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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 the new moon program called?

2. On what day does Shepard's Mercury capsule launch?

3. How many days before the planned Mercury launch do the Russians put a man into space?

4. Who is a part of the "new breed" of Air Force pilots?

5. Why does Joe Walker decide not to apply for the astronaut-training program?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Grissom's suit not keep him buoyant when he is awaiting rescue in the ocean?

2. When urination had been a problem in the procedures trainer, what had some of the astronauts done out of necessity and what are the dangers involved in a real-world situation?

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

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

5. What does Shepard see as the main differences between the actual flight and the centrifuge's simulated flights?

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

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

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

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

10. In Chapter 15, what does John Glenn argue with James Webb about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

When we are first introduced to the pilots at Muroc Army Air Base, we meet a cocky group of young pilots that daily face danger and possible death from just doing their jobs.

a. List the dangers the pilots faced daily when conducting their test flights.

b. List off-duty dangers that resulted from their cocky and larger-than-life egos.

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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