The Right Stuff Trivia

1. In "The Right Stuff" who is the first pilot to break the sound barrier?

From Quiz The Right Stuff

Answer: Chuck Yeager

Flying the Bell X-1, Captain Chuck Yeager was, in 1947, the first person to break the sound barrier. He did this despite having broken ribs from a horse riding accident a few days earlier. In the film he is shown using a broken-off broom handle to close the hatch on the plane, as his damaged ribs would not allow him to do it otherwise. In real life Chuck Yeager was a fighter pilot in World War 2 and he later commanded squadrons during the Vietnam war. He broke many air speed records during his career as a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base. He was not selected for the first space programme due to his lack of a college degree. He was however the first commandant of the USAF Aerospace Research School. His flying career spanned 60 years. He also had a small part in the film, playing Fred, the bartender at Pancho's. Sam Shepherd, who played him in the film, moved into acting after being playwright in residence at Magic Theatre in San Francisco. His first film was "Days of Heaven" (1978) with Richard Gere. He received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Chuck Yeager.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 2

Answer: Liberty Bell 7

This was the capsule that was lost at sea on Gus Grissom's flight. It was recovered on July 20, 1999, and put on display at the Kansas Cosmosphere, where scientists took it apart down to the smallest bolt to restore it, before sending it on a ten year tour of the world. Friendship 7 was John Glenn's Freedom 7 was Al Shepard's Sigma 7 was Wally Schirra's

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 1

Answer: Orange

There was a howling noise that sounded very ominous, but was merely the super-cold fuel being loaded in the fuel tank, in preparation for the upcoming flight.

From Quiz The Right Stuff

Answer: Alan Shepard

In 1961 Alan Shepard became the first American, and the second man, to go into space when Freedom 7 was launched. The Russians had the first ever man in space with Yuri Gagarin, who became an international hero and celebrity. Shepard splashed down successfully in the Atlantic Ocean. The launch was shown live on national television and, like Gagarin, Shepard became an instant hero and celebrity. Scott Glen, who plays him in the film, has had a long career. Some of his other films include "The Hunt for Red October" (1990), "Silence of the Lambs" (1991) and "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007).

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 2

Answer: A toy capsule

He took several of the dime-store toy capsules with him, along with a few rolls of dimes, to give out as mementos that had been in space. The movie implied that he was messing around with these things and set off the explosive bolts on the blow away hatch. NASA officials determined that it could have been an electrical short that set it off. This is ironic because in the Apollo Program they took away the explosive hatch, and Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffe died due to an electrical short causing an explosion and fire in the 100% oxygen environment.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 1

Answer: Chuck Yeager

Chuck was first seen riding a horse near the X-1, looking at it critically. Not only was he the first man to break the sound barrier, but he did it with broken ribs that he had gotten in a horse riding accident the night before.

From Quiz The Right Stuff

Answer: Mercury

The first space programme was named Mercury. With 20 unmanned flights, two sub orbital flights and four orbital flights, it laid the groundwork for the Gemini programme that followed it. This in turn led to Apollo and the eventual moon landings. Although it failed in the objective to get a man into space before the Soviets, it did succeed in getting the first American into space.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 2

Answer: Donald "Deke" Slayton

After he was accepted into the Mercury Program, Deke was diagnosed with Artrial Fibrillation, and was grounded. He was able to overcome this problem with an intense vitamin regimen, and was restored to flight status in time to fly on the Apollo-Soyuz mission.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 1

Answer: Bar owner

She actually was a qualified pilot, just not a test pilot. Some might have said that her saloon was a brothel. She was a very tough cookie, and took no lip from young pilots. Her bar, Pancho's Happy Bottom Riding Club, burnt down during the Mercury Program, supposedly from an errant flare. It was the bar where all the test pilots went to drink.

From Quiz The Right Stuff

Answer: Deke Slayton

Seven people were selected for the first space programme. They all came from branches of the armed forces and, on the insistence of President Eisenhower, all were test pilots, which excluded women from the selection process. Because of the limited space inside the space capsule they all had to be under five feet eleven inches tall, and weigh less than 180 pounds. The programme attracted five hundred applicants, and various medical and psychological tests whittled it down to the final seven. Despite this Deke Slayton was grounded when a heart murmur was discovered. He did go into space eventually, but not until 1975 as part of the Apollo programme. Scott Paulin who portrayed him in the film has made appearances in various television programmes including "House", "E.R.", "24" and "Cold Case". His film work includes "The Accused" (1988) and "Captain America" (1990). Jack Ridley and Pancho Barnes were not astronauts. Jack Ridley worked at NASA and Pancho Barnes was a bar tender.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 2

Answer: Carpenter and Schirra

Carpenter's flight had problems that were blamed on pilot error, and he overshot his landing zone by several hundred miles. Schirra's flight was right on the mark. Ever the Navy man, Wally checked off every last item on his check list. Lovell and Conrad flew in the Gemini and Apollo Programs. Conrad walked on the moon on Apollo 12 and Lovell was going to walk there on Apollo 13, but there was that whole disaster in space thing.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 1

Answer: Yuri Gagarin

The scene began with someone running down a hallway to tell the news about Gagarin, but the administrators already knew. This scene was just like an earlier event, when Sputnik was launched, and President Eisenhower insisted on having test pilots as the first astronauts.

From Quiz The Right Stuff

Answer: John Glenn

Where Alan Shepard just went up, reached a certain height, and then came down again, John Glenn orbited the Earth. He did this in February 1962. He circled the Earth three times in his almost five hour flight before safely splashing down. During his flight the city of Perth, Australia, became known as the City of Light when all the residents turned on their house lights, car headlights and all street lights as he went overhead. On his return he was hailed as a national hero and given a ticker tape parade. Ed Harris, who played Glenn in the film, has a long list of film credits including "Pollock" (2000), for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, "Nixon" (1995) and "The Rock" (1996). He also directs theatre productions, and is the voice of Jason Hudson in the video game "Call of Duty: Black Ops".

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 2

Answer: Stuttering

She was terrified to be on TV becaue of her stuttering problem, and also didn't like talking to people she didn't know well. This just enraged Vice-President Johnson, who then threw a temper tantrum in his limousine.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 1

Answer: Tom Wolfe

The book was published in 1979, and the screenplay written in 1983 by the dirctor of the film, Philip Kaufman with input by William Goldman. The book went into much greater, and grizzlier detail than was in the film. But then again that is almost always the case, isn't it?

From Quiz The Right Stuff

Answer: Gus Grissom

Like Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom did a sub-orbital flight. On splashdown there was a problem with the hatch on his space capsule which jettisoned during the recovery mission, allowing the capsule to fill with water and sink. Grissom escaped unharmed, but there were suggestions he panicked and opened the hatch too soon. Grissom died, along with Ed White and Roger Chaffee, in a pre-launch test for Apollo 1 when the Command Module burst into flames. He is played by Fred Ward, who started his career in the Clint Eastwood film "Escape from Alcatraz" (1979). He also had roles in "Silkwood" (1983) and "Swing Shift" (1984).

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 2

Answer: Spam in a can

Yeager used it on the NASA recruiters to emphasize that they would have no control over their craft. He later went back on that to say that they were all right, because they knew that they could die.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 1

Answer: Fred the bartender

He was the funky old guy who asked the two NASA recruiters if they wanted a drink of whiskey, then looked at them like they were crazy when one of them asked him for a coke...in a clean glass.

From Quiz The Right Stuff

Answer: Tom Wolfe

Philip Kaufman not only directed "The Right Stuff", he also wrote the screen play, which he adapted from Tom Wolfe's novel. It was by far his most successful film, getting eight Oscar nominations and winning four of them. His other directorial credits include "Invasion of The Body Snatchers" (1978) and "Twisted" (2004). Tom Wolfe is also known for "The Bonfire Of The Vanities" (1987).

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 2

Answer: NF-104 Starfighter

This was the flight that he lost control of and had to "punch out" of. In the injection, some of the propellant from the ejector seat leaked out and got caught inside his helmet. It was like molten lava, and he was severely burnt on his face and hands. These burns almost cost him his career, and did see him taken out of test flight status, and reassigned to command a fighter squadron. Incidentally - if he had taken the jet without permission he would have been sent to Leavenworth!

From Quiz The Right Stuff

Answer: Bill Conti

As well as "The Right Stuff", Bill Conti has also composed for the "Rocky" series of films. The 1976 film "Rocky" was his first big break in film music. He wrote the score for the "James Bond" film "For Your Eyes Only" when John Barry was unable to do so. Other credits include "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1999) and the television series "Dynasty". He is a graduate of the Julliard music school, and has often conducted the orchestra at the Academy Awards ceremony.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 2

Answer: Trudy

Trudy was pivotal in Gordo being accepted into the Mercury Program, as she lied to the psych nurse, saying that Gordo was stable and level headed. These were names of some of the Mercury 7 Astronaut Wives; Betty Grissom, Louise Shepard, and Bobbie Slayton. The others were; Anna Glenn, Josephine Schirra and Rene Carpenter.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 1

Answer: Star Voyager

The question was asked of Gordo Cooper by Gus Grissom, while having a drink and listening to the bumbling NASA recruiters at Pancho's Happy Bottom Riding Club. Gus liked the sound of "Star Voyager, Gus Grissom".

From Quiz The Right Stuff

Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson

Donald Moffat plays Lyndon B. Johnson in the film. Johnson was very much in favour of the space programme and this is shown in the film. At the time of the film he is the Senator for Texas. He went on to be Vice President to John F. Kennedy, taking over as President when Kennedy was assassinated. He completed that term and then, in 1964, defeated Barry Goldwater to become the elected President. Although his domestic policies were popular, his escalation of the Vietnam war was so unpopular he did not seek re-election in 1968. Donald Moffat started his career as a stage actor at the Old Vic in London. He is better known as a television actor than for films, having appeared in such series as "Logan's Run", "The West Wing" and "Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman". His best known film role is probably in "Clear and Present Danger" (1994), in which he plays the corrupt President.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 2

Answer: Jose

It was based on the comedian Jose Jimenez, who made fun of the astronauts on Uncle Milty's show. Shepard thought that Jose was just the funniest thing he had ever heard, and would do the impression often. This was typical of Shepard, though he was also known as "The Icey Commander" due to his short fused temper.

From Quiz The Right Stuff

Answer: A stammer

Annie Glenn suffered from a very bad stammer and, as a result of this, she disliked public appearances. However her husband's fame meant she was often required to be in the public eye. In 1973 she underwent an intensive course at Hollins University, which does mean she can now speak freely in public. Mary Jo Deschanel, who portrayed her in the film, also played Eileen in the television series "Twin Peaks". She also appeared in an episode of "House".

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 2

Answer: Pushing the edge of the envelope

Yeager, after breaking the sound barrier, told Ridley that he would just push the edge of the envelope a little more and see where that demon lived. That demon being the one that would lock up your controls if you tried to go faster than the speed of sound.

From Quiz "The Right Stuff" Part 1

Answer: A "No handball playing here" sign.

John Glenn had hung it in the capsule to break the tension. Al Shepard was a voracious handball player. Shepard handed it back to Glenn and told him that it wasn't very funny, but he sure did appreciate it. This was to be Shepard's historic space shot, that got America caught up in the space race.

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