What was the primary goal of NASA's Mercury program (1958-1963)?

To land the first American on the Moon before 1965 To put the first Americans in space and demonstrate that humans could survive and work in orbit To develop the rocket needed to travel to the Moon To build the first American space station in low Earth orbit

What did Alan Shepard accomplish on May 5, 1961, aboard Freedom 7?

He became the first American to orbit Earth, completing three orbits He became the first American in space on a 15-minute suborbital flight He performed the first American spacewalk outside a Mercury capsule He became the first person to travel to space twice in the same year

What did John Glenn accomplish on February 20, 1962, aboard Friendship 7?

He became the first American to orbit Earth, completing three orbits He made the first American suborbital spaceflight lasting 15 minutes He performed the first American spacewalk outside a Gemini capsule He was the first American to orbit the Moon aboard Apollo 8

What famous challenge did President John F. Kennedy issue in a 1961 speech?

He committed the United States to building a permanent Moon base by 1970 He committed the United States to landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely before the end of the decade He announced the Mercury program would send astronauts to orbit Mars He pledged that the first space station would be built by American astronauts before 1968

What was the main purpose of the Gemini program (1961-1966)?

To place the first American space station in orbit To develop orbital rendezvous, docking, and spacewalking techniques needed for the Apollo Moon missions To test the Saturn V rocket before the Apollo program began To fly American astronauts around the Moon without landing

What did Ed White accomplish during the Gemini 4 mission in June 1965?

He became the first American to orbit Earth without a co-pilot He performed the first American spacewalk, spending about 23 minutes outside the capsule He piloted the first docking of two spacecraft in Earth orbit He completed the first trans-lunar injection burn toward the Moon

What happened during the Apollo 1 mission on January 27, 1967?

The rocket exploded during launch, killing all three crew members The capsule suffered a catastrophic re-entry failure after returning from orbit A launchpad fire killed all three astronauts — Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee — during a ground test The mission was aborted at sea and the capsule sank before rescue

What was the significance of Apollo 8 in December 1968?

It was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth orbit and orbit the Moon, producing the famous Earthrise photograph It was the first Apollo mission to land on the Moon, in the Sea of Tranquility It was the first crewed test flight of the Saturn V rocket in Earth orbit It was the mission that successfully rescued the stranded Apollo 13 crew

What did Apollo 11 achieve in July 1969?

It was the first crewed spacecraft to fly around the Moon without landing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land and walk on the Moon It successfully retrieved the first Moon rock samples using a robotic arm It was the first mission to carry a rover vehicle on the Moon's surface

How many Mercury astronauts were originally selected by NASA?

Three Five Seven Twelve