Telescopes and space missions

Grade 9 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   A ground telescope's mirror is twice as wide as another's. How much more light does it collect, by Esme's math?

   • The same amount
   • 4 times as much
   • 2 times as much
   • 8 times as much
2. 2.

   A 10 m mirror is compared with a 2.5 m mirror. How many times more light does it collect, by Jun's math?

   • 4 times
   • 64 times
   • 7.5 times
   • 16 times
3. 3.

   Time = distance ÷ 300,000 km/s; distance 225 million km. Mars is 225 million km from Earth on a given day. About how long does a radio command take to reach a rover there, at 300,000 km/s, by Kira's math?

   • No time
   • About 0.75 s
   • About 12.5 minutes
   • About 12.5 hours
4. 4.

   One-way signal time 12.5 minutes. A command takes 12.5 minutes to reach that rover. How long before the team can see the rover's reply, by Luz's math?

   • About 25 minutes
   • At once
   • About 12.5 minutes
   • About 6 minutes
5. 5.

   Light speed 299,792 km/s; one day 86,400 s. A light-day is 299,792 km/s × 86,400 s. About how many kilometers is that, by Milo's math?

   • About 26 billion km
   • About 26 trillion km
   • About 26 million km
   • About 300,000 km

6. Read this first

   Use this

   Four telescope cards, labeled A to D.

7. 6.

   Noah wants to study X-rays from a hot gas cloud. Which telescope fits?

   • An X-ray telescope on a mountaintop
   • A larger visible-light mirror on the ground
   • A radio dish on the ground
   • An X-ray telescope in space
8. 7.

   Pia wants to map radio waves from a distant galaxy. Which telescope fits?

   • A gamma-ray telescope
   • A radio telescope that must be in space
   • A radio dish on the ground
   • A telescope sent close to the galaxy
9. 8.

   New Horizons launched on Jan. 19, 2006 and flew past Pluto on July 14, 2015 (NASA). About how long was the trip, by Tala's math?

   • About 15 years
   • About 9.5 years
   • About 2 years
   • About 6 years
10. 9.

    NASA's Perseverance launched July 30, 2020 and landed Feb. 18, 2021. About how many months was the trip, by Zee's math?

    • About 6.5 months
    • About 2 months
    • It did not land; it is an orbiter
    • About 18 months
11. 10.

    A spacecraft that circles a planet for years, mapping it, is what kind of mission, by Ari's reading?

    • An orbiter
    • A lander
    • A flyby
    • A rover