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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. After the Russian flight, NASA scrubbed the remainder of the planned Mercury flights using Redstone rockets. What is the next flight to attempt?
(a) A rocket launch with a plane landing.
(b) A moon landing.
(c) Dropping bombs from space.
(d) Orbital flight.

2. 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 Astrodome.
(c) The Exxon Oil Refinery.
(d) The Houston Coliseum.

3. When does the second Mercury flight take place?
(a) July 21.
(b) August 30.
(c) June 7.
(d) September 7.

4. On John Glenn's 40th birthday, who comes to Glenn's birthday dinner?
(a) Lyndon and Ladybird Johnson.
(b) John and Jackie Kennedy.
(c) Alan and Louise Shepard.
(d) Gus and Betty Grissom.

5. When communicating with mission control, what does Glenn refer to his capsule as?
(a) Mercury 3.
(b) Atlas 1.
(c) Friendship 7.
(d) Test Flight 84.

6. How long is the launch delayed?
(a) Four hours.
(b) Forty minutes.
(c) Twenty minutes.
(d) Seventeen hours.

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

8. When Cooper is in the capsule awaiting launch, all of his objective readings indicate that Cooper has done something no previous astronaut has done. What does Cooper do?
(a) Hyperventilates.
(b) Cries.
(c) Falls asleep.
(d) Passes out.

9. As a result of these problems, what does Cooper have to do?
(a) Manually line up the capsule for re-entry.
(b) Fly on battery power.
(c) Deploy the parachute.
(d) Remap the splash zone.

10. Which astronaut takes Slayton's place for the next flight?
(a) Wally Schirra.
(b) Scott Carpenter.
(c) Alan Shepard.
(d) Gordon Cooper.

11. Why do the astronauts move to Houston?
(a) NASA is building a Manned Spacecraft Center.
(b) Houston provides better launch windows.
(c) Cape Canaveral is no longer big enough for their program.
(d) Houston has better weather.

12. When the capsule splashes down and Shepard is detaching all of the hoses so that he can leave the capsule, what sound does he hear?
(a) Electrical circuits popping.
(b) Water seeping into the capsule.
(c) The President's voice.
(d) Cheers over his radio.

13. The first "manned" space flight by Russia does not have a man aboard. What living thing do the Russians send into space?
(a) A chimpanzee.
(b) A cat.
(c) A hamster.
(d) A dog.

14. What do the pilots at Edwards finally expect the public to realize based on the chimpanzee's successful flight?
(a) That the dream of space travel is finally a reality.
(b) That the ape is being considered for a medal of courage.
(c) That any trained animal can pilot the capsule and that the pilots at Edwards are the real pilots.
(d) That only a real, trained pilot is capable of flying the Mercury capsule.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the Air Force award to their pilots who fly at altitudes over fifty miles?

2. What is President Kennedy obsessed with?

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

4. What does Kennedy insist on as NASA's next focus?

5. Why is Alan Shepard grounded?

(see the answer keys)

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