Astronauts Are Entertaining Too! Quiz

Answer: Mark Watney

Mark Watney is an astronaut, botanist, and mechanical engineer on NASA's Ares 3 mission to Mars in Andy Weir's 2011 novel "The Martian", which was later adapted into a 2015 film directed by Ridley Scott.

Left for dead by his crew after a severe dust storm forces an emergency evacuation, he relies on his scientific knowledge, humor, and resourcefulness to grow food (mainly potatoes), create water, and maintain communication with Earth until a rescue mission can reach him.

Answer: Joan Goodwin

Joan Goodwin is an astronomer who enters NASA's Space Shuttle program during the 1980s as part of a groundbreaking class of female astronaut candidates in Taylor Jenkins Reid's 2025 novel "Atmosphere".

Her story explores the intense physical training for the missions, complex romantic relationships, and personal challenges that come with breaking barriers within a historically male-dominated space agency.

Answer: Jim Lovell

Commander Jim Lovell, portrayed by Tom Hanks, leads NASA's 1970 lunar mission in Ron Howard's 1995 docudrama film "Apollo 13", which was based on the 1994 book "Lost Moon" by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger.

When an oxygen tank explosion critically damages their spacecraft mid-flight, Lovell and his crew must abandon plans for a Moon landing and work alongside Mission Control to pilot a crippled module safely back to Earth.

Answer: Commander George Taylor

Commander George Taylor is an American astronaut who leads a space expedition intended to travel far into the future in Franklin J. Schaffner's classic 1968 film "Planet of the Apes", adapted from Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel.

After his crew's ship crash lands on an unknown desolate world, he discovers a bizarre society where intelligent apes dominate mute, primitive humans, leading to one of the most famous twist reveals in cinematic history.

Answer: Capt. Steve Austin

Steve Austin is a former NASA astronaut and military test pilot who suffers catastrophic injuries during an experimental aircraft crash in the popular 1970s television series "The Six Million Dollar Man", created by Kenneth Johnson and based on Martin Caidin's 1972 novel "Cyborg".

Rebuilt by the government with secret bionic implants, his astronaut background gives him the discipline and clearance to operate as a superhuman secret operative.

Answer: Capt. Tony Nelson

Captain (later Major) Tony Nelson is a United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut stationed at Cape Kennedy in the hit sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie", created by Sidney Sheldon which premiered in 1965.

After a solo spaceflight splashdown leaves him stranded on a deserted island, he unearths a bottle containing a magical (and attractive) genie, forcing him to juggle his important military duties at NASA with her magical antics.

Answer: Howard Wolowitz

Howard Wolowitz is an aerospace engineer at Caltech who earns a spot as a payload specialist aboard the International Space Station on Expedition 31/32 during the 2012 fifth season of Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady's sitcom "The Big Bang Theory".

Sent into orbit aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket to service a zero-gravity space telescope he designed, his humorous astronaut time focuses on his anxiety, physical unpreparedness, and long distance marriage.

Answer: Commander Shepard

Commander Shepard is an elite human interstellar officer in the Systems Alliance military who becomes the first human Spectre in BioWare's acclaimed 2007 video game "Mass Effect".

Piloting the starship SSV Normandy, Shepard travels across the galaxy commanding a diverse team to investigate extraterrestrial threats and prevent the total annihilation of organic life.

Answer: Buzz Lightyear

Buzz Lightyear is a toy action figure modeled after a heroic, fictional space ranger from Star Command in John Lasseter's groundbreaking 1995 animated film "Toy Story".

In the movie, he arrives convinced he is an actual astronaut trapped on an unfamiliar planet, complete with a functional wrist communicator, laser beam, and retractable wings, creating a fun dynamic with his fellow toys.

Answer: Ryland Grace

Ryland Grace is a junior high science teacher recruited by an international space agency for a desperate, one-way interstellar mission to save Earth in Andy Weir's 2021 science fiction novel "Project Hail Mary". This was later adapted into a 2026 feature film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

Waking up from a coma with amnesia aboard a solitary spacecraft, Grace must use his scientific knowledge and an unexpected extraterrestrial (and rocky) ally to figure out his mission and save humanity.