Astronauts Practice Questions

Correct answer: Yuri Gagarin

On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space aboard Vostok 1. His flight lasted 108 minutes and completed one full orbit of the Earth.

Correct answer: Valentina Tereshkova

Valentina Tereshkova launched aboard Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963, becoming the first woman in space. She remains the only woman to have been on a solo space mission.

Correct answer: Alexey Leonov

Soviet cosmonaut Alexey Leonov conducted the first spacewalk on March 18, 1965, during the Voskhod 2 mission. He spent 12 minutes outside the spacecraft connected by a tether.

Correct answer: Oleg Kononenko

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko broke the world record in February 2024, surpassing Gennady Padalka's previous record of 878 days. By the end of his mission in late 2024, he surpassed 1,000 total days in orbit.

Correct answer: John Glenn

While Alan Shepard was the first American in space (suborbital), John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962 aboard Friendship 7. He later became the oldest person to fly in space in 1998.

Correct answer: Rakesh Sharma

Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission in 1984. During the flight, he famously described India as 'Sare Jahan Se Achha' when asked by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi how the country looked from space.

Correct answer: Anousheh Ansari

Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-American businesswoman, funded her own trip to the International Space Station in 2006. She was the fourth space tourist overall and the first female private explorer.

Correct answer: Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong was the commander of the Apollo 11 mission and became the first human to step onto the lunar surface on July 20, 1969. He famously uttered the words, 'That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.'

Correct answer: Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. Tragically, she was one of the seven crew members who died in the Columbia disaster in 2003.

Correct answer: Frank Rubio

Frank Rubio returned to Earth in September 2023 after spending 371 continuous days in space. His mission was extended after his original return vehicle was damaged by space debris.

Correct answer: Gus Grissom

Gus Grissom became the first person to fly in space twice, following his Mercury flight with the first crewed Gemini mission (Gemini 3) in 1965. He was also later assigned to Apollo 1 before the tragic fire.

Correct answer: Alan Shepard

During the Apollo 14 mission in 1971, Alan Shepard used a makeshift six-iron to hit two golf balls on the lunar surface. He claimed the second ball went for 'miles and miles' in the low lunar gravity.

Correct answer: Yang Liwei

Yang Liwei launched aboard Shenzhou 5 on October 15, 2003, making China the third country to independently send a human into space. He completed 14 orbits during his 21-hour mission.

Correct answer: Russia

While 'astronaut' is the general term in the West, Russia uses the term 'cosmonaut' (from the Greek words for 'universe' and 'sailor'). China uses the term 'taikonaut' for its space travelers.

Correct answer: Svetlana Savitskaya

Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to walk in space during her second mission in 1984 aboard Salyut 7. She performed welding and cutting experiments outside the station.

Correct answer: Michael Collins

Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard the Command Module 'Columbia' to ensure the safe return of his colleagues. He is often called the 'loneliest man in history' for his time spent on the far side of the Moon without radio contact.

Correct answer: Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison flew as a mission specialist on Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. In addition to being an astronaut, she is a trained medical doctor and served in the Peace Corps.

Correct answer: Robonaut

Robonaut (specifically Robonaut 2) was sent to the ISS to test how humanoid robots can assist astronauts with dangerous or repetitive tasks. It was the first US-built humanoid robot to go into space.

Correct answer: Anatoly Solovyev

Anatoly Solovyev holds the world record with 16 spacewalks, totaling over 82 hours spent outside a spacecraft. He is a retired Russian cosmonaut who flew five missions to the Mir space station.

Correct answer: Vladimir Remek

Vladimir Remek of Czechoslovakia became the first 'international' astronaut in 1978 under the Soviet Interkosmos program. This program allowed citizens from allied nations to fly on Soviet missions.