Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: What astronomical feature is between Mars and the fifth planet, Jupiter?

Asteroid belt
Kuiper belt
Oort cloud
Goldilocks zone

Correct Answer: Asteroid belt

So why is this answer correct? : Between Mars and Jupiter lies anywhere from 1.1 million to 1.9 million asteroids at least 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) in size. For a time, scientists worried spacecraft couldn’t escape this “asteroid belt,” but NASA’s Pioneer 10 proved them wrong on February 15, 1973, when it became the first spacecraft to travel through the belt during its visit to Jupiter and beyond.

Trivia: What’s the shortest amount of time it takes to get from Earth to Mars?

Two weeks
Two months
Nine months
Three years

Correct Answer: Nine months

So why is this answer correct? : The shortest trip to Mars takes about nine months (or 260 days), though that will decrease as space technology improves. Mars missions typically launch in the short window when Earth is closest to Mars, which occurs every 1.6 years. So when the European Space Agency’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover missed its 2020 window, it was rescheduled for 2022 (and has since been rescheduled for 2028).

Trivia: Which of these is NOT the name of a rover on Mars?

Perseverance
Sojourner
Spirit
Vision

Correct Answer: Vision

So why is this answer correct? : The Sojourner rover arrived on the Red Planet in 1997, tucked aboard NASA’s Pathfinder lander. Seven years later, the Spirit rover — along with its sister, Opportunity — touched down and explored the Gusev crater. “Vision” was in contention to be the name of NASA’s newest rover, but it lost out to “Perseverance.”

Trivia: What is the name of the solar system’s largest mountain, found on Mars?

North King
Olympus Mons
Aconcagua
Elysium Mons

Correct Answer: Olympus Mons

So why is this answer correct? : Olympus Mons is approximately 2.5 times taller than Mount Everest, and its 374-mile diameter is about the size of Arizona. The mountain is actually a shield volcano (named because it looks like a shield lying on the ground), much like the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. Scientists believe Mars’ stationary crust is a major reason why Olympus Mons grew to such an enormous size.

Trivia: What was the first song played on Mars?

Rocket Man
Star-Spangled Banner
Poker Face
Happy Birthday

Correct Answer: Happy Birthday

So why is this answer correct? : In 2013, NASA scientists programmed the Curiosity rover to sing happy birthday to itself. The rover had landed on Mars a year prior on August 5, 2012, and celebrated its first birthday with the tune before getting back to business — collecting and analyzing soil samples.

Trivia: Who was the first person to view Mars through a telescope?

Copernicus
Galileo Galilei
Leonardo Da Vinci
Tyco Brahe

Correct Answer: Galileo Galilei

So why is this answer correct? : In 1609, Galileo Galilei became the first person to observe Mars through a primitive telescope. His observations of Mars lead him to theorize that the planets revolved around the sun rather than the Earth — a conclusion that would lead him into conflict with the Catholic Church.

Trivia: What metal gives Mars its distinctive red color?

Iron
Copper
Aluminum
Boron

Correct Answer: Iron

So why is this answer correct? : The surface of Mars contains a high amount of iron oxide, the same material that gives both rust and blood their red hues. Since Mars lacks large bodies of water to ground loose dirt, massive red dust storms tend to occur regularly across the planet’s surface.

Trivia: What was the first popular novel to introduce the concept of Martians?

Journey to the Center of the Earth
The War of the Worlds
Brave New World
Two Planets

Correct Answer: The War of the Worlds

So why is this answer correct? : “The War of the Worlds” was written in 1897 by H.G. Wells, the “father of science fiction.” The seminal work of science fiction tells of the apocalyptic invasion of Earth by Martians. A prolific author, Wells was responsible for a number of other enduring sci-fi thrillers, including “The Time Machine” (1895) and “The Invisible Man” (1897).

Trivia: What are the names of Mars’ two moons?

Phobos and Deimos
Tigris and Euphrates
Callisto and Nebula
Tom and Jerry

Correct Answer: Phobos and Deimos

So why is this answer correct? : Mars’ two moons, Phobos and Deimos, mean “fear” and “panic,” respectively. They were named after the two sons of Ares, the Greek god of War (and counterpart to the Roman god, Mars). The moons were discovered days apart in 1877 by American scientist Asaph Hall.

Trivia: What gas makes up 95% of Mars’ atmosphere?

Ozone
Oxygen
Carbon dioxide
Water vapor

Correct Answer: Carbon dioxide

So why is this answer correct? : Like Earth, Mars has a unique atmosphere, which is 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, and trace amounts of water, carbon monoxide, and methane. Earth’s most plentiful atmospheric gasses, by contrast, are nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), creating a habitat that supports organic life.