Terms
Planet Facts
Rockets
Motion of Planets
Miscellaneous
100
What is a magnetosphere?
Magnetic field
100
What planet has liquid water?
Earth
100
What is a rocket used for?
To send probes into space for exploration.
100
What are the two forces that keep a planet in orbit around the sun?
Inertia and Gravity
100
Which scientist from the 2nd century believed that Earth was the center of the universe?
Ptolemy
200
What does retrograde rotation mean?
Reverse rotation. East to west rotation.
200
Which planet has the most moons?
Saturn
200
What does a reaction engine do?
Blasts exploding gases to cause a rocket to shoot forward.
200
What is the path an object takes around another in space called?
Orbit
200
What is the name of the process that traps heat beneath clouds? (found on Venus)
Greenhouse Effect
300
What are meteors?
Shooting stars. Streak of light from a meteoroid.
300
Which planet is the warmest?
Venus
300
Why is it important to know the escape velocity when designing a rocket?
It is the speed a rocket must achieve to escape the gravitational pull of a planet.
300
What is the difference between rotation and revolution?
Rotation: Spins Revolution: Goes around
300
Where is the asteroid belt located?
Between Mars and Jupiter
400
What is the term for the time it takes a planet to rotate on its axis once?
Period of Rotation
400
Why is Mars known as the "red" planet?
Covered in iron oxide (rust).
400
Why was liquid fuel necessary for rockets to work?
It burned slower and allowed a rocket to reach a speed greater than escape velocity.
400
Which planet is the fastest to travel once around the sun?
Mercury
400
What is the law that states an object will stay in motion unless acted upon by another force?
Inertia
500
What does the Nebular Theory state?
Solar system began as a nebula which condensed to form the sun and 8 planets.
500
What are Jupiter's four Galilean Moons?
Io, Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa.
500
What series of probes were sent to gather information on Saturn and Jupiter?
Pioneers
500
Which scientist developed the most current theory about the planets motion around the sun?
Kepler
500
What are the three parts of a comet?
Nucleus, Coma, and Tail
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