Question 1

True or false: ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter was built entirely by the European Space Agency with no Russian involvement.

Accepted Answer

False. It's a joint ESA-Roscosmos mission; Russia provided the Proton rocket and some instruments.

Question 2

True or false: TGO's primary mission is to sniff out trace gases like methane in Mars' atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

True. It analyzes atmospheric composition to understand geological and possible biological activity on Mars.

Question 3

True or false: TGO's camera, CaSSIS, can resolve features as small as 4.5 meters across on Mars.

Accepted Answer

True. CaSSIS captures images at approximately 4.5 meters per pixel, enabling it to resolve surface features as small as 4.5 meters.

Question 4

True or false: The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) acts as a communications relay for NASA rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance.

Accepted Answer

True. The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is part of the Mars Relay Network, providing data relay for NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, along with other surface missions.

Question 5

True or false: TGO carries a lander called Schiaparelli, which successfully touched down on Mars in 2016.

Accepted Answer

False. Schiaparelli crashed due to a parachute failure; it was a test lander that did not survive landing.

Question 6

True or false: The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter discovered that global dust storms on Mars lift water vapor high into the atmosphere, where sunlight breaks it apart and hydrogen escapes to space.

Accepted Answer

True. TGO detected high-altitude water vapor during dust storms; solar UV dissociates it, releasing hydrogen that escapes into space, accelerating water loss.

Question 7

True or false: TGO's orbit is highly elliptical, dipping as low as 250 km above the Martian surface.

Accepted Answer

False. It flies in a near-circular orbit at about 400 km altitude, not highly elliptical or as low as 250 km.

Question 8

True or false: The ExoMars TGO can detect methane concentrations as low as a few parts per trillion.

Accepted Answer

True. TGO's Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) can measure methane at the parts-per-trillion level, with detection limits around 10 ppt, making it the most sensitive methane hunter at Mars.

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Trivia Questions