Latest MCQs on Universe for Competitive Exams

71. What is the name of the first artificial satellite to orbit the Moon?
A) Luna 10
B) Apollo 8
C) Surveyor 1
D) Ranger 7
Correct Answer: A) Luna 10
Explanation: The Soviet Luna 10 became the first lunar orbiter on April 3, 1966.

72. Which planet in the solar system has the largest number of volcanoes?
A) Venus
B) Mars
C) Earth
D) Mercury
Correct Answer: A) Venus
Explanation: Venus has over 1,600 major volcanoes, more than any other planet, though most are likely inactive.

73. What is the name of the first artificial satellite to orbit the Sun?
A) Luna 1
B) Sputnik 2
C) Mariner 2
D) Voyager 1
Correct Answer: A) Luna 1
Explanation: Launched in 1959, Luna 1 missed the Moon but became the first human-made object to orbit the Sun.

74. Which planet has the highest albedo (reflectivity) in the solar system?
A) Venus
B) Earth
C) Jupiter
D) Saturn
Correct Answer: A) Venus
Explanation: Venus reflects 70% of sunlight due to its thick sulfuric acid cloud cover.

75. What is the name of the largest known asteroid in the Asteroid Belt?
A) Vesta
B) Ceres
C) Pallas
D) Hygiea
Correct Answer: B) Ceres
Explanation: Ceres accounts for about 25% of the Asteroid Belt’s total mass and is classified as a dwarf planet.

76. What is the name of the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the Moon?
A) Luna 9
B) Chang’e 4
C) Surveyor 1
D) Apollo 11
Correct Answer: B) Chang’e 4
Explanation: China’s Chang’e 4 made history by landing in the South Pole-Aitken Basin in January 2019.

77. What is the name of the first interplanetary probe to visit another planet?
A) Mariner 2
B) Pioneer 10
C) Voyager 1
D) Venera 7
Correct Answer: A) Mariner 2
Explanation: Mariner 2 flew by Venus in December 1962, measuring its extreme surface temperatures.

78. What is the name of the first spacecraft to fly by Jupiter?
A) Pioneer 10
B) Voyager 1
C) Mariner 10
D) Galileo
Correct Answer: A) Pioneer 10
Explanation: Pioneer 10’s 1973 flyby provided the first close-up images of Jupiter.

79. What is the name of the first mission to bring back samples from an asteroid?
A) Hayabusa
B) OSIRIS-REx
C) Stardust
D) Rosetta
Correct Answer: A) Hayabusa
Explanation: Japan’s Hayabusa returned samples from asteroid Itokawa in 2010 after a 7-year mission.

80. What is the name of the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn?
A) Cassini
B) Voyager 2
C) Galileo
D) Pioneer 11
Correct Answer: A) Cassini
Explanation: Cassini studied Saturn and its moons from 2004 to 2017, making numerous discoveries.