Space Week Quiz: Countdown to Launch with this Cold War Space Race Trivia
Written by Jessica Holom
Last updated · 6 min play time
The Space Race launched us to the Moon. Show us what you remember about it with this Space Race Quiz!
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." – JFK
A little competition never hurt anyone. That's what the political rivals, America and the Soviet Union, demonstrated to the world with its Space Race. The extremely competitive race to the moon offered everyone a little levity during the Cold War. While the Soviet Union scored many a first – from the first man in space to the first woman to the first space walk – eventually, the little engine that could (i.e. America) caught up and sprinted the final leg of the race to win the ultimate trophy: a moonrock.
What do you remember about the space race? Take our Space Race Quiz and recall the details of one of the greatest feats of discovery.
Test your Science Knowledge
“And as the centuries unfold, we’ll go many, many places, but this is the first and this needs to be remembered as one of the wonderful things of the 20th century. It is a great adventure.”– Alan Bean
Your great adventure begins here with this Space Race Quiz!
What do you remember about the Space Race? Do you know when the Soviet space program began? What was the first artificial satellite that made it into orbit? What program that developed Apollo technology was the breakthrough for the Americans? Our Space Race Quiz may just help you win the Cold War.
Race to the Moon with our Space Race Quiz and carve out a piece of history for yourself!
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Quiz written by
Jessica HolomJessica Holom is a freelance writer and digital nomad with a background in literature, art, and writing. She believes curiosity never killed a single cat and enjoys learning, world-exploring, and writing about both.
Space Race Quiz Questions
15 Questions · 1.2K Plays · No comments
Question 1
Meaning "traveler," what was the first artificial satellite in space called?
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ASobaka
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BKartoshka
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CPrivyet
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DSputnik
Sputnik
The Russians were ahead of the game when they launched the first artificial satellite into space. Sputnik arrived in low orbit in October of 1957.
Question 2
We made it! Who were the first two men to walk on the Moon?
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ACharles Duke and Neil Armstrong
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BBuzz Aldrin and Gene Cernan
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CGene Cernan and Charles Duke
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DNeil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
In 1969, the race to the Moon came to an end when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the lunar surface. The Soviets then threw in the towel when it came to the Moon and only twelve Americans have walked on it.
Question 3
What program that helped develop Apollo technology was the breakthrough for the Americans?
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AProject Virgo
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BTaurus program
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CProject Capricorn
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DGemini program
Gemini program
While the Apollo missions may get all the credit, the Gemini program developed the technology aboard the Apollo spacecraft. Gemini taught Americans how to alter a spacecraft's orbit, how to bring two spacecraft together in space, and how the human body is impacted by long durations in orbit.
Question 4
During the Space Race, the Americans ran a secret project called Corona. What did it do?
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AIdentified foreign satellites
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BSpread a virus
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CPhotographed the Soviet Union from space
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DDeveloped spyware
Photographed the Soviet Union from space
Keep your enemies closer. The top-secret mission, Corona, lasted from 1960 to 1972, the project's goal being to photograph the Soviet Union from space. If they had waited another thirty-odd years, all they'd have to do was look at Google Earth.
Question 5
No, that wasn't a moonbeam. What was the first object to visit the moon?
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ASputnik 8
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BApollo 3
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CBattlestar Galactica
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DLuna 1
Luna 1
The Soviets beat the Americans again in January of 1959 by landing on the moon. Although the spacecraft was unmanned, it was a huge deal when Luna 1 became the first lunar visitor.
Question 6
Look at that Earthrise! What was the first manned space mission to orbit the Moon?
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AApollo 8
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BApollo 11
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CMillennium Falcon
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DApollo 5
Apollo 8
Finally, a win for the Americans! Capturing the first Earthrise (that is, the rising of the Earth over the horizon of the Moon), the first manned space orbit of the Moon happened in 1968 with Apollo 8.
Question 7
"Challenge extended. Challenge accepted." When did the Space Race really launch?
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A1975
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B1965
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C1995
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D1955
1955
More than half a century after Konstantin began his planning, in 1955 the Soviets and the U.S. both stated they would launch satellites into orbit. This was the beginning of the Space Race.
Question 8
"Why can't we be friends..." When did the Soviets and the Americans finally come together for an international space flight?
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ANever
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B1975
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C1986
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D1995
1975
In 1975, after space racing for decades, the Russians and the Americans came together in the first international manned spaceflight. The Soviet Soyuz linked up with the American Apollo spacecraft, and the astronauts ran some joint experiments.
Question 9
At over fifty years old, what is the earliest manmade satellite still in orbit?
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AExplorer 1
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BCASSIOPE
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CKosmos 954
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DVanguard 1
Vanguard 1
Not only is the U.S. Navy's Vanguard 1 the first manmade satellite still in orbit, but it was the first solar-powered satellite ever made. It was launched in 1958 and will remain in orbit into the 22nd century.
Question 10
Until 1960, all animals sent to space had not lived to tell the tale. What were the first animals sent to space who came back alive?
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ACats
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BMonkeys
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CDogs
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DBunny rabbits
Dogs
That was a ruff go! Sputnik 5 sent the first animals to return alive from space in August of 1960. Those animals were two dogs, named Belka and Strelka.
Question 11
Time for the Americans to step up their game. Which organization built the first American satellite?
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AU.S. Army
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BNASA
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CCIA
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DNSA
U.S. Army
NASA was actually created AFTER the first American satellite was built. It was the U.S. Army that built Jupiter 1 in 1958.
Question 12
Get the popcorn ready...What Russian film do all cosmonauts watch before a launch?
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AWhite Sun of the Desert
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BBurnt by the Sun
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CAnna Karenina
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DThe Battleship Potemkin
White Sun of the Desert
Russians have their own brand of superstition. For instance, every cosmonaut heading for a launch must watch the 1970 Russian film, <i>White Sun of the Desert</i>, the night before their flight. Although we're not sure how this tradition began, it lives on through Venus's craters, which are named after the film's characters.
Question 13
"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..." When did the Soviet space program begin?
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ALate 19th century
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B2021
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CEarly 20th century
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DMid 20th century
Late 19th century
While most of us are aware of the mid-20th century steps taken to reach space, the Soviet space program's origins actually date all the way back to the late-1800s. It was then that scientist, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, began calculating how to reach outer space by rocket, even designing spacesuits and multi-stage launchers. This launched a movement in Russia.
Question 14
Another sign that the Cold War had defrosted came in 1995 when an American boarded a Soviet spaceship. Name the astronaut.
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AGeorge Costanza
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BNorman E. Thagard
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CJohn Young
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DPete Conrad
Norman E. Thagard
The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Four years later, Norman E. Thagard joined several cosmonauts on their spaceship, Mir, conducting research for 115 days. Some might say this collaboration was a sign that the Cold War was dead.
Question 15
Enough with space shuttles. What was the first space station launched?
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AMir
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BSalyut 1
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CSkylab 1
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DInternational Space Station
Salyut 1
Russia sent Salyut 1 to space in April of 1971, making it the first space station in orbit. Later, in 1986, the Russian space station, Mir, also became the first permanently-manned space station.
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