Project Mercury
Initiated in 1958, this was the United States' very first man-in-space program
What is Project Mercury?
History was made on July 20, 1969, when this mission successfully landed on the Moon.
What is Apollo 11?
He famously proclaimed, "That's one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind"
Who is Neil Armstrong?
To get capsules into orbit reliably, NASA utilized existing military versions of these.
What are rockets?
The Soviet Union surprised the United States and started the Space Race by launching Sputnik in this year.
What is 1957?
To keep designs simple and reliable, NASA mandated the use of this type of existing technology wherever practical
What is off-the-shelf technology?
This specific, flat location was the landing site for the first lunar landing.
What is the "Sea of Tranquility"?
He became the very first American to journey into space aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft.
Who is Alan B. Shepard Jr.?
This highly reliable system was required on Mercury spacecraft to protect the crew and separate the capsule in case of a rocket failure
What is a launch-escape system?
This is the total number of astronauts who walked on the lunar surface during the entire Apollo program.
What is 12?
The Mercury capsules had to be built tough enough to withstand a return landing in this specific environment.
What is the ocean/water?
The crew of this mission survived an explosion by climbing into the lunar module and using a slingshot maneuver around the Moon to return to Earth
What is Apollo 13?
He became the first American to orbit the Earth, making three tours around the planet in 1962.
Who is John Glenn Jr.?
Introduced during the Apollo 15 mission, this vehicle helped astronauts explore much greater distances on the lunar surface
What is the Lunar Roving Vehicle?
The Apollo 11 crew spent this exact amount of time (hours and minutes) on the lunar surface.
What is 21 hours, 36 minutes?
These two completely new technologies had to be invented for Mercury: an automatic blood-pressure system and instruments to measure these two specific gases.
What are oxygen and carbon dioxide?
Launching in December 1972, this was the United States' final mission to the Moon
What is Apollo 17?
After screening hundreds of military service records, this famous nickname was given to America's first group of selected astronauts.
What is the Mercury Seven?
This unmanned American craft made a soft landing on the Moon to gather data four months after the Soviet Union's Luna 9.
What is Surveyor 1?
After the Apollo program, the Space Shuttle program was created, ultimately completing this many total missions before ending in 2011.
What is 135?
He flew the final Mercury mission in 1963 and holds the title of the last American astronaut to fly alone in space.
Who is Gordon Cooper?
The fatal Apollo 1 fire, which claimed the lives of three astronauts, occurred during this routine pre-flight event.
What is a launch pad test?
He holds the unique distinction of being the first man to fly aboard all three of the early human space projects: Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo
Who is Wally Schirra?
In 1975, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project marked the first space docking of spacecraft from these two nations.
What are the United States and Russia (or Soviet Union)?
During a final dress rehearsal, the Apollo 10 lunar module "Snoopy" flew within this exact distance of the Moon's surface.
What is 8.6 miles?