Question 1

What space mission is currently exploring Mercury? What information has this mission so far provided about the planet?

Accepted Answer

A new spacecraft called MESSENGER (Mercu

Question 2

What is the Moon's gravity?

Accepted Answer

A)  There is no gravity on the Moon. 
B)  1/3 of Earth's gravity 
C)  1/2 of Earth's gravity 
D)  1/6 of Earth's gravity 
E)  The Moon's gravity is the same as that of Earth. 
A)  There is no gravity on the Moon. 
B)  1/3 of Earth's gravity 
C)  1/2 of Earth's gravity 
D)  1/6 of Earth's gravity 
E)  The Moon's gravity is the same as that of Earth.

Question 3

Between July 1969 and December 1972, 17 people reached the surface of the Moon.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Briefly describe Mercury's geological history through the four steps of planetary development.

Accepted Answer

differentiation: Mercury is surprisingly

Question 5

Which mission has recently provided scientists with information about Mercury's magnetic field?

Accepted Answer

A)  Magellan 
B)  MESSENGER 
C)  LCROSS 
D)  Voyager 
E)  Apollo 
A)  Magellan 
B)  MESSENGER 
C)  LCROSS 
D)  Voyager 
E)  Apollo

Question 6

The lunar rocks brought back by the Apollo astronauts contained a surprisingly large amount of water.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

What surprised scientists to learn about Mercury from MESSENGER's data?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mercury is still geologically active with molten lava flows on the surface. 
B)  Mercury does have an atmosphere causing some erosion of the surface. 
C)  Mercury has significantly more craters than the Moon. 
D)  Mercury has a magnetic field despite its size. 
E)  Mercury is rotating faster than earlier predicted. 
A)  Mercury is still geologically active with molten lava flows on the surface. 
B)  Mercury does have an atmosphere causing some erosion of the surface. 
C)  Mercury has significantly more craters than the Moon. 
D)  Mercury has a magnetic field despite its size. 
E)  Mercury is rotating faster than earlier predicted.

Question 8

Explain the three different hypotheses for the origin of the Moon and how evidence from the Apollo lunar rocks persuaded scientists to develop a new hypothesis.

Accepted Answer

The fission hypothesis proposed that the

Question 9

The Moon's gravity is only _______________ that of Earth.

Accepted Answer

one sixth,

Question 10

Lobate scarps are very low and small disturbances on the surface of Mercury.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

The Moon's crust is thicker on the side facing Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

It is believed that a giant impact may have taken away some of Mercury's low-density crustal rock and left a small, dense world with a(n) large, dense, and _______________ core.

Accepted Answer

The answer of It is believed that a giant impact...

Question 13

Explain Mercury's peculiar rotation and revolution. How is it different than most other planets?

Accepted Answer

Mercury is tidally coupled to the Sun bu

Question 14

What was the purpose of the LCROSS mission?

Accepted Answer

A)  To determine if lava still flowed beneath the crust 
B)  To generate an altitude map of the Moon's surface 
C)  To photograph geological features of the Moon 
D)  To photograph geological features of the Moon. 
E)  To determine if there is water ice buried in soil of the Moon's south pole 
A)  To determine if lava still flowed beneath the crust 
B)  To generate an altitude map of the Moon's surface 
C)  To photograph geological features of the Moon 
D)  To photograph geological features of the Moon. 
E)  To determine if there is water ice buried in soil of the Moon's south pole

Question 15

The presence of _______________ increases the possibility that a human lunar base may be established someday.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The presence of _______________ increases the possibility...

Question 16

Many Moon rocks are classified as _______________, which are made up of fragments of earlier rocks cemented together by heat and pressure.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Many Moon rocks are classified as _______________,...

Question 17

During which stage of planetary development did the lunar maria form?

Accepted Answer

A)  cratering 
B)  differentiation 
C)  flooding 
D)  tectonic plate movement 
E)  slow surface evolution 
A)  cratering 
B)  differentiation 
C)  flooding 
D)  tectonic plate movement 
E)  slow surface evolution

Question 18

Debris blasted from the impact of a crater is called ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  ejecta 
B)  maria 
C)  sinuous rilles 
D)  multiringed basin 
E)  central peak 
A)  ejecta 
B)  maria 
C)  sinuous rilles 
D)  multiringed basin 
E)  central peak

Question 19

What may have caused Mercury to have a large metallic core and a relatively thin crust?

Accepted Answer

A)  a large impact 
B)  tidal coupling with the Sun 
C)  solar wind clearing the nebula 
D)  a slow orbital period 
E)  a long period of flooding 
A)  a large impact 
B)  tidal coupling with the Sun 
C)  solar wind clearing the nebula 
D)  a slow orbital period 
E)  a long period of flooding

Question 20

The relationship between the rotation of Mercury and its revolution is referred as a(n) _______________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The relationship between the rotation of Mercury...

Exam 21: The Moon and Mercury

What space mission is currently exploring Mercury? What information has this mission so far provided about the planet?

What is the Moon's gravity?

Between July 1969 and December 1972, 17 people reached the surface of the Moon.

Briefly describe Mercury's geological history through the four steps of planetary development.

Which mission has recently provided scientists with information about Mercury's magnetic field?

The lunar rocks brought back by the Apollo astronauts contained a surprisingly large amount of water.

What surprised scientists to learn about Mercury from MESSENGER's data?

Explain the three different hypotheses for the origin of the Moon and how evidence from the Apollo lunar rocks persuaded scientists to develop a new hypothesis.

The Moon's gravity is only _______________ that of Earth.

Lobate scarps are very low and small disturbances on the surface of Mercury.

The Moon's crust is thicker on the side facing Earth.

It is believed that a giant impact may have taken away some of Mercury's low-density crustal rock and left a small, dense world with a(n) large, dense, and _______________ core.

Explain Mercury's peculiar rotation and revolution. How is it different than most other planets?

What was the purpose of the LCROSS mission?

The presence of _______________ increases the possibility that a human lunar base may be established someday.

Many Moon rocks are classified as _______________, which are made up of fragments of earlier rocks cemented together by heat and pressure.

During which stage of planetary development did the lunar maria form?

Debris blasted from the impact of a crater is called ____.

What may have caused Mercury to have a large metallic core and a relatively thin crust?

The relationship between the rotation of Mercury and its revolution is referred as a(n) _______________.

Here and Now

A Users Guide to the Sky

Moon Phases and Eclipses

Origins of Modern Astronomy

Gravity

Light and Telescopes

Atoms and Spectra

The Sun

The Family of Stars

The Interstellar Medium

Formation and Structure of Stars

Stellar Evolution

Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Supermassive Black Holes and Active Galaxies

Modern Cosmology

Astrobiology

Earth- the Active Planet

Venus and Mars

Jupiter and Saturn

Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and the Kuiper Belt

Meteorites, Asteroids, and Comets

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