ASSESSMENT: The Early Years: Mercury to Apollo-Soyuz

Directions: 
This sheet can be used as an individual or group worksheet to accompany this lesson’s reading, The Early Years: Mercury to Apollo-Soyuz.

Project Mercury
1.	When Project Mercury first started, what were its two broad missions?

2.	For how many astronauts was the Project Mercury spacecraft designed?

3.	Use The Early Years document to complete the Project Mercury table below.
•	Place the following Mercury astronauts next to their spacecraft.
o	Alan B. Shepard, Jr.; Virgil l. “Gus” Grissom; Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr.; N. Scott Carpenter; Walter N. Schirra, Jr.; and L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.
•	Next, fill out the date column.  
•	As you read about each of the spacecrafts, write down one fact in the last column.

Spacecraft 	Astronaut	Date	Provide 1 Fact	
Freedom 7

Liberty Bell 7

Friendship 7

Aurora 7

Sigma 7

Faith 7

Project Gemini
4.	For how many astronauts was the Project Gemini spacecraft designed?

5.	What was the purpose of the two-part adapter module? 

6.	How many manned Gemini flights were there?

7.	When were the first and last Gemini flights? How many days between the first and last?

8.	How much did Project Gemini cost?

9.	What were two space firsts for Gemini?

Apollo
10.	Summarize Apollo’s successes in 1965 and 1966.

11.	Summarize Apollo’s setback in 1967? 

12.	Who made America’s first space walk?

13.	List the astronauts who were part of the 101% successful Apollo 7 mission in 1968, and state why it was considered so successful.

14.	Be an engineer! You have just been assigned as an engineer to help develop the Crew Exploration Vehicle for NASA's return to the Moon. What information from the Apollo Program might be useful to you in your job today?

Skylab
15.	Why was the two-stage Saturn V design for Skylab 1 a smart design decision?

16.	Which of the Skylab launches were manned?

17.	How many years did the Skylab project last, how did it end and how much did it cost?

18.	Provide one fact for each of the four Skylabs.
Skylab 1

Skylab 2

Skylab 3

Skylab 4

ASTP
19.	What was accomplished during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project?

20.	The last page of this NASA Information Summary provides information about the future of manned space flight. Is the Space Shuttle still the future of manned space flight? Explain your answer.