If all goes according to plan, at 4:33 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 27, Space X will launch the first humans into orbit from American soil since the STS-135 mission of Space Shuttle Atlantis in July 2011. The upcoming launch will occur from the same LC-39A pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida that was used to send missions to the Moon from 1968 through 1972.
We’ve created this QuizMe in recognition of the event. It contains 15 questions about the private space company. After you are finished, we recommend watching the launch Wednesday afternoon via either NASA TV or SpaceX‘s live telecast.
In commemoration of this historic launch, we also created a Word Search puzzle all about the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission.
Results
Great job. Are you thinking of applying for a job at SpaceX?
Acing this test isn’t easy. Take solace in the fact that you’ve learned some new facts about SpaceX.
#1. The first SpaceX rocket was called what?
The first SpaceX rocket, measuring 28 meters (62 feet) tall, was named after the Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars film series, according to Elon Musk.
#2. Which is the name of a droneship that SpaceX rockets land on?
The autonomous spaceport drone ship (“ASDS”) that is most commonly and famoulsy used for landings by SpaceX rockets at sea is named “OCISLY”, or, Of Course I Still Love You. “Just Read the Instructions” is the first one used by SpaceX, and a new one, called “A Shortfall of Gravitas” is currently under construction. The ships are all named after sentient starships in the Culture series, a science fiction world created by Iain M. Banks.
#3. What is the name of the town SpaceX bought to make room for future rocket launches?
In September 2019, SpaceX offered to buy all of the houses in Boca Chica Village, Texas. SpaceX offered “three times the fair market value” and offered invitations to future launchs to displaced residents.
#4. The President and COO of SpaceX is whom?
Gwynne Shotwell is the President and COO of SpaceX. In 2012 she was named to the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame and in 2018 to Forbes’ America’s Top 50 Women In Tech. Shotwell is a STEM enthusiast and mother of two children.
#5. True or False: SpaceX has launched a satellite called DarkSat.
Starlink is a planned constellation of satellites designed to provide high speed internet to worldwide locations. One of the Starlink satellite, named DarkSat, was launched on January 11, 2020 and was coated to make it less reflective after complaints about the constellation’s impact on ground-based astronomical observations.
#6. Which of the following goals is true about SpaceX?
One of SpaceX’s stated goals is to “enable people to live on other planets”. Elon Musk has presented plans that include flying humans around the moon, landing on the moon, landing on Mars, and eventually colonizing Mars. Starship is a candidate for the Artemis Human Landing System, to return humans to the Moon.
#7. How many launch failures did SpaceX have before it’s first success?
Falcon 1 attempted five flights between 2006 and 2009. On September 28, 2008, on its fourth attempt, the Falcon 1 successfully reached orbit, becoming the first privately funded, liquid-fueled rocket to do so.
#8. Which rocket has flown from LC-39A?
SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy from the historic LC-39A lauchpad on Februay 6, 2018. SpaceX has also launched the Falcon 9 rocket numerous times from 39A . A Falcon 9 will be carrying astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in a Dragon capsule to the International Space Station from this launchpad in May of 2020.
#9. The first-ever SpaceX launch from LC-39A was which mission?
CRS-10, launched February 19, 2017 was the first SpaceX launch from LC-39A was SpaceX. It was the first uncrewed launch from 39A since Skylab was launched on May 14, 1973
#10. True or False: The Crew Dragon capsule will land on water.
The Crew Dragon will land in water. It was originally designed for propulsive landing on land but that proved too difficult given constraints. The SuperDraco thrusters currently function only as the capsule’s escape system in case of a failed launch, but could be used for landings in future iterations of the Dragon space capsule.
#11. The dummy payload for the first Falcon Heavy launch was what?
Elon Musk declared the inaugural Falcon Heavy rocket would carry the “silliest thing we can imagine” and asked the twitterverse for input. In the leadup to the launch, pictures revealed that Musk’s personal red Tesla Roadster was encapsulated inside the fairing as the payload. Also included was a copy of Douglas Adams’ novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in the glove box, along with related in the form of a towel and a sign on the dashboard that read “DON’T PANIC!” A Hot Wheels edition of the Tesla Roadster with a miniature Starman was mounted on the dashboard. A copy of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy stored on new form of optical disc was donated by the Arch Mission Foundatioon, while underneath the car was a plaque bearing the names of employees who worked on the Falcon Heavy.
#12. True or False: SpaceX recovered all three boosters from its inaugural launch of the Falcon Heavy.
The first launch’s center core stage was lost at sea after running out of fuel. The second Falcon Heavy launch on April 11, 2019 carried the Arabsat-6A communications satellite and marked the first time that SpaceX recovered all three booster stages.
#13. The dummy astronaut aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo 1 launch was named what?
The Anthropomorphic Test Device was named Ripley after the main character played by Sigourney Weaver in the 1979 movie “Alien.” Ripley was accompanied by a “Super high tech zero-g indicator” according to a tweet by Elon Musk: a plush toy of the planet Earth.
#14. SpaceX is developing a new launch site that borders which country?
The SpaceX launch site in Boca Chica Village, Texas is along the Rio Grande River, which marks the border between the United States and Mexico.
#15. True or False: The commander of the first SpaceX crewed launch was also the pilot of the final Space Shuttle mission in 2011.
Demonstration Mission 2 (DM-2), scheduled for May 27, 2020, will launch Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on a crewed mission from Pad 39A. Doug Hurley was pilot on STS-135, the final flight of the Discovery Space shuttle and the last launch that included astronauts placed into orbit from the United States. Doug is Commander for the DM-2 Mission.
