Special Sub-Topic: The Space Race Click Here To Play: The Space Race

Who was the first human to travel into space?

Yuri Gagarin. The Soviets beat the United States by orbiting Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in April of 1961.

How many orbits did American astronaut Alan B. Shephard make when he traveled into space in May of 1961?

0. Shepherd's flight was suborbital. It lasted approximately 15 minutes.

Who was the first American to walk in space:?

Ed White. Astronaut Edward White walked in space on the Gemini 4 flight in June of 1965.

What 1966 American spaceflight almost ended in disaster when a stuck thruster caused the spacecraft to tumble out of control?

Gemini 8. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and David Scott had to accomplish an emergency reentry. Armstrong's quick thinking probably saved their lives.

Two astronaut were pilots in the X-15 program before joining NASA. Name ONE of them.

Neil Armstrong & Armstrong & Joe Engle. Neil Armstrong was a civilian test pilot.

Which of the following American astronauts died during the fire on Apollo 1?

Roger Chaffee. Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee were killed when by a launchpad fire on January 27, 1967

Who was the third man to walk on the moon?

Charles Conrad. Charles 'Pete' Conrad along with Alan Bean walked on the moon during the flight of Apollo 12 in November 1969

How many men have walked on the moon?

12. There should have been 14, but Apollo 13 was aborted due to an oxygen tank explosion.

Who was the only American astronaut to have flown in space on the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs?

Wally Schirra. Schirra flew on Mercury 6, Gemini 6, and Apollo 7

What kept astronaut Deke Slayton grounded until 1975?

Heart fibrillation. Deke Slayton was one of the original Mercury astronauts, but he did not fly in space until 1975 during the Apollo-Soyuz program.