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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. On what day does Shepard's Mercury capsule launch?
(a) May 10.
(b) May 5.
(c) May 12.
(d) May 25.

4. After being grounded, what is Deke Slayton's new role in NASA?
(a) Head of Operations.
(b) Divison Head - Test Flight.
(c) Coordinator of Astronaut Activities.
(d) Communications Coordinator.

5. Who is Bob Gilruth?
(a) The veterinarian brought in to dismantle the chimpanzee colony.
(b) The X-15 pilot who joined the astronauts for training.
(c) The head engineer of Project Mercury.
(d) The man in charge of Project Mercury.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the first Russian cosmonaut?

2. How many orbits does Cooper complete?

3. As he sits in the capsule waiting to be launched into space, what is Shepard most afraid of?

4. 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?

5. Why is Chris Kraft furious with the astronaut?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Webb declare Cooper's flight to be the last of the Mercury program?

2. What becomes an immutable part of the flight day drill for the astronaut's wife?

3. What irks the Original Seven wives about the Next Nine wives?

4. The seven original Mercury astronauts receive the Iven C. Kincheloe Award for outstanding professional performance in the conduct of test flight from the Society for Experimental Test Pilots. What does receiving this award mean to the astronauts?

5. During the delay before the launch, Shepard found his biggest issue to be his need to use the restroom. However, no device for urination was designed into the capsule. Why not?

6. Why do neither John Glenn nor his wife, Annie, foresee the excitement that John's flight will cause?

7. During an international space conference attended by the Russians to publicize their successes in space, what reassuring fact does the United States learn?

8. When Bob Gilruth calls the astronauts together for an emergency meeting just before Christmas, what is the purpose of the meeting?

9. What is the effect on Shepard of having so many pre-flight simulations?

10. Why does NASA select the primary pilot and two backups with a few weeks to go before the launch instead of selecting the primary pilot the day before the launch as is originally planned?

(see the answer keys)

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