The Final Frontier — Answers

Here are today’s answers.

Question one is date-related, but the rest are not. There is a space theme in all of the questions.

One

A U.S. space probe was launched on this day in 2007 and a year later it landed on Mars. What mythical creature was the probe named after?

Answer: Phoenix.

Launched on 4 August 2007, the Mars Phoenix lander touched down on 25 May 2008 in Vastitas Borealis to examine Martian water history and organic molecules. It confirmed subsurface water ice, detected perchlorate, and identified alkaline soil containing salts. With a robotic arm, ovens, and a laboratory, it analysed soil volatiles, mapped geology, and monitored atmospheric conditions. The mission, extended by late August, concluded on 2 November 2008, having announced water on Mars on 31 July.

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Two

What two words are missing from this 1969 quote: “Houston, … here. The Eagle has landed.” 

Answer: Tranquility Base.

Apollo 11 landed humans on the Moon from 16–24 July 1969 using Saturn V. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the surface while Michael Collins orbited; 21.5 kg of material was collected. The mission fulfilled Kennedy’s goal and broadcast Armstrong’s statement to 600 million viewers.

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Three

In 2012, travelling a whopping 480 million kilometres to reach our ears, … was the first tune to be broadcast from another planet.
— BBC Sky at Night magazine

The above quote is missing the name of the song which was broadcast. What was that song and who had especially written it for this purpose?

Answer: Reach for the Stars by will.i.am.

American recording artist will.i.am wrote, produced, and recorded the song “Reach for the Stars” (and their instrumental-driven version subtitled “Mars Edition” and “NASA Edition”) in commemoration of the landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars. The song was first released on August 28, 2012, and it became the first song that was successfully broadcast from another planet
Wikipedia

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Four

If Voyager 2’s flyby of Uranus occurred in January 1986, when was its next encounter, the Neptune Flyby? (Month and Year)

Answer: August 1989.

Voyager 2 was launched on 20 August 1977, and these key dates on its journey are from NASA:

July 9, 1979: Jupiter Flyby
Aug 25, 1981: Saturn Flyby
Jan 24, 1986: Uranus Flyby
Aug 25, 1989: Neptune Flyby
Aug 30, 2007: Crossed Termination Shock
Nov 25, 2018: Entered Interstellar Space
— NASA

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Five

For what planet in the Solar System is the following true? 

• The Sun rises twice each year.
• The Sun rises in the west, and 
• A day is longer than a year.

Answer: Venus.

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and Earth’s closest planetary neighbor. Similar in size to Earth, it is covered by thick clouds of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid. Its atmosphere creates an intense greenhouse effect, making Venus the hottest planet in the Solar System, with surface temperatures around 465°C. The planet rotates very slowly and in the opposite direction to most planets. Volcanoes, vast plains, and rugged highlands dominate its hidden surface today.

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