UPSC Prelims 2014 Question:

Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?

Sl No.	Spacecraft		Purpose
1.	Cassini-Huygens	:	Orbiting Venus and transmitting data to the Earth
2.	Messenger	:	Mapping and investigating
3.	Voyager 1 and 2	:	Exploring the outer solar system

 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Explanation: 

• • Cassini was one of the most ambitious efforts ever mounted in planetary exploration. A joint endeavor of NASA, ESA (the European Space Agency), and the Italian space agency (ASI), Cassini was a sophisticated robotic spacecraft sent to study Saturn and its complex system of rings and moons in unprecedented detail. So, pair 1 is not correctly matched.
    
    
  • MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) was the seventh Discovery-class mission, and the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. Its primary goal was to study the geology, magnetic field, and chemical composition of the planet through mapping and investigation. So, pair 2 is correctly matched.
    
    

• Voyager 1 and 2 were designed to take advantage of a rare planetary alignment to study the outer solar system up close. Voyager 2 targeted Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Like its sister spacecraft, Voyager 2 also was designed to find and study the edge of our solar system. So, pair 3 is correctly matched.
  
  

Therefore option (2) is the correct answer. 

Subject: Science & Technology | Space and Related developments