General Awareness: Space Shuttle Challenger Quiz

1. On what date did the Challenger disaster take place?

a) January 24, 1986
b) January 28, 1986
c) January 26, 1986
d) January 30, 1986

The correct answer is b) January 28, 1986

2. What was the profession of Christa McAuliffe, one of two non-Federal government employees on the shuttle?

a) Lawyer
b) Teacher-
c) Nurse
d) Policewoman

The correct answer is b) Teacher

3. Christa McAuliffe was one out of approximately how many applicants for the position?

a) 11,000
b) 13,000
c) 7,000
d) 17,000

The correct answer is a) 11,000

4. How many times had NASA successfully launched a space shuttle before the Challenger disaster?

a) 31
b) 43
c) 17
d) 24

The correct answer is d) 24

5. Who was the pilot of Challenger that day?

a) Francis Scobee
b) Michael Smith
c) Judith Resnick
d) Ronald McNair

The correct answer is b) Michael Smith

6. How many seconds after take-off did the shuttle explode?

a) 64
b) 73
c) 89
d) 95

The correct answer is b) 73

7. How many Solid Rocket Boosters did the Challenger have?

a) 1
b) 4
c) 3
d) 2

The correct answer is d) 2

8. What equipment was determined to have failed on the Challenger and was a major reason for the accident?

a) a rubber O-ring
b) the hydraulic system
c) the external tank
d) the electrical system

The correct answer is a) a rubber O- ring

9. What shuttle was the first to be launched after the Challenger disaster, on September 29, 1988, nearly three years later?

a) Discovery
b) Endeavour
c) Atlantis
d) Columbia

The correct answer is a) Discovery