Vocabulary 1
A space rock, much smaller than a planet, that orbits the sun.
Asteroid
Pilot who flies a new aircraft to test its performance in flight.
Test Pilot
Name the 3 men on the Apollo 13.
Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert
What is the name of Lovell's wife?
Marilyn Lovell
What were the two options that NASA had to choose between in order to get the astronauts home?
They had to decide whether to turn around immediately, or circle the moon and use its gravity to return home.
A type of high-strength glue
Epoxy
Human-made device placed in orbit for observation or communication.
Satellite
Who was the commader of Apollo 13?
Jim Lovell
What is the name of Lovell's daughter?
Barbara Lovell
What option does Kranz announce that they will take?
Kranz decided that they would circle the moon, and then use the moon's gravity to propel they spaceship back toward the Earth.
An exercise designed to be just like the real world, usually for the purpose of training someone.
Simulation
A panel with controls or monitors for electronic or mechanical equipment.
Console
Who was the lunar module pilot of Apollo 13?
Fred Haise
Who took Ken Mattingly's place on the Apollo 13?
Swigert
What was different about the styles of the two flight directors, Kranz and Lunney?
Kranz tended to be more calm and reassuring, whereas Lunney fired off a series of questions making everyone very tense.
Technique by which a spacecraft lands in a body of water.
Splashdown
A switch that interrupts the flow of electricity in a system of wires and equipment.
Circuit Breakers
Who was the command module pilot?
Jack Swigert
What happened to astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee?
There was a terrible fire in the spacecraft in which the three astronauts burned to death.
How were the 3 astronauts going to have to help align their spaceship in order to get home?
They were going to have to use the old-fashioned method of navigating by the stars.
To get rid of something, usually from an aircraft or ship
Jettison
A device that produces electricity when two or more chemicals are combined.
Fuel Cell
What happened to Ken Mattingly?
He was exposed to measles so the doctors would not let him fly the mission.
Who was the lead flight director?
Gene Kranz
The spaceship needed to follow a very precise path in returning to Earth. What would happen if the path was too shallow? Too steep?
Come in too shallow and the atmosphere would bounce them right back into space. Come in too steep, and they would plunge so abruptly into the atmosphere that they would melt the heat shield.