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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 6, "On the Balcony".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Ted Whelan die?
(a) His plane crash lands in a swamp.
(b) His parachute fails to open.
(c) He flies beneath the hard deck and into power lines.
(d) He is in a car accident.

2. When Pete receives his top-secret orders, what is the project he is being asked to volunteer for?
(a) The Moon Project.
(b) The X-1 Project.
(c) The Mercury Project.
(d) The Saturn Project.

3. Which of the astronauts rises early each morning to do his roadwork where everyone can see him?
(a) Gus Grissom.
(b) John Glenn.
(c) Deke Slayton.
(d) Wally Schirra.

4. How are wives notified if their husband is injured or killed during a test flight?
(a) The Navy sends an official letter to the wife.
(b) The Navy sends a man with official or moral authority to the house.
(c) There is no official procedure for notifying the family of death.
(d) Another one of the wives goes to the house to break the news.

5. From the original volunteers for the program, how many are finally accepted as astronauts?
(a) 20.
(b) 12.
(c) 10.
(d) 7.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does "pushing the outside of the envelope" refer to?

2. What does the author compare the career path of a fighter pilot to?

3. What is focused on as being the pilots' best qualification for their selection to the Project Mercury astronaut program at the press conference?

4. How much is NASA's press representative paid per year?

5. What is the nickname given to Project Mercury by the top pilots at the base?

(see the answer key)

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