Test Bank Answers Rendezvous at Saturn Third Edition Palen - Understanding Our Universe 3e Complete Test Bank by Stacy Palen. DOCX document preview.
Mission 10: Rendezvous at Saturn
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following best approximates the thickness of the Saturnian ring system? (Hint: Your experience flying through the rings in Mission 10 should help.)
a. 10000 kilometers d. 10 kilometers
b. 1000 kilometers e. 500 meters
c. 100 kilometers
2. Saturn’s radius from center to pole is nearly 10% smaller than its radius from center to equator. Why?
a. Saturn’s moons mostly orbit in the equatorial plane, and their gravitational pulls “stretch” the planet at its equator.
b. Saturn’s ring system lies in the equatorial plane, and its gravitational pull “stretches” the planet at its equator.
c. Saturn’s rotation period is only about 10.5 hrs, meaning that material on its equator is moving quickly in circular motion.
d. Saturn’s magnetic field creates a downward pressure on both the north and south poles, flattening the planet ever so slightly.
3. The Saturnian ring system is made up of particles that are almost entirely made of
a. water ice (H2O) d. silicate rock
b. methane ice (CH4) e. iron
c. carbon Dioxide ice (CO2)
4. An orbital resonance with which moon is responsible for clearing the famous Cassini division?
a. Titan d. Iapetus
b. Mimas e. Hyperion
c. Enceladus
5. A spacecraft named after which of the following famous astronomers is currently orbiting Saturn preparing for a final “dive” into the planet on September 15th, 2017?
a. Galileo d. Cassini
b. Kepler e. Herschel
c. Copernicus
6. Enceladus replenishes the material in E-ring because
a. it is constantly being bombarded by objects that blast material off its surface and into orbit about Saturn
b. cryovolcanoes continually blast material from below its surface into orbit about Saturn
c. the solar wind continually blows material off the surface of the small moon.
d. it shepherds the ring material in its orbit around Saturn
e. none of the above