UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — The DAILY QUIZ

Q1. The Mars Orbiter Mission, which made India the first country to succeed at Mars on a maiden attempt, was originally sanctioned as a technology demonstrator with a design life of how long?

  • A. Two years from the date of Mars orbit insertion
  • B. One year from the date of Mars orbit insertion
  • C. Six months from the date of Mars orbit insertion
  • D. Three months from the date of Mars orbit insertion

Q2. Which one of the following ISRO establishments provided the telemetry, tracking and command ground-station support and the Indian Space Science Data Centre services for the Mars Orbiter Mission?

  • A. Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, which also hosted the launch campaign
  • B. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, which develops launch vehicle systems
  • C. ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network, which operates the ground and deep space networks
  • D. National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, which handles remote sensing data reception

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding the launch and Earth-departure of the Mars Orbiter Mission: 1. It was launched on 5 November 2013 by PSLV-C25 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. 2. The launch vehicle placed the spacecraft directly on a departure hyperbolic trajectory, so that no Earth-bound orbit-raising manoeuvres were required thereafter. 3. The spacecraft travelled to Mars along a Hohmann transfer orbit, that is, a minimum-energy transfer rather than a high-energy direct trajectory. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It was launched on 5 November 2013 by PSLV-C25 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
  2. The launch vehicle placed the spacecraft directly on a departure hyperbolic trajectory, so that no Earth-bound orbit-raising manoeuvres were required thereafter.
  3. The spacecraft travelled to Mars along a Hohmann transfer orbit, that is, a minimum-energy transfer rather than a high-energy direct trajectory.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. The Trans-Mars Injection manoeuvre, performed after six main engine burns to release the Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft from Earth's gravitational hold onto a heliocentric path of about 680 million km, was executed on which date?

  • A. 5 November 2013
  • B. 1 December 2013
  • C. 24 September 2014
  • D. 24 September 2020

Q5. Three of the five scientific instruments carried by the Mars Orbiter Mission were designed, developed and delivered by which one of the following ISRO centres?

  • A. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram
  • B. U R Rao Satellite Centre (formerly ISRO Satellite Centre), Bengaluru
  • C. Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems, Bengaluru
  • D. Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad

Q6. Among the five scientific payloads of the Mars Orbiter Mission, which one was the only instrument restricted to observations over sunlit terrain?

  • A. Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM)
  • B. Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS)
  • C. Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA)
  • D. Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP)

Q7. The Department of Space, which executed the Mars Orbiter Mission through ISRO, is responsible for executing the policies laid down by which one of the following?

  • A. The Atomic Energy Commission, which functions under the Department of Atomic Energy
  • B. The Space Commission, which has full administrative and financial powers of the Government of India
  • C. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, the single-window space regulator
  • D. The Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet, headed by the Principal Scientific Adviser

Q8. Consider the following statements comparing the Mars Orbiter Mission with India's other deep-space undertakings: 1. The cost of the Mars Orbiter Mission was about Rs 450 crore, and the Government has described it as the most economical interplanetary mission in the world. 2. The Venus Orbiter Mission approved by the Union Cabinet has a total outlay of Rs 1,236 crore, of which Rs 824 crore is earmarked for the spacecraft. 3. The Indian Deep Space Network antennas that supported the Mars Orbiter Mission are located at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The cost of the Mars Orbiter Mission was about Rs 450 crore, and the Government has described it as the most economical interplanetary mission in the world.
  2. The Venus Orbiter Mission approved by the Union Cabinet has a total outlay of Rs 1,236 crore, of which Rs 824 crore is earmarked for the spacecraft.
  3. The Indian Deep Space Network antennas that supported the Mars Orbiter Mission are located at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. In September 2014, the month in which India's Mars Orbiter Mission arrived at the red planet, how many spacecraft in all entered orbit around Mars?

  • A. One
  • B. Two
  • C. Three
  • D. Four

Q10. The Tharsis region of Mars and its immediate surroundings contain how many giant shield volcanoes that rank among the largest known in the solar system?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Six

Q11. After about eight years in Martian orbit, the Mars Orbiter Mission was declared non-recoverable in 2022. Which one of the following did ISRO identify as the principal cause?

  • A. Damage to the solar panels caused by a planet-encircling Martian dust storm
  • B. Failure of the 440 N liquid apogee motor during a planned orbit-correction burn
  • C. A software anomaly that left the high-gain antenna pointed away from the Earth
  • D. Exhaustion of propellant after a long eclipse, preventing the desired attitude pointing

Q12. Under the revised scope approved in September 2024, the Gaganyaan programme now encompasses how many missions in total, inclusive of the precursor flights for the first module of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station?

  • A. Eight
  • B. Six
  • C. Four
  • D. Two