Short answer questions

1. What was Buzz's job on the Apollo 11 mission?

2. Apollo 11 carried 3 people. What were the other two crewmember's names and jobs?

3. Which American president called for this nation to commit itself to landing a man on the Moon?

4. The president committed the United State to the Moon Project with a famous quote beginning "I believe that this nation …". What was the complete one-sentence statement?

5. When Neil Armstrong first touched boot to lunar dust, he dedicated the event with a famous statement. What is that quote?

6. Dr. Aldrin's nickname is Buzz. What is his full name?

7. Besides Apollo 11, what other space missions has Buzz been on?

8. Dr. Aldrin has written 4 books. Two are fiction and two are non-fiction. What are their titles and subjects?

9. The Apollo mission actually used 3 spacecraft. What were their names and functions?

10. How many pounds of fuel were needed for each pound that reached orbit around the earth.   (Hint: you can calculate this.) 

11. Where on the Moon did the Eagle land?

12. What was happening in the world at the time the president announced our commitment to a moon landing, which would influence such a decision?

13. Out of three possible methods of lunar landing, the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous was selected. How did this method differ from the other two and why was it selected?

14. What was the launch vehicle (rocket) called that was used to boost Apollo into space? How big was it? How many engines? How many pounds of weight could it lift?

15. Where did the name "Apollo", come from? What is its significance?

16. How many people have actually set foot on another planet besides the Earth?

17. What space programs have been started or completed since the Apollo program?

Essay Prompts

1. What reasons did the president have for committing to such an expensive goal as landing a man on the Moon?

2. Apollo was a series of missions of discovery. What did we learn about the Moon?  What did we learn about the Earth?  What did we learn about living in space?

3. Buzz Aldrin believes that our future lies in space. His deeply held philosophy is that we must continue to challenge the space frontier, even as we seek to overcome our problems here on Earth. "We can either improve or we can just lie back satisfied with what we have, which is usually the beginning of the end for a society," he cautions. Do you share Buzz Aldrin's vision of a new millennium that includes living and working in space? Or do you think it is irresponsible to devote resources to space exploration when we still have so many needs here on earth?

4. Considering that there are no shops or factories in space, how would you respond to the question "Why did we spend so much money in space?"

5. What did we get out of going to the Moon? Consider how our economy, living conditions, technologies compare before, during and now after the Moon Project.

6. Why didn't we stay? Getting to the Moon answered many questions but it raised many more. It also opened the possibility of going to other planets or asteroids. What happened here and in the world that caused this 30-year hiatus?

7. What if we had never gone to the Moon? In what way has it made a difference? Consider how our economy, living conditions, and everyday technologies have changed since before the Apollo program.

8. If you were given a chance to go to the Moon, would you go? Why or why not? Consider and discuss at least 4 factors affecting your decision?

9. Put yourself in Buzz Aldrin's place as one of the first people on the Moon. Describe and explain at least 3 feelings that you would have at that moment as well as what it would mean to you, your family, your country and your world.

10. You are one of the first people to land on Mars. Write a short story about the moment you open the spacecraft and first walk on Mars. Address how it would feel and what it would mean to you as well as what it would mean to our country and the world.

11. Historically, the most successful societies have explored and expanded (e.g. Roman and English Empires). Improvements in economy and standard of living are often tied to exploration and expansion. Now that the exploration of the Earth is essentially ended, can we adapt to a new pattern that does not require continued exploration for success. What might be the consequences if we do not?

12. Given how realistic Hollywood can make movies appear, how do you know that the live movies and pictures from Tranquility Base are real and the recently released movie "Mission to Mars" is not? What specifically do you look for in determining what is real and what is "just a story?"