History
"One small step for man . . . one giant leap for mankind." is the famous quote from this astronaut who was the first man on the moon.
Who is Neil Armstrong?
John Houbolt was a NASA engineer famous for advocating a mission plan that involved sending astronauts into lunar orbit before landing on this celestial body. What is the name of this object?
What is THE MOON?
This is the prevailing theory for how the universe began--densely packed matter followed by rapid expansion and cooling.
What is the BIG BANG>?
This iconic US federal agency was established in 1958 to lead civilian space exploration and aeronautics research.
What is NATIONAL AERONAUTIC AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA)?
This mysterious substance makes up roughly 27% of the cosmos and stretches across intergalactic space.
What is DARK MATTER?
This was the name of the first cosmonaut who flew into Earth's orbit.
Who was Yuri Gagarin?
Participating in a citizen science program run by the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) in partnership with NASA, Nicole “Nicolinha” Oliveira earned the title of the world’s youngest Latinx astronomer at just 8 years old! She logged multiple detections of these celestial objects that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. What are these bodies called?
What are ASTEROIDS?
This hypothetical class of subatomic particles stands for "Weakly Interacting Massive Particles" and remains a leading candidate for dark matter.
What are WIMPs?
Continuously occupied by international crews since November 2000, this modular, habitable artificial satellite orbits Earth roughly every 90 minutes.
What is the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS)?
This nearest major spiral galaxy is on a collision course with the Milky Way, expected to merge in about 4.5 billion years.
What is the ANDROMEDA GALAXY (M31?)
Ten years before any mammal left Earth, these tiny insects were the actual first animals sent into space, launched aboard a U.S. V-2 rocket in 1947.
What are FRUIT FLIES?
Nancy G. Roman was a trailblazing scientist who played a key role in the development of this famous space telescope that has provided breathtaking images of the universe since the 1990s. What is the name of this telescope?
What is THE HUBBLE?
This phenomena, also responsible for the change in sound when cars go by, is one of the main observable occurrences supporting the idea that the universe is constantly expanding.
What is DOPPLER SHIFT (or DOPPLER EFFECT, or RED SHIFT)?
Designed to send astronauts and heavy payloads back to the Moon under the Artemis program, this super duper heavy-lifting rocket is known by this three-letter acronym.
What is the SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM (SLS)?
The Milky Way and Andromeda belong to this collection of roughly 54 gravitationally bound galaxies.
What is the LOCAL GROUP?
In 1609, this German astronomer updated Copernicus's heliocentric model of the universe to include elliptical orbits. Three Laws of Planetary Motion also claim his name.
Who was Kepler?
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate Franklin Chang Díaz, a renowned astronaut and scientist from this Central American country who was the first Hispanic person to go to space! Which country is his home: one of 2 official "Blue Zones" in the Western hemisphere?
What is COSTA RICA?
This faint glow left over from the Big Bang permeates all of space and acts as a snapshot of the infant universe.
What is COSMIC BACKGROUND RADIATION?
The NASA spacecraft MESSENGER was the first to orbit Mercury. What does this famous backronym stand for?
What is MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging?
These massive, luminous active galactic nuclei are powered by supermassive black holes feasting on matter billions of light-years away.
What are quasars?
Launched in 1977, the Voyager spacecraft carries a time capsule in the form of this early audio device made out of a gold-plated copper disc.
What is a phonograph record?
Dorothy Vaughan was a pioneering mathematician and scientist known for her groundbreaking work at NASA. She was a trailblazer in developing skills in this field, which was critical to the success of early space programs. What skill did she master that made her a pioneer in this digital field?
What is COMPUTER PROGRAMMING?
In 1974, this physicist proved that black holes aren't completely black, but rather emit a faint thermal radiation that causes them to slowly evaporate.
Who is STEPHEN HAWKING?
After returning a sample from asteroid Bennu, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was redirected as OSIRIS-APEX. What is the exact full expansion of the original OSIRIS-REx acronym?
What is ORIGINS, SPECTRAL INTERPRETATION, RESOURCE IDENTIFICATION, SECURITY, REGOLITH EXPLORER?
This colossal cosmic structure contains the Local Group and tens of thousands of other galaxies, anchored by the Great Attractor.
What is the Laniakea Supercluster (or Virgo Supercluster)?