Space Race Quiz

When did the Soviet Union launch the satellites Sputnik and Sputnik II?

• 1957

• 1958

• 1959

• 1960

What was the size of the Sputnik satellite?

• The size of a basketball

• The size of a car

• The size of a house

• The size of a plane

What was the speed at which Sputnik orbited the Earth?

• 29,000 kilometers per hour

• 18,000 miles per hour

• 29,000 miles per hour

• 18,000 kilometers per hour

What did the successful launches of Sputnik suggest to many Americans?

• Soviets possessed superior technology

• Americans possessed superior technology

• Soviets possessed inferior technology

• Americans possessed inferior technology

What did President Dwight D. Eisenhower establish in response to the launch of Sputnik?

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

• National Security Agency (NSA)

• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

What was the purpose of establishing NASA?

• To coordinate missile development and space exploration

• To develop nuclear weapons

• To establish military bases in space

• To monitor Soviet activities

When did the United States successfully launch its first satellite, Explorer 1?

• January 31, 1958

• December 6, 1957

• October 1959

• May 1961

What did the Soviet Union achieve two years after Sputnik?

• Landing a probe on the moon

• Launching a manned mission to space

• Building a space station

• Developing a new rocket technology

Who recognized the potential for a fantastic public relations victory if the United States could place the first human being on the moon?

• President John F. Kennedy

• President Dwight D. Eisenhower

• President Harry S. Truman

• President Franklin D. Roosevelt

What did President John F. Kennedy commit the United States to in his May 1961 speech?

• Sending a man to the moon and returning him safely to Earth within 10 years

• Developing a new rocket technology

• Establishing military bases in space

• Launching a manned mission to Mars