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The Mercury 7 Astronauts Trivia Quiz

America's first manned space program was Project Mercury. Seven pilots were selected to participate in what was, at the time, the most dangerous enterprise ever known to man. Let's see what you know about these seven men and the Mercury Program.

A multiple-choice quiz by Misregistered. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Misregistered

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
79,844

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
9 / 15

Plays
3166

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Which of the following was NOT one of Project Mercury's stated objectives? Hint

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

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Question 2 of 15

2. Which of the following men was NOT one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts? Hint

Edward White Jr.

Gordon Cooper

Scott Carpenter

John Glenn

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Question 3 of 15

3. Which one of the following astronauts was grounded for ten years due to an inner ear disorder? Hint

Virgil 'Gus' Grissom

Deke Slayton

Alan Shepard

Wally Schirra

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Question 4 of 15

4. How many of the original Mercury 7 astronauts actually walked on the moon? Hint

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Question 5 of 15

5. All of the seven astronauts 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)

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Question 6 of 15

6. Everyone knows that Alan Shepard was the first American in space. What did he name his space capsule? Hint

Peace 7

Freedom 7

Molly Brown 7

Justice 7

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Question 7 of 15

7. How long was Alan Shepard actually in space during this historic first flight? Hint

15 minutes

20 minutes

65 minutes

40 minutes

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Question 8 of 15

8. Which of the following spacecraft sank after splashdown, barely allowing the astronaut time to escape from it? Hint

Liberty Bell 7

Faith 7

Friendship 7

Molly Brown 7

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Question 9 of 15

9. Which of the following Mercury spacecraft did John Glenn pilot, to become the first American to orbit the Earth? Hint

Faith 7

Friendship 7

Aurora 7

Sigma 7

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Question 10 of 15

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? Hint

Frostflies

The Glenn Effect

Dragonflies

Fireflies

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? Hint

250 miles

100 miles

50 miles

200 miles

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Question 12 of 15

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? Hint

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Question 13 of 15

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? Hint

Alan Shepard

Scott Carpenter

Gus Grissom

Wally Schirra

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Question 14 of 15

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)

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Question 15 of 15

15. What 1983 movie starring Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepherd, Ed Harris and Scott Glenn was made about the Mercury Project?

Answer: (Three Words)

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of the following was NOT one of Project Mercury's stated objectives?

Answer: To explore the potential of space exploration

While exploring space's potential for man was one of the goals of the program, it was not among Mercury's three stated objectives.

2. Which of the following men was NOT one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts?

Answer: Edward White Jr.

Ed White did not join the astronaut ranks until the Gemini Program several years later.

3. Which one of the following astronauts was grounded for ten years due to an inner ear disorder?

Answer: Alan Shepard

After Shepard's suborbital flight he began having dizzy spells and was determined to have an inner ear problem. This would prevent him from participating in space flight for more than ten years, when he would finally become the commander of Apollo 14.

4. How many of the original Mercury 7 astronauts actually walked on the moon?

Answer: 1

Although three of the Mercury 7 took part in the Apollo program, only one of them, Alan Shepard, actually walked on the moon.

5. All of the seven astronauts had military backgrounds, coming from the Navy, Air Force and Marines. How many of the seven men were in the Marines?

Answer: 1

The only one of the seven that came from the Marines was John Glenn. Wally Schirra, Al Shepard and Scott Carpenter were Navy men, while Deke Slayton, Gordon Cooper and Gus Grissom came from the Air Force.

6. Everyone knows that Alan Shepard was the first American in space. What did he name his space capsule?

Answer: Freedom 7

All of the Mercury space capsules were named '7'. Shepard's Freedom 7 was the very first manned American spacecraft.

7. How long was Alan Shepard actually in space during this historic first flight?

Answer: 15 minutes

The flight lasted about 30 minutes from liftoff to splashdown, but the spacecraft was only in space for 15 minutes.

8. Which of the following spacecraft sank after splashdown, barely allowing the astronaut time to escape from it?

Answer: Liberty Bell 7

The explosive hatch inexplicably blew on Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 causing it to sink despite the recovery helicopter's attempts to save it. Grissom was able to escape, and would name his ship in the Gemini program 'Molly Brown'.

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

Answer: Friendship 7

Glenn was known as the diplomat of the group, so it's no surprise he named his capsule Friendship.

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?

Answer: Fireflies

His capsule had dozens of small luminescent particles around it, moving independently of the ship. At first it was wondered if they were alive, but Scott Carpenter accidentally discovered on his Mercury flight that they were pieces of frost off the capsule that were refracting sunlight. The Soviets called these particles 'The Glenn Effect'.

Answer: 250 miles

When rescue ships finally arrived, they found him calmly sitting in his raft, eating his emergency rations. NASA seems to have faulted him for this overshoot (as well as his burning almost all of his fuel to get better views), as they never allowed him to pilot a space vehicle again.

Answer: 22

Cooper was so excited about the flight that he fell asleep in the capsule on the launch pad waiting for the countdown to begin.

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?

Answer: Wally Schirra

Schirra was the only man to fly in all three projects. Shepard flew in Mercury and Apollo, but not in Gemini. Grissom was involved in all three project, flying in Mercury and Gemini, but he was killed during a pre-flight simulation in his Apollo 1 capsule, so he never actually flew in the Apollo program.

14. In 1998 John Glenn flew in a space shuttle mission. Who was the last Mercury 7 astronaut in space before this flight?

Answer: Deke Slayton

Slayton had never been able to fly a spacecraft due to an irregular heartbeat discovered shortly after he was selected as an astronaut. He was finally able to make it into space in 1975 as a part of the joint American-Russian 'Apollo-Soyuz' flight.

15. What 1983 movie starring Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepherd, Ed Harris and Scott Glenn was made about the Mercury Project?

Answer: The Right Stuff

A critically acclaimed film, but a box office disappointment the movie was nominated for Best Picture in 1983, losing to 'Terms of Endearment'.

Source: Author Misregistered

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