Bing NASA Quiz – Missions, Astronauts and Spacecraft
The Bing NASA Quiz asks you to recall the spacecraft, astronauts and missions that shaped spaceflight, from Project Mercury and the Space Shuttle to the Hubble Space Telescope, Artemis II, Sally Ride and the Apollo 13 rescue. Apollo may be famous, but NASA's story extends far beyond the Moon.
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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds
History
In which year did President Eisenhower sign the law creating NASA?
Mercury
Who became the first American in space in 1961?
Apollo
What did the Apollo 13 crew famously report after an oxygen tank exploded?
Shuttle
Which was the first Space Shuttle to fly into orbit, in 1981?
Hubble
What problem did the Hubble Space Telescope have after its 1990 launch?
Astronauts
Who was the first American woman in space?
Artemis
What is NASA's Artemis program aiming to do?
Gemini
What was the main purpose of Project Gemini in the 1960s?
Centers
Where is NASA's Mission Control for human spaceflight located?
Robots
Which NASA lab in California builds and runs most of its planetary rovers and probes?
Your score
0/10
Scroll down to see the explanation for each question.
Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions
- Q1: In which year did President Eisenhower sign the law creating NASA?
Answer: 1958
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the act creating NASA in 1958. It was a response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik.
- Q2: Who became the first American in space in 1961?
Answer: Alan Shepard
Shepard made a 15-minute suborbital flight aboard Freedom 7. John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth in 1962.
- Q3: What did the Apollo 13 crew famously report after an oxygen tank exploded?
Answer: Houston, we've had a problem
The crew used the lunar module as a lifeboat and returned safely in April 1970. The words are often misquoted as Houston, we have a problem.
- Q4: Which was the first Space Shuttle to fly into orbit, in 1981?
Answer: Columbia
Columbia launched on April 12, 1981, exactly 20 years after Gagarin's flight. The shuttle program ended in 2011.
- Q5: What problem did the Hubble Space Telescope have after its 1990 launch?
Answer: A flawed main mirror that blurred images
The mirror was ground to the wrong shape by a tiny amount. Astronauts installed corrective optics in 1993.
- Q6: Who was the first American woman in space?
Answer: Sally Ride
Ride flew aboard Challenger in 1983. Mae Jemison became the first African American woman in space in 1992.
- Q7: What is NASA's Artemis program aiming to do?
Answer: Return astronauts to the Moon
Artemis I flew an uncrewed Orion capsule in 2022. Artemis II sent four astronauts around the Moon in April 2026.
- Q8: What was the main purpose of Project Gemini in the 1960s?
Answer: Practicing skills needed for Moon missions
Gemini crews practiced spacewalks, docking and long flights. Ed White made the first American spacewalk in 1965.
- Q9: Where is NASA's Mission Control for human spaceflight located?
Answer: Houston, Texas
Mission Control is at the Johnson Space Center. Launches from Florida are handed over to Houston after liftoff.
- Q10: Which NASA lab in California builds and runs most of its planetary rovers and probes?
Answer: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory
JPL in Pasadena built the Voyager probes and every NASA Mars rover. It is managed by Caltech.
Bing NASA Quiz – Missions, Astronauts and Spacecraft
NASA was founded in 1958, months after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik. Since then it has sent astronauts to the Moon, built space shuttles and space stations, and sent robots to every planet in the solar system.
Its early programs built up step by step. Project Mercury put Alan Shepard and John Glenn into space, Project Gemini practiced spacewalks and docking, and Apollo landed astronauts on the Moon. Apollo 13 became famous for a dramatic rescue after an explosion.
The Space Shuttle era began with Columbia in 1981 and lasted until 2011. Shuttles launched the Hubble Space Telescope, whose blurry first images were fixed by astronauts, and helped build the International Space Station. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983.
Today NASA works with private companies and international partners. The Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the Moon, while the Jet Propulsion Laboratory runs rovers on Mars and probes across the solar system. Mission Control in Houston still guides human flights.
The Bing NASA Quiz has ten multiple-choice questions and a 150-second timer. After each answer you see a short explanation, so even a wrong guess teaches you something new. When you finish, you can check your score, review the answers and play again to see whether you can beat your first result. The score is just for fun, so there is no pressure. If a question surprises you, read the explanation and try a related quiz afterward to build on what you learned.
Play the quiz and see how much of NASA's story you know beyond Apollo.
What This Quiz Teaches
- How NASA began
- Mercury, Gemini and Apollo
- The Space Shuttle era
- The Hubble Space Telescope
- The Artemis program
- NASA centers and labs
Quick Facts
- NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- The Kennedy Space Center is in Florida.
- NASA's logo is nicknamed the meatball.
- Astronauts train underwater for spacewalks.
- NASA also studies Earth's climate from space.
- The Apollo program cost tens of billions of dollars.
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