Mars lander crashes on planet surface

Q: The landing site of a European spacecraft that was supposed to make a historic touchdown on Mars last week has been identified in images that suggest the probe suffered a violent collision at the surface. Where is Mars on this representation of the Solar System?

Circle the area on this map


Q: The lander was named after 19th-century Italian astronomer and Mars observer Giovanni Schiaparelli, who first described what infamously misinterpreted feature of the planet?

A. Atmosphere

B. Boulders

C. Channels

D. Dust storms

Q: Exploring Mars is hard. Of mankind’s 43 space missions to Mars, only 20 have achieved any success. What complicates attempts to land on Mars?

A. Thin atmosphere

B. Thick atmosphere

C. No atmosphere

Q: What nation has successfully landed operating spacecraft on Mars?

A. Russia

B. United States

C. China

D. All of the above

Q: Despite the crash of the Italian-built Schiaparelli lander, the latest Mars mission is being considered a partial success because of data collected about the lander and the continuing operation of the orbiter. The orbiter which dropped the lander is collecting information about gasses in the Martian atmosphere. Which spacefaring nation built the orbiter?

A. China

B. India

C. Japan

D. Russia


Answers for this quiz: Click here