Well done to everybody who had a go at last week’s space quiz. A special congratulations must also go to Hamish and Fergus for their informative space talk, and also to Finn and Rory for their excellent presentation of their space research (see photos after the answers!)
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- How many moons does the planet Mars have?
Two. They are named Phobos and Deimos.
- Which is the closest planet to the sun?
Mercury
- What are Saturn’s rings made of?
Billions of pieces of ice, dust and rocks. Some of these particles are as small as a grain of salt, while others are as big as houses.
- How long does it take Jupiter to orbit the sun?
11.9 Earth years (or 11.86 to two decimal places)
- Who was the first British person to venture into space?
Helen Sharman (In May 1991)
- What was the name of the rocket that landed the first men on the moon in 1969?
Apollo 11
- Jupiter was discovered 56 years before the Great Fire of London, in 1610. But who was the famous astronomer who discovered Jupiter?
Galileo (Although Ancient astronomers had undoubtedly seen Jupiter, the planet’s official discovery was credited to Galileo in 1610, when he also discovered some of its major moons.)
- How many major stars make up The Plough? (also known as The Big Dipper)
Seven
- Tim Peake boarded the International Space Station in December 2016. Sandringham were the first school to communicate with Tim Peake in January 2017. What was the name of the first Sandringham student who actually spoke to Tim Peake?
Jessica Leigh
- Hayley’s Comet last appeared in the inner parts of the solar system in 1986. In which year is it next due to appear?
2062
- What is the name of the car-sized rover that landed on mars (in the crater known as Gale on Mars) on the 6th August 2012?
Curiosity
- What special record do scientists and astronomers give to the Boomerang Nebula?
Coldest known place in the Universe!
