Space race MCQs [USA – America] January 8, 2026August 20, 2024 by u930973931_answers 50 min Score: 0 Attempted: 0/50 Subscribe 1. What was the primary goal of the space race between the USA and the USSR? (A) To achieve technological and scientific superiority in space (B) To explore Mars (C) To establish space tourism (D) To develop military space weapons 2. Which event marked the beginning of the space race? (A) The launch of the first artificial satellite by the USSR (B) The first manned moon landing by the USA (C) The launch of the Hubble Space Telescope (D) The signing of the Outer Space Treaty 3. What was the name of the first artificial satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957? (A) Soyuz 1 (B) Luna 1 (C) Vostok 1 (D) Sputnik 1 4. Which U.S. President called for the goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s? (A) Dwight D. Eisenhower (B) Lyndon B. Johnson (C) John F. Kennedy (D) Richard Nixon 5. What was the name of the NASA program aimed at landing the first humans on the Moon? (A) Apollo (B) Gemini (C) Mercury (D) Skylab 6. Which Apollo mission was the first to successfully land humans on the Moon? (A) Apollo 8 (B) Apollo 15 (C) Apollo 12 (D) Apollo 11 7. Who were the astronauts that landed on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission? (A) Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins (B) Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin (C) Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (D) Yuri Gagarin and Alexei Leonov 8. What was the name of the Soviet spacecraft that carried the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into space? (A) Soyuz 2 (B) Sputnik 2 (C) Vostok 1 (D) Luna 1 9. When did Yuri Gagarin become the first human to orbit the Earth? (A) 1957 (B) 1969 (C) 1965 (D) 1961 10. Which NASA mission was the first to achieve a manned spaceflight in orbit? (A) Skylab 2 (B) Gemini 3 (C) Apollo 1 (D) Mercury-Redstone 3 11. Which space mission was the first to achieve a successful spacewalk? (A) Gemini 4 (B) Apollo 11 (C) Vostok 1 (D) Apollo 8 12. What was the main objective of the Gemini program? (A) To develop techniques for long-duration spaceflights and rendezvous (B) To establish a space station (C) To explore Mars (D) To conduct lunar exploration 13. Which Soviet space program was designed to achieve the first successful soft landing on the Moon? (A) Mir (B) Soyuz (C) Vostok (D) Luna 14. Which Apollo mission was the first to orbit the Moon without landing? (A) Apollo 7 (B) Apollo 9 (C) Apollo 8 (D) Apollo 10 15. Which Apollo mission was the first to return samples from the Moon to Earth? (A) Apollo 12 (B) Apollo 11 (C) Apollo 14 (D) Apollo 15 16. What was the name of the Soviet space station program that began in the 1970s? (A) Mir (B) Vostok (C) Salyut (D) Soyuz 17. Which space station, launched by the Soviet Union, was the first modular space station? (A) Salyut 1 (B) Mir (C) Skylab (D) ISS 18. Which U.S. space mission was the first to land on the Moon after Apollo 11? (A) Apollo 14 (B) Apollo 13 (C) Apollo 12 (D) Apollo 15 19. What was the primary purpose of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project? (A) To test lunar landing techniques (B) To develop a space shuttle (C) To test international docking and cooperation (D) To establish a space station 20. Which U.S. President established NASA and emphasized the importance of space exploration? (A) John F. Kennedy (B) Richard Nixon (C) Lyndon B. Johnson (D) Dwight D. Eisenhower 21. Which satellite was the first to provide direct television broadcast from space? (A) Telstar 1 (B) Sputnik 1 (C) Hubble Space Telescope (D) Voyager 1 22. Which U.S. space probe was the first to reach interstellar space? (A) Voyager 1 (B) Pioneer 10 (C) Hubble Space Telescope (D) Cassini 23. Which mission was known for its successful rescue of a spacecraft crew after an explosion during launch? (A) Apollo 11 (B) Apollo 13 (C) Apollo 15 (D) Apollo 17 24. What was the name of the Soviet space probe that was the first to impact the Moon? (A) Luna 1 (B) Luna 3 (C) Luna 2 (D) Luna 4 25. Which spacecraft was used to conduct the first space docking between the U.S. and Soviet space vehicles? (A) Apollo-Soyuz (B) Apollo 12 (C) Apollo 15 (D) Apollo 11 26. Which Apollo mission was the last to land on the Moon? (A) Apollo 11 (B) Apollo 17 (C) Apollo 14 (D) Apollo 12 27. Which Soviet space mission was the first to carry a space station crew for an extended period? (A) Mir 1 (B) Salyut 1 (C) Vostok 1 (D) Soyuz 1 28. Which space shuttle was the first to be used operationally by NASA? (A) Challenger (B) Atlantis (C) Columbia (D) Discovery 29. What was the name of the space probe that performed the first flyby of Jupiter? (A) Voyager 1 (B) Hubble (C) Cassini (D) Pioneer 10 30. Which space program was focused on developing and testing the capability for human spaceflight? (A) Apollo (B) Gemini (C) Mercury (D) Skylab 31. Which Apollo mission was the first to include a lunar rover for exploration? (A) Apollo 11 (B) Apollo 12 (C) Apollo 14 (D) Apollo 15 32. Which U.S. space probe was launched to study Saturn and its moons? (A) Voyager 1 (B) Voyager 2 (C) Cassini (D) Pioneer 11 33. What was the primary objective of the Soviet Union’s Luna 3 mission? (A) To photograph the far side of the Moon (B) To land on the Moon (C) To return lunar samples to Earth (D) To test lunar landing techniques 34. Which mission was the first to use the Lunar Module for a manned Moon landing? (A) Apollo 7 (B) Apollo 8 (C) Apollo 9 (D) Apollo 11 35. Which space program was designed to develop spaceflight and rendezvous techniques between two spacecraft? (A) Mercury (B) Skylab (C) Apollo (D) Gemini 36. Which space shuttle was tragically lost in the Challenger disaster? (A) Atlantis (B) Endeavour (C) Challenger (D) Columbia 37. What was the primary purpose of the Soviet Vostok program? (A) To establish a space station (B) To develop a manned spacecraft for orbit (C) To explore the Moon (D) To conduct scientific experiments 38. Which astronaut was the first to walk on the Moon? (A) Buzz Aldrin (B) Neil Armstrong (C) Charles Duke (D) John Young 39. Which spacecraft was used for the first successful space shuttle launch? (A) Atlantis (B) Challenger (C) Discovery (D) Columbia 40. Which space telescope was launched in 1990 to observe astronomical phenomena? (A) Hubble (B) Chandra (C) Kepler (D) Spitzer 41. What was the primary purpose of the Mars Exploration Rover missions? (A) To study the Moon (B) To search for water and signs of life on Mars (C) To establish a human colony on Mars (D) To study the asteroid belt 42. Which spacecraft was the first to land on the surface of Mars? (A) Sojourner (B) Pathfinder (C) Viking 1 (D) Curiosity 43. What was the first successful landing of a spacecraft on Venus? (A) Venera 1 (B) Venera 9 (C) Venera 7 (D) Venera 15 44. Which Mars rover was launched in 2003 and landed on Mars in 2004? (A) Curiosity (B) Opportunity (C) Spirit (D) Perseverance 45. What is the name of the international space station launched in 1998? (A) ISS (B) Mir (C) Skylab (D) Salyut 46. Which mission was the first to send a spacecraft to the outer planets? (A) Voyager 1 (B) Voyager 2 (C) Pioneer 10 (D) Mariner 10 47. Which mission studied the surface of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon? (A) Voyager 1 (B) Pioneer 11 (C) Hubble (D) Cassini 48. What was the name of the first successful unmanned spacecraft to orbit Mars? (A) Mars Global Surveyor (B) Viking 1 (C) Mars Odyssey (D) Mariner 4 49. Which NASA rover was launched in 2020 to search for signs of ancient life on Mars? (A) Spirit (B) Perseverance (C) Curiosity (D) Opportunity 50. What is the primary goal of the Artemis program? (A) To establish a human colony on Mars (B) To return humans to the Moon and prepare for future missions to Mars (C) To launch a space station (D) To send probes to the outer solar system