Space Shuttle — Questions and answers

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What was a big problem with space travel before the Space Shuttle?

Choices

  1. It was too easy and cheap.
  2. Rockets could be used many times.
  3. Each mission wasted billions of dollars in hardware. ✓
  4. Scientists had too many opportunities.

Answer: Each mission wasted billions of dollars in hardware.

From page 1

What was the big new idea for the Space Shuttle?

Choices

  1. To make space travel more wasteful.
  2. To create a craft that could only launch and never return.
  3. To build a craft that could launch, orbit, and land like an aircraft. ✓
  4. To stop exploring space completely.

Answer: To build a craft that could launch, orbit, and land like an aircraft.

From page 2

What was one of the biggest challenges in building the Space Shuttle?

Choices

  1. Making it fly slowly.
  2. Designing it to get really hot and then land safely. ✓
  3. Making it very small.
  4. Using old materials for its design.

Answer: Designing it to get really hot and then land safely.

From page 3

How many main parts made up the Space Shuttle system?

Choices

  1. One
  2. Two
  3. Three ✓
  4. Four

Answer: Three

From page 4

What was the Orbiter covered with to protect it from heat when returning to Earth?

Choices

  1. Soft blankets
  2. Thousands of intricate ceramic tiles ✓
  3. Metal foil
  4. Wooden panels

Answer: Thousands of intricate ceramic tiles

From page 5

What happened to the Solid Rocket Boosters after they detached from the Shuttle?

Choices

  1. They flew into deep space.
  2. They were destroyed completely.
  3. They deployed parachutes and landed in the Atlantic Ocean to be retrieved. ✓
  4. They attached to another rocket.

Answer: They deployed parachutes and landed in the Atlantic Ocean to be retrieved.

From page 6

What happened to the External Tank after it was used?

Choices

  1. It returned to Earth to be reused.
  2. It floated in space forever.
  3. It burned up harmlessly in the atmosphere. ✓
  4. It landed on a runway.

Answer: It burned up harmlessly in the atmosphere.

From page 7

What famous space telescope did the Space Shuttle help repair?

Choices

  1. The James Webb Space Telescope
  2. The Kepler Space Telescope
  3. The Spitzer Space Telescope
  4. The Hubble Space Telescope ✓

Answer: The Hubble Space Telescope

From page 8

What important space structure did the Space Shuttle help build?

Choices

  1. The Moon base
  2. The International Space Station (ISS) ✓
  3. A Mars colony
  4. A new rocket factory

Answer: The International Space Station (ISS)

From page 9

What year did the Space Shuttle program officially retire?

Choices

  1. 1986
  2. 2003
  3. 2011 ✓
  4. 2020

Answer: 2011

From page 10