form a helium nucleus, the resultant helium nucleus

What kind of message from Earth was carried by the Voyager probes?

When an electron collides with a positron producing a pair of high gamma rays, we call this process

If we accelerate a radioactive isotope of an element in a particle accelerator to a speed close to that of light, what would its observed mass be compared to its mass at rest?

The antimatter equivalent of an electron is called

The Project Daedalus starship designed by the British Interplanetary Society in the 1970s was propelled by

What is the name of the research program in the 1950s that started to develop nuclear fission reactors that could be flown in rockets?

According to Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, it is not possible to travel

The idea that other civilizations are waiting for us to reach a certain technological level before revealing themselves to us is referred to as the

The rocket equation relates the final velocity of a chemical rocket to

A solar sail could conceivably be accelerated out into space using

During the annihilation of matter and antimatter, what percentage of the mass of the colliding particles is converted into energy?

Approximately what mass ratio is required for a rocket to leave the Earth's gravity?

Which is the most common type of spacecraft propulsion used today?

In order for a solar sail spacecraft to be accelerated to speeds high enough to accomplish interstellar travel in a reasonable amount of time, it would need to be started

The Earth's escape velocity is defined to be the

In principle, we could accelerate a matter-antimatter rocket to approximately

The observed slowing down of time predicted by Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity for an object traveling close to the speed of light is referred to as

Which type of spacecraft does not need to carry any fuel?

During the nuclear fission of uranium, what percentage of the original mass of the uranium is converted into energy?

The Science of Life in the Universe

The Universal Context of Life

The Habitability of Earth

The Nature of Life on Earth

The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth

Searching for Life in Our Solar System

Mars

Life on Jovian Moons

The Nature and Evolution of Habitability

Habitability Outside the Solar System

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Filters

Exam 13: Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox

In the nuclear fusion of four hydrogen nuclei to form a helium nucleus, the resultant helium nucleus

What kind of message from Earth was carried by the Voyager probes?

When an electron collides with a positron producing a pair of high gamma rays, we call this process

If we accelerate a radioactive isotope of an element in a particle accelerator to a speed close to that of light, what would its observed mass be compared to its mass at rest?

The antimatter equivalent of an electron is called

The Project Daedalus starship designed by the British Interplanetary Society in the 1970s was propelled by

What is the name of the research program in the 1950s that started to develop nuclear fission reactors that could be flown in rockets?

According to Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, it is not possible to travel

The idea that other civilizations are waiting for us to reach a certain technological level before revealing themselves to us is referred to as the

The rocket equation relates the final velocity of a chemical rocket to

A solar sail could conceivably be accelerated out into space using

During the annihilation of matter and antimatter, what percentage of the mass of the colliding particles is converted into energy?

Approximately what mass ratio is required for a rocket to leave the Earth's gravity?

Which is the most common type of spacecraft propulsion used today?

In order for a solar sail spacecraft to be accelerated to speeds high enough to accomplish interstellar travel in a reasonable amount of time, it would need to be started

The Earth's escape velocity is defined to be the

In principle, we could accelerate a matter-antimatter rocket to approximately

The observed slowing down of time predicted by Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity for an object traveling close to the speed of light is referred to as

Which type of spacecraft does not need to carry any fuel?

During the nuclear fission of uranium, what percentage of the original mass of the uranium is converted into energy?

The Science of Life in the Universe

The Universal Context of Life

The Habitability of Earth

The Nature of Life on Earth

The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth

Searching for Life in Our Solar System

Mars

Life on Jovian Moons

The Nature and Evolution of Habitability

Habitability Outside the Solar System

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Filters