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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is housed at the Holloman Air Force Base?

2. Who is Bob White?

3. What is Chuck Yeager's signature flying move?

4. From the pilots' point of view, what is the only thing lacking during their astronaut training?

5. Who runs the Fly Inn near Muroc Field?

Short Essay Questions

1. Jane Conrad sees a real man going to her front door and realizes it wasn't one of her hallucinations. Who is the man and why is he there?

2. Why do Chuck Yeager's comments in Phoenix almost set off a national scandal? What happens to avoid the scandal?

3. What does Chuck Yeager become convinced of as he pilots the X-1 at near-Mach I speeds?

4. Describe what the chapter's title of "On the Balcony" refers to.

5. NASA originally needs six astronauts for the Mercury program, but is going to take twelve astronauts. Why?

6. Why does the Army fire Slick Goodlin and give the X-1 piloting assignment to Yeager?

7. Why do so many fighter pilots accept the Mercury mission?

8. Name three tests conducted at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on the pilots.

9. As the number of killed pilots rises, how does that affect the mood of Pete Conrad?

10. Where is Muroc Field and what is is the significance of the project taking place there?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Once the astronauts were selected for Project Mercury, they were no longer military fighter pilots. They became sought-after public figures and national heroes.

a. How did this change their behavior patterns, if at all?

b. What impact did this change have on their families, if any?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the book, the "pyramid" is discussed.

a. Define what the "pyramid" and how each group (Edwards' pilots vs. Mercury's astronauts) ranked on the period before Mercury is underway, during Project Mercury, and at the conclusion of the Project.

b. Identify and discuss three events that occur (both at Edwards and at NASA) to change and redefine the perception of both the pilots and the astronauts.

Essay Topic 3

The Original Seven astronauts underwent medical and psychological testing as part of their selection process.

a. Describe the three tests conducted on the astronauts at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. What information were the psychologists trying to gain from these tests?

b. Why did Pete Conrad rebel as a result of all of the tests? Give one example of his rebellious streak from the Lovelace tests. Give one example of his rebellious streak from the Wright-Patterson tests.

(see the answer keys)

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