Unit 6 Practice questions

Question 1

The latest generation of Mars rovers have been delivered to the surface of Mars using

Answer 1

Sky-crane winches.

Question 2

The first spacecraft sent to Mars to look for signs of life on the surface were:

Answer 2

Viking 1 and 2

Question 3

The Martain length of day (sol) is comparable to Earth’s day. Its year however is

Answer 3

About twice as long.

Question 4

Why is it so much easier to determine the length of the day on Mars than on Venus?

Answer 4

Mars’ atmosphere is generally pretty clear (so the surface is visible) while Venus is always cloudy

Question 5

A “one way” trip to Mars is sometimes considered for the first human settlers to go to Mars. What is one ADVANTAGE for such a mission?

Answer 5

Less fuel and return space vehicle mass needs to be taken.

Question 6

The human face that was imaged by the Viking 1 orbiter on Mars can be explained by:

Answer 6

b.
a psychological phenomenon known as “pareidolia”

c.
an optical illusion caused by the orientation of the surface feature relative to the orbiter

d.
the low resolution of the images returned by Viking

e.
an optical illusion caused by how the surface feature was illuminated at the time

Question 7

One way in which Mars closely resembles the Earth is:

Answer 7

the length of its day (period of rotation)

Question 8

A future Martian tourist standing atop the edge of Valles Marineris looking down into the depts of the largest canyon system in the solar system decides to visit another similarly record-breaking feature on the surface. Where might they go?

Answer 8

Olympus Mons

Question 9

Which statement BEST describes Mars as it was ~ 4 billion years ago?

Answer 9

Very Earth-like with an appreciable atmosphere and liquid water on the surface.

Question 10

Why does Mars have an overall reddish color when we see its surface from afar?

Answer 10

The material of Mars’ surface contains a lot of iron oxide, the same chemistry that makes rusting metals look reddish

Question 11

Astronomers believe that Mars formed with a much thicker atmosphere than it has today. Where did this atmosphere go?

Answer 11

it escaped into space (and some later froze out as Mars got cold)

Question 12

What is NOT evidence studied during the analysis of ALH84001?

Answer 12

pareidolia

Question 13

Warming the Martian surface by an average temperature of -10 degrees Celsius would

Answer 13

Release significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the ice caps.

Question 14

If a radio signal from Earth to Mars takes 5.55 minutes to travel the one-way distance of 100 million kilometers, how long would a round trip (Earth-Mars-Earth) take when the 2 planets are 300 million kilometers apart?

Answer 14

33.3 minutes

Question 15

What is the principal reason(s) for the change(s) in the Martian environment over the past ~4 billion years?

Answer 15

The loss of the global magnetic field (interior solidification) and the subsequent loss of most of its atmosphere.

Question 16

The solar-powered MER rovers which landed on Mars in 2004 with the help of airbags far outlasted their 90-day original mission. How long did the longest lasting of these operate for?

Answer 16

over a decade

Question 17

Which statement MOST accurately reflects the likely situation in the near future for a human settlement on Mars?

Answer 17

Humans and plants would need to exist in pressurized facilities offering good protection from harmful radiation.

Question 18

One of the most impressive features of the geology of Mars is an uplifted area about the size of North America, with volcanoes on it, which is called the

Answer 18

Tharsis Bulge

Question 19

The permanent ice caps on Mars are

Answer 19

Made of water ice (H2O).

Question 20

Mars rovers (such as Opportunity and Curiosity) have identified evidence that their landing sites were once under water. Which of the following is among the kinds of evidence they have identified?

Answer 20

they found rock formations that show the area was under water and also minerals that only form in water

Question 21

Which of the following statements about Valles Marineris, the great “grand canyon system” on Mars is TRUE?

Answer 21

landslides have helped broaden the canyons since they were first formed

Question 22

Ingenuity is

Answer 22

The helicopter (rotar craft) brought to Mars by Perseverance rover.

Question 23

The first colour images of Mars were a little surprising as they indicated

Answer 23

An orange-dusty sky, not blue as on Earth.

Question 24

Which statement BEST describes the 2 Mars satellites, Phobos and Deimos.

Answer 24

Phobos is larger than Deimos.

Question 25

The psychological phenomena that occurs when the human mind attributes a familiar shape to a transient construct (e.g. clouds, shadows, ink blots, etc.)

Answer 25

pareidolia

Question 26

The Viking spacecraft were designed – in part – to search for life on Mars. Which of the following statements about the results of these experiments is true?

Answer 26

Viking found that the surface of Mars in the two places it searched did not have any life or even life’s building blocks

Question 27

Probiotic chemistry can be defined as

Answer 27

The chemical process(es) that allows non-living material to become alive.

Question 28

Radiation exposure is a significant concern when planning a future mission to Mars. What is the longest any human has been outside the protective bubble of Earth’s Van Allen Radiation belts?

Answer 28

crew of Apollo 17 who landed on the Moon: 12 days

Question 29

Curiosity landed in Gale crater and Perseverance landed in Jezero crater. These craters have what in common?

Answer 29

Both craters are believed to be ancient lakes.

Question 30

The Pathfinder/Sojourner mission which arrived at Mars in 1996 employed which of the following techniques for landing on the surface of the planet?

Answer 30

a.
slowing down using parachutes

b.
slowing down using the atmosphere

d.
protecting the spacecraft on impact using airbags

e.
slowing down using retrorockets

Question 31

Planetary scientists point to various pieces of evidence for their having been flowing water on the surface of Mars. Which of the following found on the surface are NOT one of these?

Answer 31

large canyons like Valles Marineris which are similar to the Grand Canyon created by a river

Question 32

Which statement best describes current day Mars?

Answer 32

There is no global magnetic field, and the atmosphere is predominantly carbon dioxide.

Question 33

Who used pre-telescopic era observations of Mars to formulate Laws of Planetary motion?

Answer 33

Kepler

Question 34

Which of the following is a difference between the polar ice caps on Earth and Mars?

Answer 34

the polar caps on Earth are not made of CO2 “dry ice” like on Mars

Question 35

If you were to visit Mars one day, how long would it take for your social media posts to reach your friends and family on Earth (assuming no delays other than signal travel time)?

Answer 35

less than 1 hour