Man in Space Trivia

1. Buzz Aldrin was the first astronaut recruited to have a doctorate, which he gained in 1963 from which university?

From Quiz NASA's Astronauts - Groups 3 to 7

Answer: MIT

Although Buzz Aldrin's career mirrored that of his contemporaries - he graduated from West Point with a degree in mechanical engineering, entered the US Air Force to train as a pilot, saw combat during the Korean War flying F-86 Sabres, during which he shot down two enemy aircraft, was posted to a fighter squadron in West Germany, and served a period as an instructor - he was less of the traditional kind of fast jet pilot. His passion for academia came out when, at the urging of his former squadron mate, Ed White, he enrolled as a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1959, intending to study for a Master's degree. Finding that he enjoyed the work, he advanced his studies with the intention instead of obtaining a doctorate. In 1963, he passed, earning an Sc.D in astronautics, with his doctoral thesis entitled "Line-of-Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous". In May 1963, Aldrin applied to selection as part of NASA's third astronaut group. He had previously applied the year before when Group 2 was being recruited, but his lack of test pilot experience disqualified him. However, this requirement was dropped for Group 3, with instead a minimum level of fast jet experience needed. Aldrin thus became the first astronaut with a doctorate, with his expertise leading to his being given the nickname "Dr Rendezvous". He was able to use his expertise in rendezvous techniques directly when, flying as the pilot of Gemini 12 alongside Jim Lovell in 1966, the spacecraft's radar failed, meaning Aldrin, using the backup charts and procedures he had helped design, plus a new type of sextant, was able to manually guide the spacecraft into the rendezvous and docking with its Agena target vehicle, proving the techniques he had studied for his doctoral thesis worked.

From Quiz The Science of Space Travel

Answer: Hans Lipperhey

In 1608 a Dutch eyeglass maker developed a device that could "see far away objects as if they were nearby" and because of that named it spyglass. Three years later Galileo improved on the design and turned it towards the stars. The rest is history!

From Quiz The Launch of Commercial Space Exploration

Answer: SpaceX

From 1981 to 2011 NASA's Space Shuttle Program showed the world that a spacecraft sent into orbit could successfully be returned and then re-flown multiple times. SpaceX has prioritized reuse during the development of its Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship. This hinges upon the vertical landing of the booster rocket's first stage, a feat which was first accomplished in 2015 with a Falcon 9. Additionally, SpaceX's Falcon 1 was the first privately developed rocket to orbit Earth. Boeing, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin all played a part in the growth of the commercial space industry during the 00's and 10's.

From Quiz Man in Space, 9 for 10

Answer: Artemis

In May 2019 NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stated that the goal of the Artemis program was to land a pair of astronauts, one woman and one man, on the Moon by 2024, "the first woman and the next man". (The gender of the pilot who remains in the command module Orion was not specified.) Although lunar exploration was primary, Bridenstine also indicated that it would be an opportunity to work on approaches and technologies needed for a future Martian exploration. Namely, the Artemis program would include a tremendously powerful rocket called the Space Launch System (SLS) and a space station called Gateway to serve as an orbital outpost. NASA also revealed that the Artemis Generation spacesuits would be a vast improvement over the spacesuits in use at the time of the announcement (they were 40 years old, limited in movement, and few properly fit women's sizes.) Unlike the earlier Apollo lunar program of the 1960s-70s, NASA has conducted the Artemis program in conjunction with private businesses and with other nations' space programs, including those of Japan and Canada. One of the landing sites is the lunar South Pole. Artemis in Greek mythology is goddess of the hunt, wild animals, childbirth, and, of course, the Moon. She is the twin sister of Apollo, for whom the original U.S. manned lunar missions of the 1960s-70s were named.

From Quiz I Think He's Attempting Re-entry

Answer: Vanguard

After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik on October 4, 1957, the United States attempted to launch a satellite of their own two months later. The Vanguard three-stage rocket was designed by the Glenn L. Martin Company to launch America's first satellite into orbit. The rocket lifted off for about two seconds, but lost thrust and fell back to the launchpad and exploded. The satellite still functioned despite the blast, but was too damaged to be used again.

From Quiz What Goes Up... Doesn't Always Come Down.

Answer: March 1958

Vanguard 1, the fourth earth satellite ever launched and the first to use solar power, is 6.4 inches in diameter. It ceased operation in May 1964 and is expected to fall to earth around 2198.

From Quiz The Final Countdown

Answer: Fire

The story starts with a thermostat designed for a 28 volt supply which was not upgraded when the supply was changed to 65 volts. The higher voltage fused the contacts of the thermostat closed, resulting in a heating element being permanently switched on. This melted the insulation on some wires during a ground test. During the flight, the fan supplied by the wires was switched on, causing the fire which resulted in the failure of the tank. This 1970 space mission was the subject of the 1995 film "Apollo 13".

From Quiz Challenging Space History

Answer: Germany

The V-2 rocket was intended to be used as a guided ballistic missile. It was the first rocket which successfully crossed into the boundary of space on June 20th, 1944. The V-2 was largely the work of German aerospace engineer, Wernher von Braun. Braun later went on to invent the Saturn V Rocket, which was used by The United States during its Apollo program.

From Quiz Out To Launch

Answer: Scott Carpenter

The "Aurora 7", piloted by Scott Carpenter, made three orbits around the Earth. A re-entry error took the capsule 250 miles off the splashdown point which delayed the capsule's recovery. Carpenter was the sixth American in space.

From Quiz Groceries on the Moon

Answer: In toothpaste tubes

Yuri Gagarin made the first space flight in 1961. While in space, he ate a lunch consisting of pureed meat and chocolate sauce, luckily in separate tubes.

From Quiz The Right Stuff? The Project Mercury Astronauts

Answer: April 9, 1959

On April 9, 1959 in Washington DC they were introduced in an overfilled room to 200 reporters. Because they wore civilian clothes, no questions were asked about their military careers. All the questions related to personal information or Project Mercury details.

From Quiz They Came From Above

Answer: Receive a pilot's licence

Raymonde de Laroche (real name Elise Raymonde Deroche) first became interested in aviation after witnessing a presentation by the Wright brothers at the exposition in Paris in 1908. Two years later, she succeeded in her goal of becoming the first licensed female pilot. Over the period of 1910-1919 she participated in several exhibitions and aviation shows in Europe and North Africa. During one of these events, in St. Petersburg, she had a personal audience with Tsar Nicholas II, who, by addressing her as Baroness de Laroche, gave an aura of authenticity to the title that was, in fact, no more than an affectionate nickname (Raymonde de Laroche was the daughter of a plumber). Like many early aviators, she was involved in several serious airplane crashes over the course of her career, the last of which, in July 1919 at Le Crotoy, claimed her life. Sophie Blanchard was the first woman to professionally pilot a hot-air balloon, while Helen Richey was the first woman to be hired as a pilot for a U.S. commercial airline.

From Quiz Far Out! Like, Really Far Out...

Answer: Columbia

The Columbia Space Shuttle flew 28 missions. During the reentry of the final mission the spaceship broke apart scattering parts over five states. It was later determined that one of the carbon composite wings had developed a hole during take-off. This occurred when a piece of insulation from the external fuel tank peeled off and hit the wing.

From Quiz 2004 - My Life as a Mars Rover

Answer: Opportunity

Spirit and Opportunity were clear examples of the fact that science and innovation are by no means cold or purely rational endeavors, but carry with them deep aspirations of humanity.

From Quiz Other Worlds Than This

Answer: Mariner 10

Mariner 10 actually made 3 visits to Mercury, two in 1974, and the last in early 1975.

From Quiz It's not Rocket Science...or is it?

Answer: December 21st

In the northern hemisphere Earth is closest to sun during the winter months. The reason it is colder during that time is because the sun is directly "above" the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5° South latitude and thereby providing only grazing energy north of the equator.

From Quiz Welcome to Mission Control!

Answer: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (Florida)

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was the site of the Mission Control Center and the launch pads used for Mercury and Gemini missions. Pads 5 (Redstone) and 14 (Atlas) were used for Mercury, while Pad 19 was used for Gemini. A replica of the original Mission Control Center is located on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex. The last mission that the Mission Control Center at Cape Canaveral supervised was Gemini 3, in March, 1965. The Mission Control facilities at the Johnson Space Center near Houston, Texas, were first used during Gemini 4 in June, 1965.

From Quiz Haiku in Space II - The Inquire Strikes Back

Answer: Gemini 4

James A. McDivitt and Edward White rode Gemini 4 into orbit on June 3, 1965. White became the first U.S. astronaut to walk in space, using a pressurized handheld maneuvering device to alter his trajectory. McDivitt and White had to deorbit and land manually due to failure of the automated re-entry control system. White would later lose his life along with astronauts Virgil Grissom and Roger Chaffee aboard Apollo 1 in 1967.

From Quiz Haiku In Space

Answer: Vostok 1

The former Soviet Union set the bar for human spaceflight on April 12, 1961 as Soviet Air Force pilot Yuri Gagarin rode Vostok 1 into orbit. Gagarin was the first human in space and the first to orbit the Earth, completing one orbit. Gagarin climbed out of his capsule and parachuted to Earth because Russian engineers were afraid that the landing would be too rough, a design issue that would not be corrected until the Voskhod series of spacecraft were constructed.

From Quiz Saturn V

Answer: Boeing

The S-IC was by far the largest of the three stages of the Saturn V moon rocket. The stage measured 138 feet (42 meters) in height, 33 feet (10 meters) in diameter, and weighed 5,030,000 pounds (2,280,000 kilograms) when fully fueled.

From Quiz The Original Seven Mercury Astronauts

Answer: Cooper, Grissom, Slayton

Also testing planes at Edwards AFB was the iconic Chuck Yeager, who had been the first to break the sound barrier in 1947 as well as accummulating myriad records for distance and speed. NASA officials did not consider Yeager a good candidate because he was not college-educated and was too independent, having referred to astronauts as being "spam in a can." Yeager continued with a stellar career in the USAF, continuing to break records and push the edges of the envelop.

From Quiz The Human Body in the Vacuum of Space

Answer: The body will not explode

The body is fairly elastic, and bones are tough. The skin has the ability to stretch enough to contain the increase in pressure difference from standard atmosphere to vacuum. Although if not wearing a pressure suit, the body may puff out to twice its normal size. In 1960, a man named Joe Kittinger made a record breaking skydive from 100,000 feet while wearing a pressure suit. His right glove sprung a leak, and his hand swelled to twice its normal size, and circulation stopped within the appendage. Within a few hours of landing on the ground, his hand returned to its normal size with no damage done.

From Quiz NASA Turns Fifty

Answer: Pioneer

The Pioneer rocket attempted three failed lunar missions before being diverted for use in other missions, including mapping the interplanetary magnetic field, monitoring solar flares, flying by Jupiter and Saturn and returning information that would be crucial in the later design of the Voyager probe.

From Quiz Unmanned Space Travel

Answer: Luna 2

The Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 was launched in September 12, 1959 and crash landed (as it was intended to) into the moon two days later. The Soviets continued the Luna program until 1976 when Luna 24 returned from the moon with over 150 grams of lunar dust.

From Quiz Women in Space--- Let's hear it for the girls!

Answer: Valentina Tereshkova

Valentina was launched into space on Vostok 6, 6/16/63, making world history. Interestingly, Valentina was not a scientist when recruited to the cosmonaut program. She worked at a textile factory and was an avid parachutist. It was her expertise in jumping that led to her selection. The rest, as they say, is history. Natalya Kuleshova is a cosmonaut who never made it to space. Barbara Morgan was the backup teacher for Christa McAuliffe on the ill-fated Challenger. Maureen Robinson is a fictionalized space traveler from the TV show "Lost in Space".

From Quiz Lunokhod Moon Rover

Answer: Moon walker

The 'Lunokhod' or 'moon walker' was built under the direction Georgi Babakin of the Lavochkin design bureau after the Institute for Tractor and Agricultural Machinery deemed it impossible to build. It was a typically robust Soviet design weighing in at 756 kg and was part of the Ye-8 series of Luna exploration probes. It was originally designed to scout potential landing sites for the planned manned landing on the moon and act as transport for the cosmonaut to travel to a backup LK lander in case the original one became disabled.

From Quiz Carrying the Fire

Answer: The Fourteen

This was the third group of astronauts selected by NASA. They never received a cool nickname that stayed with them. The others selected with Collins were: Buzz Aldrin, Bill Anders, Charley Bassett, Alan Bean, Eugene Cernan, Roger Chaffee, Walter Cunningham, Donn Eisele, Ted Freeman, Dick Gordon, Rusty Schweickart, David Scott, and C. C. Williams. Bassett, Chaffee, Freeman, and Williams died before they had a chance to fly in space.

From Quiz Project Gemini

Answer: 3 orbits

Two unmanned Gemini missions, in August, 1964 and January, 1965, paved the way for this mission. Gus Grissom, who flew the second Mercury mission, Liberty Bell 7, in July, 1961, became the first American to travel in space twice. For John Young, this would be the first of six missions he would make--two each during Gemini, Apollo and the Space Shuttle. Gemini III covered the three orbits in just under five hours.

From Quiz Project Mercury

Answer: Freedom 7

Liberty Bell 7 was the name of the next flight (designated MR-2). Friendship 7 was the third Mercury flight and Faith 7 was the final flight of the Mercury series.

From Quiz The Soviet Challenge for the Moon

Answer: Sergei Korolev

Sergei Korolev, the visionary leading force behind the launch of the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik, and sending the first man into space, Yuri Gagarin, laboured away in anonymity and was never officially identified until after his death. In contrast his rival in the American space programme, Werner Von Braun worked in the full glare of publicity and made the most of this. Korolev's design bureau, OKB-1, was responsible for all the early rocket and spacecraft developments that gave the Soviet Union its early lead in space. Vladimir Chelomei was another rocket engineer whose OKB-52 design bureau developed the heavy lift booster UR-500 Proton. Valentin Glushko was the principal designer of rocket engines in the Soviet Union and was head of the design bureau OKB-456. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was an early theoretician and rocket scientist and is regarded as the 'Father of Astronautics'. His most famous quote was: "The earth is the cradle of humanity, but man cannot stay in the cradle forever".

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