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Space -- The First Small Steps Quiz

A quiz about the early days of space exploration for real Space Cadets! Kinda tough.

A multiple-choice quiz by umtutsut. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
umtutsut

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
24,966

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1222

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What was the first rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, on July 24, 1950? Hint

Bumper-WAC

Bomarc

Atlas

Jupiter-C

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Question 2 of 10

2. What was the name of the chimpanzee that NASA launched into orbit in November 1961 to pave the way for John Glenn's flight? Hint

Ham

Able

Enos

Baker

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Question 3 of 10

3. What research facility built the first successful U.S. Earth satellite, Explorer I? Hint

Naval Research Laboratory

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Army Ballistic Missile Agency

NASA-Langley Research Center

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Question 4 of 10

4. What was the name of the first dog to orbit Earth? Hint

Chaika

Belka

Laika

Strelka

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Question 5 of 10

5. What medical problem made NASA bump astronaut Deke Slayton from the second Mercury orbital flight in 1962? Hint

Inner ear problems

Heart murmur

Ruptured cervical disk

Broken ribs

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Question 6 of 10

6. What did Gordon Cooper name his Mercury spacecraft, the last in the program? Hint

Summa 7

Mercury 7

Sigma 7

Faith 7

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Question 7 of 10

7. What comedian created the character of reluctant astronaut Jose Jimenez? Hint

Steve Allen

Bill Dana

Cantinflas

Don Knotts

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Question 8 of 10

8. What was the purpose of the Discoverer series of Air Force satellites? Hint

Military reconnaissance

Astronomy

Solar research

Transatlantic telecommunications

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Question 9 of 10

9. Most people know that Yuri Gagarin was the first Soviet cosmonaut. Who was the second? Hint

Vladimir Titov

Gherman Titov

Aleksey Leonov

Sergey Korolyov

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which of the original Mercury astronauts commanded the first piloted mission in the Gemini program, the follow-on to Mercury? Hint

Gus Grissom

Alan Shepard

Wally Schirra

Gordon Cooper

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What was the first rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, on July 24, 1950?

Answer: Bumper-WAC

Bumper-WAC was a captured German V-2 with a small upper stage rocket mounted on its nose.

2. What was the name of the chimpanzee that NASA launched into orbit in November 1961 to pave the way for John Glenn's flight?

Answer: Enos

Enos made two orbits before returning to Earth due to equipment problems. Ham was the first chimp in space, but he made only a *suborbital* flight in January 1961. Able and Baker were two monkeys who rode in the nose cone of Jupiter missile to an altitude of 300 miles in May 1959.

3. What research facility built the first successful U.S. Earth satellite, Explorer I?

Answer: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Explorer I carried the JPL logo on its attached final stage rocket motor. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is located in Pasadena, Calif.

4. What was the name of the first dog to orbit Earth?

Answer: Laika

Laika was launched into orbit aboard Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957. No recovery was planned, and she died from high temperatures and oxygen starvation. Belka and Strelka flew aboard a Vostok spacecraft in August 1960 to prepare for Yuri Gagarin's pioneering flight the following year.

5. What medical problem made NASA bump astronaut Deke Slayton from the second Mercury orbital flight in 1962?

Answer: Heart murmur

Doctors ultimately gave Slayton a clean bill of health and he flew on the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975. Alan Shepard was grounded for years due to an inner ear disorder, but after surgery, he eventually commanded the Apollo 14 mission in January 1971.

6. What did Gordon Cooper name his Mercury spacecraft, the last in the program?

Answer: Faith 7

Cooper piloted Faith 7 for more than a day in May 1963. Sigma 7 was Wally Schirra's spacecraft, in which he flew six orbits in October 1962. The original astronauts were sometimes called the 'Mercury 7,' but that name was never applied to a spacecraft.

7. What comedian created the character of reluctant astronaut Jose Jimenez?

Answer: Bill Dana

'Jose' was a favorite of the Mercury astronauts. One of his best-known lines was the response to the question, 'What is that you're holding, a crash helmet?' Jose's reply: 'Oh, I *hope* not!' (Curiously, 'Bill Dana' was the name of an actual NASA test pilot -- unrelated to the comedian -- who flew the X-15 rocket plane in the mid-60s.)

8. What was the purpose of the Discoverer series of Air Force satellites?

Answer: Military reconnaissance

The Discoverer satellites released film-carrying capsules that were recovered in mid-air by air force transport planes.

9. Most people know that Yuri Gagarin was the first Soviet cosmonaut. Who was the second?

Answer: Gherman Titov

Gherman Titov flew the day-long Vostok 2 mission in August 1961. Vladimir Titov (unrelated) flew several much later Soyuz missions. Aleksey Leonov made the world's first 'space walk' in March 1965. Brilliant engineer and administrator Sergey Korolyov was the head of the Soviet space program until his untimely death in 1966.

10. Which of the original Mercury astronauts commanded the first piloted mission in the Gemini program, the follow-on to Mercury?

Answer: Gus Grissom

Gus Grissom commanded Gemini 3 in March 1965. Because his Mercury spacecraft, Liberty Bell 7, sank in the ocean after his 1961 suborbital flight, Grissom wanted to name his Gemini craft 'Molly Brown' after the 'unsinkable' Broadway character. Staid NASA managers {refused;} none of the Gemini spacecraft had official names.

Source: Author umtutsut

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