The Mercury 7 Astronauts

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Which of the following was NOT one of Project Mercury's stated objectives? To recover man and spacecraft safely To investigate man's ability to function in space To explore the potential of space exploration To orbit a manned spacecraft around the Earth

2. Which of the following men was NOT one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts? John Glenn Scott Carpenter Edward White Jr. Gordon Cooper

3. Which one of the following astronauts was 'permanently' grounded due to an inner ear disorder? Deke Slayton Virgil 'Gus' Grissom Wally Schirra Alan Shepard

4. How many of the original Mercury 7 astronauts actually walked on the moon? 1 2 5 3

5. All of the seven men had military backgrounds, coming from the Navy, Air Force and Marines. How many of the seven men were in the Marines? Answer: (One Word - single digit number)

6. Everyone knows that Alan Shepard was the first American in space. What did he name his space capsule? Freedom 7 Molly Brown 7 Peace 7 Justice 7

7. How long was Alan Shepard actually in space during this historic first flight? 10 minutes 5 minutes 15 minutes 20 minutes

8. Which of the following spacecraft sank after splashdown, barely allowing the astronaut time to escape from it? Friendship 7 Molly Brown 7 Faith 7 Liberty Bell 7

9. Which of the following Mercury spacecraft did John Glenn pilot, to become the first American to orbit the Earth? Faith 7 Sigma 7 Aurora 7 Friendship 7

10. While orbiting the Earth, John Glenn saw some small particles travelling with him outside his capsule. What did he call them during transmissions to flight headquarters? The Glenn Effect Frostflies Fireflies Dragonflies

11. Astronaut Scott Carpenter had a slight time lag from the time he was supposed to fire his re-entry burn. This small time lag caused him to overshoot his planned landing zone. How far did he overshoot? 200 miles 50 miles 250 miles 100 miles

12. The last member of the Mercury 7 to pilot a capsule in the Mercury program was Gordon Cooper. His flight was, at the time, the farthest and fastest any human being had ever travelled. How many orbits of the Earth did he complete in this flight? 9 14 22 19

13. Only one of the Mercury 7 astronauts flew in all three of NASA's 'Moon Shot' programs (Mercury, Gemini and Apollo). Which astronaut was this? Alan Shepard Wally Schirra Gus Grissom Scott Carpenter

14. In 1998 John Glenn flew in a space shuttle mission. Who was the last Mercury 7 astronaut in space before this flight? Answer: (Two Words, or just surname)

15. What 1983 movie starring Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepherd, Ed Harris and Scott Glenn was made about the Mercury Project? Answer: (Three Words)