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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. After countless delays and several launch attempts, on what day is the manned flight finally launched?

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

3. Which astronaut takes Slayton's place for the next flight?

4. Who does Annie Glenn refuse to let into her house because the press storm around the launch is so excruciating to her?

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Walter Cronkite tell the American people that he is afraid that we may have lost an astronaut?

2. 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?

3. Why is there a certain danger in scrapping the Redstone rocket in favor of the Atlas rockets?

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

5. For the third space flight, the astronaut's wife decided to write her own story for Life magazine. The magazine rents her a "safe house" to watch the launch from so no one knows where she and her children are. Why does this action upset Shorty Powers?

6. 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?

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

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

9. What does Grissom say to the second group of astronauts to keep them in their place?

10. The evening before the second Mercury flight, Joe Walker runs into Gus Grissom. Walker tries to get Grissom's goat by insisting that the X-15 program will soon pass the Mercury program and that he and the other Edwards pilots are the "real" pilots. Why do these remarks not bother Grissom at all?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

To say that the Original Seven astronauts were looked up to would be a gross understatement; they were adored and admired national heroes. Yet, in spite of their fame, they only had one magazine, Life, that told their stories.

a. What were the reasons for the press restrictions?

b. Why was Life magazine selected?

c. In today's world, would heroes agree to only one magazine with exclusive coverage? Why or why not?

d. If the intense hype surrounding the astronauts back then surrounded them in today's environment, identify three differences in how the astronauts would have been "marketed" to the nation.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the book, the astronauts are compared with the pilots from Edwards Air Force Base. Compare and contrast these two groups in terms at the following times:

a. When Project Mercury was first being announced.

b. When Project Mercury was underway.

c. When Project Mercury was concluded.

(see the answer keys)

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