Free practice tests · Kids & Youth
Stuff Every Space Scout Should Know: free practice in 30-second cards
Stuff Every Space Scout Should Know
Practice facts for the Space Exploration merit badge. Not an official Scouting America credential.
Start Stuff Every Space Scout Should Know ⚡ Today's sprint 🎙️ Voice mode
Free to start, no sign-up. 57 cards so far. One Knowledge Score and day streak across all your courses.
Questions people ask
Is this practice test free?
Yes. The first 50 cards are free for everyone with no sign-up, each with the answer, why it is right and its sources. Aha Trivia members get all 57 cards and timed practice exams.
How many practice questions are there?
57 practice questions so far. Each one is a 3-choice card that takes about 30 seconds, and the course grows as new cards pass our source checks.
Where do the answers come from?
Every card lists the sources it was checked against, and each answer explains why it is right. If you think an answer is wrong, tap "Challenge this answer" in the game and it gets reviewed.
Can I study in the car?
Yes. Voice mode reads the questions out loud and you answer by voice.
Try 3 cards
- Which planets can show phases like the Moon?
Show the answer
Mercury and Venus. Mercury and Venus orbit inside Earth's orbit, so we see them go through phases similar to the Moon's.
- Why do the outer planets not show phases like the Moon?
Show the answer
They orbit outside Earth and appear mostly full. Planets beyond Earth's orbit are seen mostly fully lit, so they do not show the same phase cycle as the Moon.
- What is retrograde motion of a planet?
Show the answer
An apparent backward drift across the sky. Retrograde motion is the apparent backward motion of a planet against the stars, caused by Earth and the planet moving at different speeds.
All 57 practice questions
The first 50 are free, with the answer, why it's right and the official sources. The other 7 (🔒) open with a membership (every test). Or play them as a game and track what you've learned.
Show all 57 questions
- Which planets can show phases like the Moon?
- Why do the outer planets not show phases like the Moon?
- What is retrograde motion of a planet?
- What causes the phases of the Moon?
- What is a lunar eclipse?
- What is a solar eclipse?
- What are sunspots?
- What is the Sun mostly made of?
- How does the Sun affect Earth's weather and communications?
- Why are space telescopes useful?
- What is infrared astronomy good for studying?
- What is the main purpose of a rocket engine's nozzle?
- Why can a rocket engine work in the vacuum of space?
- Which law explains why escaping gas pushes a rocket forward?
- What does Newton's first law say a moving object does without a force?
- What does Newton's second law relate force to?
- What is the first human-made object to orbit Earth?
- Who was the first human to fly in space?
- Which mission first landed humans on the Moon?
- What was Salyut 1?
- What is the International Space Station best described as?
- What is the first space telescope launched in 1968?
- Why is the Hubble Space Telescope important?
- What does a satellite in orbit keep doing?
- What force keeps the Moon in orbit around Earth?
- What does the recovery system on a model rocket do?
- What is the engine mount for on a model rocket?
- Why do rockets use staged combustion or turbopumps?
- What is specific impulse a measure of?
- What is the de Laval nozzle known for?
- What does thrust vectoring let a rocket do?
- What did Robert Goddard pioneer in rocketry?
- What is the first human-made object to reach outer space?
- What was the first artificial object to reach the Moon?
- What did Luna 9 accomplish in 1966?
- What did Mariner 2 do in 1962?
- What did Venera 7 achieve in 1970?
- What did Voyager 1 do in 2012?
- What did New Horizons do in 2015?
- What did the Hayabusa mission do?
- What is the Artemis program aiming to do?
- What is one benefit of space exploration to people on Earth?
- Why do countries cooperate on space missions?
- What is a key hazard of long spaceflights to astronauts?
- How can astronauts reduce muscle loss in space?
- What is the first step of a typical spaceflight?
- What do communication satellites help provide?
- What is astrobiology the study of?
- Why should model rocket launches follow safety guidelines?
- What is a second launch of a model rocket used for?
- What does Newton's first law say about a body at rest? 🔒
- How does a rocket engine produce thrust? 🔒
- What does the combustion chamber of a rocket engine do? 🔒
- What is the throat of a rocket nozzle? 🔒
- What is a solid-propellant rocket engine? 🔒
- What is a monopropellant rocket engine? 🔒
- What is the purpose of space exploration according to common rationales? 🔒