Telescopes and space missions

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Why are some telescopes placed in space, by Ari's reading (NASA)?

   • Because ground telescopes cannot see visible light
   • To avoid the Moon's gravity
   • To get above the air, which blurs and blocks some light
   • To get closer to the stars

2. Read this first

   Use this

   The spectrum from radio to gamma rays with the air's open and blocked bands.

3. 2.

   Which kind of light does Earth's air block, so it must be studied from space, by Bo's reading (NASA)?

   • Visible light
   • Red light
   • X-rays
   • Radio waves
4. 3.

   Which kind of light reaches the ground well, even on cloudy days, by Kira's reading (NASA)?

   • Ultraviolet light
   • Gamma rays
   • X-rays
   • Radio waves
5. 4.

   Hubble, 2.4 m, orbiting Earth, about 560 km up; Webb, 6.5 m, orbiting the Sun, 1.5 million km from Earth. Where does the Webb telescope orbit, by Jun's reading (NASA)?

   • On the Moon's surface
   • Around Earth, about 560 km up, like Hubble
   • Around the Sun, about 1.5 million km from Earth
   • Inside the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
6. 5.

   What does a bigger telescope mirror mainly do, by Milo's reading (NASA)?

   • Blocks X-rays
   • Makes the telescope lighter to launch
   • Moves the telescope closer to its target
   • Collects more light, so fainter objects can be seen
7. 6.

   A spacecraft passes a planet without stopping. What kind of mission is it, by Noah's reading?

   • A lander
   • A flyby
   • An orbiter
   • A rover
8. 7.

   NASA's Perseverance drives across Mars's surface. What kind of mission is it, by Pia's reading?

   • An orbiter
   • A rover
   • A flyby
   • A space telescope
9. 8.

   NASA's New Horizons flew past Pluto on July 14, 2015. What kind of mission was that, by Ren's reading?

   • A flyby
   • A ground telescope
   • A rover
   • A lander
10. 9.

    Radio signals travel at the speed of light. How long does a signal take from a spacecraft one light-day away, by Tala's reading?

    • No time; radio is instant
    • About one year
    • About one second
    • About one day
11. 10.

    NASA's Voyager 1 launched in 1977 and entered interstellar space in August 2012. About how many years after launch was that, by Zee's math?

    • About 3.5 years
    • About 12 years
    • About 35 years
    • About 77 years