U2L4 Comprehension John Glenn

Which astronaut was the first American to orbit Earth?

• Scott Carpenter

• Alan Shepard

• John Glenn

• Gordon Cooper

Which sentence from the selection best supports your choice for who was the first astronaut to orbit Earth?

• The first missions to carry astronauts into orbit were called Mercury.

• As John's capsule cleared the tower, astronaut Scott Carpenter radioed the world, "Godspeed, John Glenn," wishing him good luck as he rose into the sky.

• After the first successful Mercury mission in 1961, Kennedy became convinced that landing on the Moon could be achieved by American astronauts.

• John felt very honored when he was selected to take the historic flight.

The author wrote this selection to

• persuade the reader that the space race was important.

• inform the reader about a space pioneer.

• entertain the reader with an adventure tale.

• express an opinion about the dangers of space exploration.

What problem did the Redstone booster have?

• It could not work in a weightless environment.

• It could not push a capsule into orbit.

• It was too small to carry a capsule.

• It burned up when it entered the atmosphere.

What was the purpose of the parachute in the selection? Why did they do this?

• to put the flames out.

• to show the Navy crew.

• to keep the capsule from spinning.

• to slow the capsule down for landing where the capsule was

Which event happened last?

• World War II ends

• Mercury Seven selected

• Chimpanzee is sent into space

• First supersonic flight from New York to Los Angeles

Why did Mission Control leave the retropack attached to the capsule?

• They thought the heat shield was loose so they used it to hold the heat shield in place.

• They thought it looked better leaving it on instead of taking it off.

• They did not want the heat shield to fall back to Earth and hurt someone when it fell from space.

• They did not want to lose the heat shield and have it float off into space.

What are the skills a test pilot needs? Check all that apply

• gets good sleep

• fast reflexes

• good flyer

• think fast under pressure

What was the purpose of the first two Mercury missions?

• To see if the space ship would explode or stay safe

• To see if animals could survive in space

• To see if astronauts could work in a weightless environment.

• To bring food to the astronauts

Why does a booster rocket burn up?

• The astronauts set it on fire to keep warm.

• As it falls through the atmosphere, air friction heats it and causes it to burn.

• The booster burns so when it falls from space it is in little pieces and will not hurt anyone.

• The booster burns so the astronauts can have light because it is dark in space.