20140502

Astronomy current events question: Opportunity rover energy boost

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2014
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)
Guy Webster, "NASA Rover Opportunity's Selfie Shows Clean Machine," April 17, 2014
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-118
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity received an energy boost from:
(A) unsticking a damaged wheel.
(B) deleting unused camera memory.
(C) reactivating nuclear fuel cells.
(D) solar panels cleaned by winds.
(E) continuously rolling downhill.

Correct answer: (D)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 1 student
(B) : 0 students
(C) : 3 students
(D) : 39 students
(E) : 2 students

1 comment:

Patrick M. Len said...

Astronomy 210L, fall semester 2014
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Results from students at the start of this semester who were not instructed to study this current events article are shown below.

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186
(A) : 3 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 9 students
(D) : 18 students
(E) : 9 students