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?

   • 4 times as much
   • 2 times as much
   • The same amount
   • 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?

   • 7.5 times
   • 64 times
   • 16 times
   • 4 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?

   • About 12.5 hours
   • About 0.75 s
   • No time
   • About 12.5 minutes
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?

   • At once
   • About 25 minutes
   • About 6 minutes
   • About 12.5 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 million km
   • About 26 trillion km
   • About 26 billion 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 in space
   • An X-ray telescope on a mountaintop
   • A radio dish on the ground
   • A larger visible-light mirror on the ground
8. 7.

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

   • A telescope sent close to the galaxy
   • A radio dish on the ground
   • A radio telescope that must be in space
   • A gamma-ray telescope
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 2 years
   • About 9.5 years
   • About 6 years
   • About 15 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
    • It did not land; it is an orbiter
    • About 2 months
    • 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 rover
    • A lander
    • A flyby