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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. John Glenn's flight and his taking on "the mighty Soviet Integral" causes comparisons with what Biblical story?
(a) Samson and Delilah.
(b) David and Goliath.
(c) Cain and Abel.
(d) Sodom and Gomorrah.

2. After countless delays and several launch attempts, on what day is the manned flight finally launched?
(a) April 1, 1962.
(b) February 20, 1962.
(c) January 1, 1963.
(d) January 23, 1062.

3. As he sits in the capsule waiting to be launched into space, what is Shepard most afraid of?
(a) Being crushed by the g forces.
(b) Urinating in his pressurized suit.
(c) Screwing something up.
(d) Blowing up on the launch pad.

4. When the astronauts arrive in Houston, they are told that there will be a "little" cocktail party for them. Where is the cocktail party held?
(a) The Houston Space Center.
(b) The Houston Coliseum.
(c) The Astrodome.
(d) The Exxon Oil Refinery.

5. Why are the Edward's pilots miffed by NASA's treatment of Grissom after the mistake in the capsule?
(a) NASA sends Grissom to the White House.
(b) NASA gives Grissom a $20,000 bonus.
(c) NASA doesn't punish Grissom.
(d) NASA provides extensive interview opportunities to Grissom.

6. What is the concern that controllers have when preparing to bring Glenn back in through the atmosphere?
(a) That the blood pressure monitor is malfunctioning.
(b) That the heat shields are loose.
(c) That the capsule will overshoot the planned splash zone.
(d) That the parachute will not deploy.

7. Shepard is strapped so tightly into the capsule that he can't feel the weightlessness he knows he is experiencing. What item floats in front of him in the capsule?
(a) A washer.
(b) A rivet.
(c) A replacement battery.
(d) An oxygen hose.

8. Who is the scheduled backup astronaut for the first manned orbital flight?
(a) Scott Carpenter.
(b) Alan Shepard.
(c) Deke Slayton.
(d) Gordon Cooper.

9. Why does Joe Walker decide not to apply for the astronaut-training program?
(a) He is afraid of being turned down.
(b) He is 42.
(c) He likes being an instructor.
(d) He is medically grounded.

10. Why is Chris Kraft furious with the astronaut?
(a) The astronaut ignores all the fuel warnings during the flight.
(b) The astronaut conducted too many experiments.
(c) The astronaut broke the capsule's hatch.
(d) The astronaut's parade was longer than Glenn's parade.

11. As part of the Air Force's astronaut training program, what do the astronaut trainees attend in Washington?
(a) Operations training.
(b) Political classes.
(c) Charm school.
(d) Flight school.

12. Which two astronauts are selected to be the backup astronauts?
(a) Alan Shepard and John Glenn.
(b) John Glenn and Gus Grissom.
(c) Wally Schirra and John Glenn.
(d) Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom.

13. Why does the unmanned flight receive very little public attention?
(a) The Beatles are making their first US tour.
(b) The public is tired of test flights.
(c) The Russians beat the Americans to the punch again.
(d) The public doesn't believe NASA can pull it off.

14. What political action occurs between the Soviet's launch of their cosmonaut and the scheduled launch of Shepard?
(a) The assassination of President Kennedy.
(b) The Bay of Pigs.
(c) The X-16 disaster.
(d) The dismantling of Project Mercury.

15. Which astronaut is named to fly in the second Mercury capsule?
(a) Deke Slayton.
(b) John Glenn.
(c) Wally Schirra.
(d) Gus Grissom.

Short Answer Questions

1. Towards the end of his flight, Cooper starts experiencing problems. What is causing these problems?

2. On the space flight, what becomes a major issue for the astronaut?

3. The next manned space flight occurs in 1965 and the space program continues still today. Yet one thing was lost from the original Mercury program and still remains different today. What it is?

4. How many days before the planned Mercury launch do the Russians put a man into space?

5. Why do the astronauts move to Houston?

(see the answer keys)

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