What year did the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occur?
a) 1984
b) 1986
c) 1990
d) 1992
Answer: b) 1986
The Challenger disaster happened on which space shuttle mission?
a) STS-1
b) STS-51-L
c) STS-107
d) STS-135
Answer: b) STS-51-L
The explosion of the Challenger occurred how many seconds after liftoff?
a) 36 seconds
b) 73 seconds
c) 104 seconds
d) 162 seconds
Answer: b) 73 seconds
The disaster resulted in the deaths of how many astronauts?
a) 5
b) 7
c) 9
d) 11
Answer: b) 7
What was the cause of the Challenger disaster?
a) Engine failure
b) Collision with space debris
c) O-ring seal failure
d) Pilot error
Answer: c) O-ring seal failure
Who was the teacher selected to fly on the Challenger mission?
a) Sally Ride
b) Mae Jemison
c) Christa McAuliffe
d) Judith Resnik
Answer: c) Christa McAuliffe
Which company manufactured the solid rocket boosters for the Space Shuttle?
a) Boeing
b) Lockheed Martin
c) Northrop Grumman
d) Morton Thiokol
Answer: d) Morton Thiokol
The Challenger disaster led to the suspension of the Space Shuttle program for how long?
a) 6 months
b) 1 year
c) 2 years
d) 3 years
Answer: c) 2 years
Which government agency was responsible for the Space Shuttle program?
a) NASA
b) ESA
c) Roscosmos
d) CNSA
Answer: a) NASA
The Rogers Commission was formed to investigate what?
a) Challenger explosion
b) Mars exploration
c) Moon landing hoax
d) International Space Station
Answer: a) Challenger explosion
Which president was in office during the Challenger disaster?
a) Ronald Reagan
b) George H.W. Bush
c) Bill Clinton
d) Jimmy Carter
Answer: a) Ronald Reagan
The O-rings that failed in the Challenger disaster were part of what system?
a) Cooling system
b) Communication system
c) Propulsion system
d) Life support system
Answer: c) Propulsion system
Which astronaut was the commander of the Challenger mission?
a) Michael J. Smith
b) Francis R. Scobee
c) Ellison S. Onizuka
d) Richard D. Scobee
Answer: b) Francis R. Scobee
The Challenger disaster resulted in changes to what aspect of spaceflight?
a) Launch procedures
b) Orbital mechanics
c) Space suit design
d) Lunar exploration
Answer: a) Launch procedures
What was the name of the shuttle that replaced the Challenger?
a) Discovery
b) Endeavour
c) Atlantis
d) Columbia
Answer: b) Endeavour
Who was the chairman of the Rogers Commission?
a) Neil Armstrong
b) Richard Feynman
c) William P. Rogers
d) Carl Sagan
Answer: c) William P. Rogers
The Challenger disaster led to improvements in what safety feature?
a) Escape pods
b) Launch escape system
c) Fire suppression system
d) Radiation shielding
Answer: b) Launch escape system
What was the primary objective of the STS-51-L mission?
a) Satellite deployment
b) Lunar landing
c) Spacewalks
d) Microgravity experiments
Answer: a) Satellite deployment
What was the name of the primary O-ring that failed in the disaster?
a) Alpha O-ring
b) Beta O-ring
c) Delta O-ring
d) Solid O-ring
Answer: a) Alpha O-ring
The Challenger disaster led to the redesign of what space shuttle component?
a) Main engines
b) External fuel tank
c) Cockpit controls
d) Payload bay doors
Answer: b) External fuel tank
What was the role of the Morton Thiokol engineers in the Challenger disaster?
a) Pilots
b) Astronauts
c) Mission control
d) Recommending launch despite concerns
Answer: d) Recommending launch despite concerns
How many astronauts were aboard the Challenger during the disaster?
a) 5
b) 7
c) 9
d) 11
Answer: b) 7
Which of these was not a contributing factor to the Challenger disaster?
a) Cold weather
b) Design flaws
c) Human error
d) Solar radiation
Answer: d) Solar radiation
The STS-51-L mission was originally intended to launch from which launch pad?
a) Launch Complex 39A
b) Vandenberg Space Launch Complex
c) Launch Complex 40
d) Baikonur Cosmodrome
Answer: a) Launch Complex 39A
What was the name of the second shuttle to fly after the Challenger disaster?
a) Discovery
b) Endeavour
c) Atlantis
d) Columbia
Answer: a) Discovery
The Rogers Commission found that NASA had a culture of what concerning safety concerns?
a) Transparency
b) Openness
c) Accountability
d) Impulsiveness
Answer: d) Impulsiveness
What event directly preceded the explosion of the Challenger?
a) Stage separation
b) Ignition of the main engines
c) Solid rocket booster ignition
d) Crew cabin depressurization
Answer: c) Solid rocket booster ignition
The Challenger disaster had what impact on the shuttle program’s schedule?
a) Accelerated launches
b) No impact
c) Delays
d) Extended mission durations
Answer: c) Delays
What was the name of the company that built the Space Shuttle orbiters?
a) Boeing
b) Lockheed Martin
c) Northrop Grumman
d) Rockwell International
Answer: d) Rockwell International
The Rogers Commission determined that the O-ring failure was caused by what factor?
a) Aging spacecraft
b) Inadequate funding
c) Cold weather
d) Lack of skilled engineers
Answer: c) Cold weather
The Rogers Commission included members from what professions?
a) Politicians only
b) Engineers only
c) Diverse fields
d) Pilots only
Answer: c) Diverse fields
Which of these shuttle missions marked the first return to space after the Challenger disaster?
a) STS-26
b) STS-51-L
c) STS-107
d) STS-135
Answer: a) STS-26
The Challenger disaster led to increased focus on what aspect of space shuttle launches?
a) Public relations
b) Communication with astronauts
c) Launch pad security
d) Safety and risk assessment
Answer: d) Safety and risk assessment
What type of engines powered the Space Shuttle orbiter?
a) Jet engines
b) Rocket engines
c) Turbofan engines
d) Ion engines
Answer: b) Rocket engines
Which astronaut on the Challenger mission was a payload specialist?
a) Michael J. Smith
b) Ellison S. Onizuka
c) Ronald McNair
d) Gregory Jarvis
Answer: d) Gregory Jarvis
The Rogers Commission concluded that communication breakdown played a role in the disaster. Who failed to communicate effectively?
a) Engineers at Morton Thiokol
b) Astronauts
c) NASA administrators
d) Mission control
Answer: a) Engineers at Morton Thiokol
What was the purpose of the O-rings in the shuttle’s solid rocket boosters?
a) Insulation
b) Propulsion
c) Communication
d) Navigation
Answer: a) Insulation
Who famously said, “The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave” during the Challenger disaster memorial service?
a) Ronald Reagan
b) George H.W. Bush
c) Bill Clinton
d) Jimmy Carter
Answer: a) Ronald Reagan
The Challenger disaster occurred during which phase of the mission?
a) Launch
b) Re-entry
c) Spacewalk
d) Docking
Answer: a) Launch
What was the name of the space shuttle orbiter involved in the Challenger disaster?
a) Discovery
b) Challenger
c) Endeavour
d) Columbia
Answer: b) Challenger
Which document signed by engineers expressed concern about the O-rings’ performance in cold weather before the Challenger launch?
a) The Challenger Warning
b) The Cold Weather Report
c) The Morton Memo
d) The Engineer’s O-Ring Letter
Answer: c) The Morton Memo
The Challenger disaster was attributed to a failure of what organizational principle within NASA?
a) Safety culture
b) Innovation
c) Collaboration
d) Financial management
Answer: a) Safety culture
The Rogers Commission found that the O-rings’ failure occurred at what temperature?
a) Below freezing
b) Room temperature
c) Extremely high
d) Variable
Answer: a) Below freezing
What NASA official faced criticism for their role in the Challenger disaster?
a) Neil Armstrong
b) Richard Feynman
c) Jesse Jackson
d) Larry King
Answer: b) Richard Feynman
The explosion of the Challenger led to changes in how NASA selected what type of personnel?
a) Engineers
b) Astronauts
c) Administrators
d) Pilots
Answer: b) Astronauts
What document was released by NASA to address the issues identified by the Rogers Commission?
a) The Challenger Safety Manual
b) The NASA Redesign Report
c) The STS-51-L Report
d) The Implementation Plan
Answer: d) The Implementation Plan
The Challenger disaster had what impact on the space shuttle program’s funding?
a) Increased funding
b) Decreased funding
c) No impact on funding
d) Shifted funding to Mars missions
Answer: b) Decreased funding
What was the intended destination of the Challenger mission before the disaster?
a) International Space Station
b) Hubble Space Telescope
c) Mir Space Station
d) High Earth Orbit
Answer: b) Hubble Space Telescope
The Challenger disaster investigation led to changes in how NASA communicated with what group?
a) The general public
b) International partners
c) Congress
d) Astronaut families
Answer: d) Astronaut families
What legacy did the Challenger disaster leave on the space industry?
a) An increased emphasis on commercial spaceflight
b) The end of the space shuttle program
c) A renewed focus on lunar exploration
d) No lasting impact
Answer: a) An increased emphasis on commercial spaceflight
