1. Mercury’s sidereal period is 88 days and it rotates once with respect to the distant stars in 59 days. An observer on Mercury sees star X overhead at midnight. How many times will Mercury orbit the sun before the observer repeats the exact same observation?
A) 2
B) 2.5
C) 3
D) It will never again
2. We now think that the major process for the formation of the original atmospheres of the terrestrial planets was
A) accretion of material from the original solar nebula by the planets
B) capture the gases from the solar wind as it streams past the planet
C) volcanic eruptions (and other mechanisms) that put gasses in the atmosphere
3. We think that on Mars water
A) now exists as permafrost below the surface only
B) now exists both in the polar caps and as permafrost below the surface
C) does not exist at all any more.