Observational Astronomy
Space History
Astrophysics
On The Ground
Space At The Movies
200
Slated for launch late this year or early next year, this space telescope's field of view will be nearly 100 times larger than Hubble's.
What is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope?
200
She orbited the Earth 48 times, making her the first woman in space and the only woman to date to fly a solo mission in space.
Who is Valentina Tereshkova?
200
This boundary around a black hole marks the point beyond which not even light can escape.
What is the event horizon?
(or)
What is the Schwarzschild radius?
200
Holding over 6.3 million gallons of water, this training facility at Johnson Space Center in Houston is the largest indoor body of water in the US, and among the largest in the world.
What is the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL)?
200
This modern classic directed by Christopher Nolan features astronauts traveling through a wormhole near Saturn in search of a new habitable world.
What is Interstellar?
400
The ERAU 1-meter observatory telescope is an example of this type of reflector.
What is a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope?
400
Announced on April 9, 1959, this group of military test pilots became America's first astronauts.
Who are the Mercury Seven?
400
This star type is the most energetic of the main sequence.
What are O-type stars?
400
The Deep Space Network is composed of 3 ground stations - one in each of these cities.
What are Goldstone, California; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia?
400
This 1998 action flick left moviegoers wondering if it would be easier to train astronauts to drill oil, rather than the other way around.
What is Armageddon?
600
This parameter is used by astronomers to classify the brightness of stars as seen from Earth, where smaller or negative numbers indicate brighter objects.
What is apparent magnitude?
600
Sometimes referred to as the "von Braun of the USSR," this engineer was the driving force behind the Soviet space program during the 1950s and 60s.
Who is Sergei Korolev?
600
The cosmic microwave background radiation makes empty space approximately this temperature. (+/- 5% range acceptable)
What is 2.73 K?
600
While early STS concepts promised a refurbishment period of under a week, in actuality, the fastest Orbiter turnaround time ended up being this long. (+/- 15% range acceptable)
What is 54 days?
600
In this intense 2013 thriller, an astronaut played by Sandra Bullock struggles to survive after debris destroys her space shuttle in orbit.
What is Gravity?
800
This optical feature puts the "Schmidt" in "Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope."
What is a corrector plate?
800
Despite being plagued by numerous severe issues including a fire, a rapid depressurization caused by a crash during docking, and a chronic mold & bacteria infestation, this '90s program paved the way for future international cooperation in space.
What is the Shuttle-Mir program?
800
This parameter describes the minimum mass necessary to initiate the spontaneous collapse of a cloud of gas.
What is the Jeans mass?
800
Each hour of a spacewalk requires this much training time beforehand.
What is 6 hours?
800
This 1997 Hollywood adaptation of a Carl Sagan novel explores the implications of first contact with extraterrestrial life.
What is Contact?
1000
This type of detector replaced photographic plates in most observatories during the late 20th century, and is valued for its high quantum efficiency and linear response to light.
What is a charge-coupled device (CCD)?
1000
This old-timer was the first known astronomer to propose a heliocentric model.
Who is Aristarchus of Samos? (ca. 310-230 BCE)
1000
In high-energy astrophysics, this limit defines the maximum attainable luminosity for a star or accreting object before radiation pressure blows material away.
What is the Eddington luminosity?
1000
Located in Chile’s Atacama Desert, this array of radio telescopes studies the cold universe, including molecular clouds and protoplanetary disks.
What is the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array?
1000
Commonly cited as one of the worst movies ever made, this 1964 holiday film features Martians Momar and Kimar resorting to... unorthodox measures in an attempt to instill holiday values in their children.
What is Santa Claus Conquers the Martians?